In an enthralling encounter between Punjab Kings and Chennai Super Kings at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday, it was Sikandar Raza who stole the show with his impressive performance in the final over, leading his team to a four-wicket victory.
Chasing a mammoth target of 201 runs, Punjab Kings got off to a flying start with skipper Shikhar Dhawan and Prabhsimran Singh going after the CSK bowlers. Prabhsimran's 42 off 24 and Liam Livingstone's 40 off 24 kept PBKS in the game, but it was Sikandar Raza's three runs off the final delivery that sealed the deal for his team.
Earlier, CSK posted a massive total of 200/4 after winning the toss and opting to bat first. Devon Conway's unbeaten 92 off 52, Ruturaj Gaikwad's 37 off 31 and M.S. Dhoni's consecutive sixes off the last two balls helped the team reach the imposing total.
Despite losing a couple of wickets in quick succession, Punjab Kings were in the hunt thanks to Livingstone's onslaught and Sam Curran's support. Jitesh Sharma also played a crucial role in the middle overs, but it was Raza who held his nerve in the final over to secure the win for his team.
With this victory, Punjab Kings move up to the fourth position in the IPL 2023 standings, while Chennai Super Kings remain at the top.
Brief scores: Chennai Super Kings 200/4 in 20 overs (Devon Conway 92, Ruturaj Gaikwad 37; Rahul Chahar 1-35, Arshdeep Singh 1-37) lost to Punjab Kings 201/6 in 20 overs (Prabhsimran Singh 42, Livingstone 40; Tushar Deshpande 3-49, Ravindra Jadeja 2-32) by four wickets.