A tall target, the bowlers trying to take control and a tricky asking rate. It is a situation Shreyas Iyer has revelled in quite a few times, both for India and his IPL teams. It requires gumption to go on the offensive while still relying on conventional methods.
The Punjab Kings skipper yet again demonstrated why he was one of the best white-ball batters going around, striking a crucial half-century (50, 29b, 4×4, 3×6) and guiding his side to a five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2026 at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday (April 3, 2026).
In pursuit of 210, opener Priyansh Arya set the tone with a belligerent 11-ball 39. The left-hander was in equal parts exquisite and marauding. He started by executing an inch-perfect straight drive off Khaleel Ahmed and then lofted Matt Henry over his head for a six. In between, he punished the pacers whenever they erred on the shorter side by hoiking them over leg-side with disdain.
With 83 needed off 48, Shreyas took control and went after the Super Kings spinners in characteristic fashion. He went after Rahul Chahar, producing a fine inside-out lofted drive over covers and pulling a half-tracker over midwicket. Shreyas raced to his half-century off just 26 balls, smashing CSK’s thin bowling attack around the park. In the end, the visitors cantered home with eight balls to spare and climbed to the top of the table.
Earlier, Ayush Mhatre had the Chepauk faithful up on their feet as his blistering 73 (43b, 6×4, 5×6) ensured CSK posted 209 for five after being asked to bat.
Once Mhatre laid the foundation at the top, Fellow Mumbaikars Shivam Dube (45 n.o., 27b, 5×4, 1×6) and Sarfaraz Khan (32, 12b, 6×4, 1×6) provided the momentum towards the end to help their team get past 200 for the first time at home since 2024.
At 101 for one in 10 overs, the host looked set for a huge total. But Yuzvendra Chahal pulled things back through a misery spell (3-0-21-1). Despite Sarfaraz and Dube’s efforts, it was evident that the Chennai outfit ended up with less than what it would have wanted and slumped to a sixth straight defeat at its den.
Scoreboard
Chennai Super Kings
Sanju Samson c Prabhsimran b Bartlett 7 (7b, 1×4), Ruturaj Gaikwad c Wadhera b Chahal 28 (22b, 2×4), Ayush Mhatre c Chahal b Vyshak 73 (43b, 6×4, 5×6), Shivam Dube (not out) 45 (27b, 5×4, 1×6), Kartik Sharma lbw b Jansen 1 (3b), Sarfaraz Khan c Wadhera b Vyshak 32 (12b, 6×4, 1×6), Prashant Veer (not out) 6 (7b, 1×4); Extras (b-1, nb-1, w-15): 17; Total (for five wkts. in 20 overs): 209.
Fall Of Wickets
1-14 (Samson, 1.6 overs), 2-110 (Ruturaj, 11.1), 3-123 (Mhatre, 12.3), 4-130 (Kartik, 13.4), 5-168 (Sarfaraz, 16.4).
Kings Bowling
Arshdeep 4-0-41-0, Bartlett 4-0-48-1, Jansen 4-0-43-1, Vyshak 4-0-38-2, Chahal 3-0-21-1, Stoinis 1-0-17-0.
Punjab Kings
Priyansh Arya (Impact Player for Chahal) b Henry 39 (11b, 3×4, 4×6), Prabhsimran Singh run out 43 (34b, 6×4, 1×6), Cooper Connolly c Henry b Kamboj 36 (22b, 6×4), Shreyas Iyer c R. Chahar (Impact Player for Kartik) b Kamboj 50 (29b, 4×4, 3×6), Nehal Wadhera c Noor b Henry 10 (9b, 1×6), Shashank Singh (not out) 14 (6b, 2×4), Marcus Stoinis (not out) 9 (3b, 2×4); Extras (lb-1, nb-2, w-6): 9; Total (for five wkts. in 18.4 overs): 210.
Fall Of Wickets
1-61 (Priyansh, 4.2), 2-95 (Prabhsimran, 8.5), 3-127 (Connolly, 11.5), 4-186 (Shreyas, 16.6), 5-186 (Wadhera, 17.1).
Punjab Kings Bowling
Khaleel 3-0-28-0, Henry 4-0-54-2, Kamboj 3.4-0-43-2, Noor 4-0-38-0, R. Chahar 4-0-46-0; Toss: Kings; PoM: Priyansh. PBKS won by five wickets with eight balls to spare.
Published – April 03, 2026 07:54 pm IST
