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Punjab Kings (PBKS) returned to winning ways after defeating Mumbai Indians (MI) by ninﷺe wickets at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday.
Chasing a paltry target of 132, KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal (25) gave their side a solid start as the pair added a 53-run stand for the opening wicket. Agarwal was outdone by Rahul Chahar in the eighth over, but Rahul kept his end alive and formed another vital partnership with Chris Gayle.
The duo of Rahul and Gayle put together an unbeaten stand of 79 runs to take their side over the finish line. While Rahul smashed another half-century and stayed not out on 60 runs, Gayle contributed with an ꦐunbeaten 43.
Earlier, PBK bowled magnificently well to restrict Mumbai to a low score of 131/6 in their allotted 20 overs. MI skipper Rohit Sharma showed his h♐igh-class💃 batting and top-scored for his side with 63 from 52 deliveries.
Despite wickets falling at the other end, the Mumbaikar scored runs at an impressive strike rate of 121.15, featuring five fours and two sixes. Rohit was well supported by middle-order batsman Suryakumar Yadav, who smashe𓄧d 33 off 27 balls packed with four boundaries, including a maximum.
For PBKS, Mohammad Shami and Ravi Bishnoi performed outstandingly well, picking up two wickets each. Both the bowlers conceded 21 runs each in their quota of 4 overs. Apart from the duo, Arshdeep Singh and Deepak Hooda also bagged one scalp apiece.
Here is how Twitter reacted:
KL Rahul today has been just right. And Gayle has pl𓆏ayed a little gem﷽.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha)
Right hand,left hand combination worked for Punjab in the end on this sluggish pitch. Well played @klrahul11 bowling Hooda in the power play was a good ploy to♛o.
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan)
has definitely made sw💎eat for runs this season. 🀅
— Hemang Badani (@hemangkbadani)
— Wasim Jaffer (@WasimJaffer14)
MI got themselves into a very strong losing position when they gotꦇ 21 in their first 6 overs. In which Moises bowled 3 and Hooda 2.
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar)
V imp win this will be for controlled this chase superbly! @klrahul11 and curbed their instincts, showed patience and now have it firmly in control. MI again will ask questions of their batting. Rare for t🀅hem but it happens in sport.
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar)
Perfect day for Punjab. Big call to bowl first! Mumbai wanted to bat first and to beat them what they wanted to do and do iꦡt so emphatically, well done !
— Nikhil 🏏 (@CricCrazyNIKS)
Played KL & Boss! Great win 👏🏼
— Saurabh Malhotra (@MalhotraSaurabh)
And that's that from Chennai.
(60*) from @klrahul11 and 43🎀* from Chris Gayle as win by 9 wickets against .
Scorecard –
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL)
A 9-wicket loss against 😢
A 9-wicket win against 👊The 👑s have bounced back in style 🤩
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL)
9-wicket win for Punjab Kings. Scorecard:
— betvisa68.com (@CricketTimesHQ)
Chris Gayle, at 41, still smashing bowlers all round the park – 43* runs from 35 balls including 5 fours and 2 sixes – The greatest ever in this format.
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns)
Let Mumbai Indians play all their matches at Chepauk to mജaintain the balance of the tournament.
— Silly Point (@FarziCricketer)
Watching Gayle bat fills me with so much joy.
— ro-wan kenobi (@bertmacklinfbi)
This is why you can never drop Chris Gayle from the T20 side irrespective of what his age and form is. Guy will always be the standout performer in th💮e toughest situation.
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra)
