A late push from Shahbaz Ahmed not only helped Lucknow Super Giants recover but also set a challenging target of 204 at Chepauk on Sunday. With Chennai Super Kings losing Sanju Samson in the fourth over of the chase, their chances of winning dropped to a mere 38 per cent. A defeat could all but have ended their playoff hopes. Yet, by the end of the next five overs, their chances of scripting a win at home had surged drastically to 93 per cent, courtesy of Urvil Patel’s record-scripting 65 off 23 — a knock that even compelled Virat Kohli to stop and take notice right before the start of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s game against Mumbai Indians in Raipur.
After getting off the mark with a single, Urvil decided to deal only in boundaries over the next seven balls, taking Digvesh Rathi and Avesh Khan to the cleaners. He hammered the fast bowler for three back-to-back sixes, all in the mid-wicket-long-on region, while Rathi was hit for three sixes, including a 98-metre hit and a four — all off consecutive deliveries. He then took seasoned campaigner Mohammed Shami for a six over long-on and completed his fifty with a single in the same over. It took him just 13 deliveries to reach the milestone, equalling the record for the fastest fifty in IPL history.
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In a clip released by broadcaster Star Sports on Sunday, Kohli was spotted watching the action from Chennai on TV in the RCB dugout right before the start of the match against Mumbai in Raipur.
‘Thank you Papa’
After reaching his fifty, Urvil folded his hands in a prayer gesture before pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket. It read: “This is for you, Papa.” That was followed by a few more lines written in Gujarati, his mother tongue.
Urvil’s assault did not end after his fifty. He also smashed Shahbaz Ahmed for a six and a four before being dismissed for 65 off 23. The knock perfectly laid the foundation for the big chase on the tricky Chepauk track and eased the pressure on the middle order.
There were anxious moments towards the end, but Prashant Veer, who survived two dropped catches on 9, and Shivam Dube, who hit an unbeaten 15 off just seven balls, took CSK past the target.
The win lifted CSK into the top five of the points table, ahead of Rajasthan Royals on net run rate, with three league matches remaining.
With the defeat — their eighth in 11 matches — LSG’s playoff hopes went up in smoke. CSK, on the other hand, climbed to fifth spot with their sixth win of the season.