IPL 2018: Match 56, Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab – Statistical Highlights

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) warmed up for the playoffs in the best possible manner by routing Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) on Sunday (May 20) night. Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s decision to bowl first was totally justified by his bowlers.

Interestingly, the Kings XI reeling at 16 for three and were five down for just 80 before Karun Nair’s fifty helped them post a respectable 153. Lungi Ngidi starred with the ball for the Super Kings, picking up four wickets for 10.

In reply, the Super Kings chased down the total with two balls to spare. Suresh Raina scored 61 not out off 48 before Dhoni sealed the game with a trademark six.

With the game now done and dusted, here is a look at some interesting numbers and stats:

1. The loss was Kings XI‘s fifth consecutive defeat of the season. This was the third time they lost five or more games on the trot. They lost seven in a row in 2015 and five in a succession way back in 2011.

2. Ngidi picked up four wickets for just 10 wickets which stand as the most economical four-wicket haul in the IPL for the Super Kings.

Ashish Nehra also took four for 10 for them against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in 2015.

3. Ankit Rajpoot bowled a staggering 18 dot balls during the game which is the joint-second most for any bowler in an IPL game. He is also the first Kings XI bowler to deliver 18 dot balls in an IPL game.

4. Dhoni finished the game with a six. He has now finished successful chases with sixes on 22 occasions in his professional career. He has finished games with a six in IPL on five occasions.

5.  Suresh Raina took 45 balls to reach his fifty. The 45-ball fifty was his slowest in the T20s. His previous slowest came off 44 balls also for the Super Kings against Royal Challengers in 2015.

6. Andrew Tye has taken a total of 14 wickets this season in losing cause. These are the joint-most number of wickets a player picked in an IPL season in losing cause.

Tye’s compatriot James Faulkner had also taken 14 wickets in losing cause for Rajasthan Royals (RR) in 2013.

7. Dhoni now has taken 144 catches as a wicketkeeper in the Twenty20s including the three in this match. He now holds the record for most number of catches as a keeper in T20s surpassing Kumar Sangakkara’s tally of 143 catches.

8. The leader of Chennai Super Kings Dhoni has now 4,007 runs in the IPL. He became the 7th player and 6th Indian to cross the 4,000-run mark in the IPL.