MS Dhoni Wins Tactical Battle Against Ravichandran Ashwin As CSK Beat KXIP

Kings XI Punjab captain Ravichandran Ashwin was the destructor-in-chief for the away team, picking up the wickets of Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis and Suresh Raina. (All images courtesy BCCI/IPL)

Faf du Plessis was the highest scorer for Chennai Super Kings, scoring 54 off 38. This was his first appearance in IPL 2019. Given that Ambati Rayudu has struggled at the top of the order, Faf du Plessis might have cemented his place in the XI for the immediate future with his confident knock.

The Kings XI Punjab innings got off to the worst possible start, with Harbhajan Singh dismissing Chris Gayle and Mayank Agarwal in the same over.

After the two early wickets, KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan consolidated the KXIP innings. Both brought up their half-centuries in quick succession, and it seemed as if they would see the chase home.

Sarfaraz Khan played some beautiful shots in the KXIP innings. Some of his shots were conventional, like the lofted drive off Scott Kuggeleijn's bowling, but some were exquisitely unconventional, like this no-look paddle scoop