Chennai, April 3 (IANS) Priyansh Arya’s opening blitz of 39 off 11 balls and skipper Shreyas Iyer’s fifty propelled Punjab Kings to their second victory in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, beating Chennai Super Kings by five wickets at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday.

Priyansh Arya ignited the chase with an impressive start, setting the tone for Punjab Kings’ pursuit of 210 against Chennai Super Kings. Brought in as a substitute, Arya made his intentions clear. He attacked Khaleel Ahmed right from the beginning. A sharp, straight drive for four, followed by a powerful six over midwicket, marked his entrance. While Khaleel managed some movement against Prabhsimran Singh, he still gave away 14 runs in the first over.

There was no break in the second over as Arya attacked Matt Henry, hitting 4, 6, and 4 to reach 25 off just six balls. By the time PBKS scored their fifty in an incredible 3.2 overs, Arya had already piled up 27 off eight balls, easily finding the boundary. This was a bold, modern T20 strategy. Seeing a target of over 200, he went all out in the power play to take control of the chase. His 39 off 11 at a strike rate of 355 may not have been a match-winning innings by itself, but it clearly represented the role of an aggressive opener today: deal maximum damage early and establish a platform.

At the other end, Prabhsimran kept the momentum going, but CSK tried to regain control with spin by bringing in Noor Ahmad and adding Rahul Chahar as an impact bowler. However, PBKS kept pushing, with Cooper Connolly showing intent against spin. However, a costly mistake on a low-risk second call cost PBKS their momentum at a crucial time, when Shreyas Iyer walked confidently to the crease with a chance to score runs. Noor Ahmad sprinted from midwicket to intercept the ball, while Sarfaraz Khan made an excellent backup play and threw an accurate ball to the non-strikers’ end to catch Prabhsimran (43) out after Connolly returned him.

Conolly holed out off a full toss, which he couldn’t quite hit past mid-off. That was a missed opportunity, and one he’ll regret on the long walk back. With 83 runs needed off 49 balls, PBKS still has Shreyas Iyer and Nehal Wadhera at the crease to steady the chase. CSK, on the other hand, has limited spin left. They have just one over from Noor Ahmad and two from Rahul Chahar. After that, it will be up to the pacers, who have given away runs all evening, to finish the job.

Ayush Mhatre starred with a sensational 73 off 43 as late cameos from Sarfaraz Khan (32 off 12) and Shivam Dube (45* off 27) powered Chennai Super Kings to 209/5.

CSK’s innings had a shaky start, with Sanju Samson (7) falling early yet again, exposing his struggles against movement. Amid the early setbacks, Mhatre took charge, showing great intent and preparation, especially against short balls. Having worked on his pull shot, he confidently took on the pacers, racing to 59 off 32 balls inside nine overs, including four fours and five sixes.

While Mhatre dominated, Ruturaj Gaikwad (28 off 22) struggled to accelerate, falling at a time when CSK needed momentum. Mhatre, however, continued to dictate terms even after the Power-play, cleverly countering the wide yorker strategy with smart placement and quick adjustments.

His dismissal proved to be a turning point. At 123, Mhatre had scored 73 of those runs — nearly 60% — highlighting CSK’s over-reliance on him as the rest of the batting managed just 38 off 32 balls, with 12 extras.

Sarfaraz then injected late momentum with an inventive cameo, using ramps and deft touches to counter both pace and yorkers, striking at 266. Though Dube initially struggled, he finished strongly, anchoring the death overs with a composed unbeaten 45. CSK’s 209/5 also marked their first 200-plus total at Chepauk since April 2024, signalling a return to their high-scoring best.

Shreyas Iyer displayed unwavering poise throughout his innings by shifting gears from 4 off 5 to 50 off 26 flawlessly. He held the situation in check as the PBKS captain by choosing his shots carefully and keeping the chase on course. Yet just as everything seemed to be going PBKS’ way and Iyer was batting fabulously, CSK responded with two wickets off consecutive deliveries by taking Iyer out and having Nehal Wadhera swing the momentum back their way.

However, Shashank Singh and Marcus Stoinis made sure there are no more hiccups as PBKS closed the match, winning it by five wickets.

Brief scores:

Chennai Super Kings 209/5 in 20 overs (Ayush Mhatre 73, Shivam Dube 45 not out; Vyshak Vijaykumar 2-38, Yuzvendra Chahal 1-21) lost to Punjab Kings 210/5 in 18.4 overs (Shreyas Iyer 50, Prabhsimran Singh 43, Priyansh Arya 39; Matt Henry 2-54, Anshul Kamboj 2-47) by five wickets.

–IANS

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