It was Chahar vs Chahar on Friday as Chennai Super Kings' Deepak Chahar and his cousin, Mumbai Indians' Rahul Chahar, were face to face in Match No. 41 of Indian Premier League (IPL). That Deepak, a bowling all-rounder who bats in the lower order, faced Rahul in the ninth over showed how poorly CSK's top order fared in the match as they were restricted to 114 for 9 in their allotted 20 overs. Rahul, who had already accounted for MS Dhoni by then, got his cousin Deepak stumped by wicket-keeper Quinton de Kock for a duck as CSK slumped to 43 for 7 inside the first 10 overs.
They were in danger of getting bowled out for the lowest IPL total ever but for Sam Curran's defiant half-century that carried his team over the 100-run mark.
Curran was dismissed only on the final delivery of the innings after he had made 52 runs off 47 balls with four fours and two sixes.
He added 28 runs with Shardul Thakur for the eighth wicket and then combined with Imran Tahir to add 43 more.
It was absolute pandemonium for CSK against the pace of Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah as well as the spin of Rahul as the batsmen went back to the pavilion one after the other.
Things started going awry for the 2018 champions in the first over itself when Ruturaj Gaikwad, promoted to open the innings, was trapped lbw by Boult for nought.
Bumrah got two in two balls in the next over as he dismissed Ambari Rayudu (2) caught off the top edge and then got N Jagadeesan caught in slip for a first-ball duck.
MS Dhoni prevented Bumrah from claiming a hat-trick and even hit him for two boundaries – one streaky outside edge past slip, the other a convincing punch through covers – and took Rahul Chahar for a six down the ground in an attempt to counter-attack.
But Chahar got Dhoni caught behind on the very next ball to the six to give CSK another body blow.
Dhoni's wicket came after Faf du Plessis had given Quinton de Kock a simple catch off Boult to leave CSK tottering at 4 for 3 in the third over.
When Ravindra Jadeja hit Boult straight to Krunal Pandya at short mid-wicket, CSK were in all sorts of trouble 21 for 5.
Dhoni's wicket made it 30 for 6, but Curran's rescue act thereafter gave the bowlers something to defend.