Chahal four-for stuns KKR as PBKS defend 111

Last year Punjab Kings (PBKS) pulled off the highest successful chase in the IPL when they came across Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). This year, they have nailed the lowest successful defence, bowling KKR out for 95 after posting just 111. And this after they failed to defend 245 in their previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

At 62 for 2, KKR were 98% favourites to win, but Yuzvendra Chahal triggered a sensational collapse in conditions that were almost as helpful for the seamers as in Test cricket. Arshdeep Singh and Marco Jansen then applied the finishing touches with incisive short bowling, something KKR had used to end up with a paltry target to chase.

The ball seamed 0.5 degrees on average, and both the batting sides approached the game with high intent. Anything full flew because of the pace in the pitch, but once wickets fell, they did so in clutches. Accordingly, things happened quickly, the game swung wildly. PBKS went from 39 for 0 in 19 balls to 15 for 4 in the next 17. They lost their last six wickets for 37. KKR were 7 for 2 in 1.2 overs but scored 55 in the next 38 balls. Chahal then inspired a collapse of six wickets in 5.2 overs. The final twist was Andre Russell taking 16 off one Chahal over to rearrange his figures to 4-0-28-4, but the big left-arm quicks turned to seal the win that took PBKS into the top four.

KKR beefed up their fast bowling with Anrich Nortje ostensibly because they wanted to test the young Indian batters in PBKS, who have been doing the heavy lifting for them. However, the openers targeted Vaibhav Arora's second over to threaten a repeat of their high-scoring exploits. Harshit Rana, though, turned things around with shorter lengths. The wickets themselves might look innocuous but the short balls did create doubts as they stopped a little and also seamed appreciably. Priyansh Arya found deep square leg, Shreyas Iyer cut a short and wide ball straight to deep point, and Prabhsimran Singh was cramped on the cut. All three catches ended up with Ramandeep Singh.

Probably expecting high pace, PBKS reinforced their overseas batting by bringing in Josh Inglis for Marcus Stoinis. However, both their overseas batters failed to read Varun Chakravarthy from the hand. Inglis was bowled off a wrong'un trying to slog-sweep, Glenn Maxwell looking for a single.

PBKS even went for an SOS substitution, which would leave Maxwell as the fifth bowler. Sunil Narine, though, took out the Impact Player Suryansh Shedge and Jansen in the same over. A run-out between Arshdeep and IPL debutant Xavier Bartlett ended what looked like a sorry innings. The KKR seamers took 4 for 23 in 29 balls pitched shorter than 8m in length, while 24 balls fuller than that went for 49 runs.

Continuing with the trend, Jansen, given the first over ahead of Arshdeep, wasted no time in testing the middle of the pitch. The ball seamed in to beat Narine's pull, and took the top of the stumps. Bartlett, renowned for new-ball wickets in the BBL, got Quinton de Kock with the rare traditional length ball as de Kock got a massive top edge on the flick.

A few fielding errors got the partnership between Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi going, and there were calculations about the net-run-rate boost that could help KKR get to the top of the table.

The IPL's highest wicket-taker, Chahal, had had an indifferent start this year with just two wickets in the first five matches. He had to take a fitness test and then reassure Ricky Ponting to play him in this match. The dew had already set in, as seen in how a Bartlett throw from the boundary actually slipped out for four overthrows behind him. Still, Chahal kept giving the ball a rip, slowed his pace down, and took out not just the set batters, Rahane and Raghuvanshi, but also Rinku Singh and Ramandeep.

Rahane was beaten on the sweep, had got himself outside the line, but failed to review the lbw call. That was among Chahal's quicker balls at 84.3kph, but once he got a look-in, he started to loop it. Raghuvanshi and Rinku were both beaten in the flight. Raghuvanshi got a thick edge to backward point, and Rinku was stumped after having been dragged out of the crease by the dip and the drift. Ramandeep premeditated a paddle sweep first ball and top-edged it to leg slip where the anticipating Iyer had already reached from first slip.

Almost halfway into the league stage, Russell's strike rate read 92, his season tally 23 off 25 and match score 1 off 4. The last player who could support him, Rana, had been softened up and then bowled by Jansen's short-pitch bowling. KKR still needed 33 with two wickets in hand. This is when Russell showed up and hit Chahal for two sixes and a four to cut the required runs to half.

Arshdeep had Arora in his sight for a whole over if he could manage. He pitched two balls up from around the wicket. The second could have been a single if Russell had sprinted off, but he didn't. Arshdeep now went over the wicket and started to dig the ball in. Arora was hit on the arm as he looked to duck, beaten as he fended, and then lucky to survive as he fended again. For the last ball of the over, Arshdeep went around the wicket and bowled a snorter to take the edge right in front of Arora's nose.

The over ended, and Russell still had another shot at the target. However, he bottom-edged the first ball of the next over to kickstart rapturous celebrations in Mullanpur.