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IPL 2021: Takeaways from CSK’s comprehensive win over Punjab Kings

Chennai Super Kings defeated Punjab Kings by six wickets at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai to register the first win of IPL 2021. Dhoni’s men easily chased down the target of 107 runs in 15 overs. Punjab Kings never recovered from early setbacks and ended up with a below-par score in 20 overs.

Deepak Chahar and Moeen Ali were the key performers for CSK. The former picked up four wickets by conceding just 13 runs in his four overs, while the latter scored 46 runs in just 31 balls. Shahrukh Khan showed some resistance for Punjab by scoring 47 runs to get his team at least a three-digit score on the board.

Deepak Chahar once again delivers in the powerplay

Deepak Chahar picked up 4 wickets and gave away just 13 runs in his four overs. The decision to bowl first was justified by Chahar as he once again delivered in powerplay overs. He bowled four overs on the trot and made sure that Punjab has no breathing space to make a comeback in the game,

Chahar dismissed Mayank Agarwal with a dream out swinging delivery, while Gayle and Nicholas Pooran also fell prey to Chahar’s clever bowling. Deepak Hooda was his final scalp as  Punjab was reduced to 26/5 in seven overs. The game was won for CSK by this opening spell.

Ruturaj Gaikwad fails to impress for CSK

Ruturaj Gaikwad has failed to impress once again as he was dismissed early second match in a row scoring just five runs and adding pressure to the middle order. Gaikwad had ended the last campaign on a strong note by scoring three consecutive half-centuries, but IPL 2021 has been poor for him until now.

Robin Uthappa could replace Gaikwad soon if he continues to flounder chances while going forward. Uthappa has been an IPL veteran and he has shone in the opening position for Kolkata Knight Riders in the past. He scored 660 runs in one of the title-winning campaigns for KKR at an astonishing average of 44.00. Since CSK traded Uthappa from Rajasthan Royals for Rs 3 crores, he is bound to get an opportunity soon if Gaikwad has one more failure to his name.

Nicholas Pooran needs to work on his weakness

The story of the struggle of Punjab’s middle-order continues as the players crumble again after relentless pressure from CSK’s bowlers. Only one out of three middle-order batsmen have performed in both matches.

Nicolas Pooran has not scored a single run in two matches as he got out for a duck in both matches. The dashing Caribbean batsman can be given a leeway for the first game as he came to bat late in the innings. However, both his dismissals were against short pitch deliveries, so Pooran needs to work out this weakness and provide stability in the middle order.

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