Chennai Super Kings finally broke their losing streak by defeating Punjab Kings in a low-scoring match at Dharamshala. After five consecutive losses, this win was a much-needed boost for the team. With this victory, they climbed to third place on the points table, pushing Sunrisers Hyderabad down to fifth. Despite the setback, we still have a chance to qualify for the playoffs if we win our remaining games. It's a crucial time for us, and we need to be at our best in our upcoming fixtures.

Chennai got off to a fine start

Sam Curran's decision to put the Chennai Super Kings in to bat proved fruitful as Arshdeep Singh struck early, dismissing Ajinkya Rahane.

However, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Daryl Mitchell formed a solid partnership, showcasing their dominance with regular boundaries. Their aggressive batting saw them quickly amass 60 runs by the end of the powerplay. The duo's impressive performance put Chennai Super Kings in a strong position early in the innings.

Rahul Chahar and Harshal Patel strike back

Rahul Chahar continued his impressive bowling form against the Super Kings, delivering a captivating performance. In his very first over, he struck twice in a row, claiming the crucial wickets of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube, putting Chennai on the back foot early on.

This marked the second consecutive dismissal of Dube for a duck, further bolstering our position. The momentum continued as Harshal Patel dismissed Daryl Mitchell for 30, further denting Chennai's innings as they were reduced to 75 for 4.

Chennai recovered through Jadeja, Moeen and Thakur

After finding themselves in a precarious situation, Ravindra Jadeja took it upon himself to steer Chennai back on course. He began by forming a composed 26-run partnership with Moeen Ali, showcasing patience and determination as they rotated the strike efficiently. Despite Ali falling to Sam Curran and Santner to Chahar, Jadeja maintained his calm demeanor. However, he shifted gears when partnered with Shardul Thakur, accelerating the scoring rate. Thakur's valuable 17 runs added support until Harshal Patel dismissed him in the 19th over. Patel's shining moment came when he deceived MS Dhoni, dismissing him for a first-ball duck. Jadeja's resilient 43-run innings proved crucial as Chennai posted a total of 167 runs on the board.

Bairstow and Rossouw fall cheaply

Our run chase got off to a rocky start as Tushar Deshpande struck early, dismissing our in-form batter Jonny Bairstow for just seven runs. Deshpande didn't stop there; he further dented our innings by removing the dangerous Rilee Rossouw for a duck. With two crucial wickets falling quickly, we found ourselves in a precarious position at 9 for 2, facing an uphill battle in the chase.

Prabhsimran and Shashank fight back!

Despite losing two early wickets, our Shers displayed resilience as Prabhsimran Singh and Shashank fought hard. They adopted an aggressive approach right from the start, attacking the bowlers with confidence. Their ominous touch was evident as they consistently scored runs, quickly reaching 47 by the end of the powerplay. Both Shashank and Prabhsimran showcased their batting skills, playing elegant shots to help us stage a comeback in the chase. Their partnership set the stage for an exciting and closely contested match.

Chennai win comfortably after Shashank-Prabhsimran partnership

Following a promising partnership between Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh, Mitchell Santner managed to break through, dismissing Shashank. Shortly after, Ravindra Jadeja struck, claiming the wicket of Prabhsimran in the following over. Unfortunately, our innings took a downward turn from there as we struggled to maintain momentum, losing wickets at regular intervals. Jadeja and Simarjeet Singh applied pressure effectively, restricting our scoring opportunities. Towards the end, Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar showcased some entertaining strokes, but their efforts proved insufficient as we fell short by 28 runs.

Although this has been a tough loss to swallow, we are not going to give up as we still have a chance to make it to the Playoffs. Our next game is against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Dharamshala and it is going to be an exciting one as we look to bounce back strongly.

Brief Scores: Chennai Super Kings 167 for 9 in 20 overs (Ravindra Jadeja 43, Ruturaj Gaikwad 32, Rahul Chahar 3/23) defeat Punjab Kings 139 for 9 in 20 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 30, Shashank Singh 27, Ravindra Jadeja 3/20)

Man of the Match: Ravindra Jadeja