Chennai Super Kings: Urvil Patel hammered a breath-taking 65, including hitting the joint fastest fifty in Indian Premier League (IPL) history in just 13 balls, as Chennai Super Kings defeated Lucknow Super Giants by five wickets to notch their third successive win in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.Sunday’s game also marked the first instance since 2019 that CSK successfully chased a target in excess of 180, as they moved to fifth spot in the IPL 2026 points table and pushed LSG towards elimination from the competition.
Inserted into batting first on a red-soil pitch, LSG rode on Josh Inglis’s blistering 85 off just 33 balls to pile up 91 runs in the Power-play before CSK bowlers, led by Jamie Overton’s 3-36, pulled things back to restrict them to 203/8.
In reply, CSK’s chase began briskly with Sanju Samson and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad adding quick runs at the top. But once Samson fell to Digvesh Rathi, Urvil turned the contest on its head with a ferocious ball-striking assault to get his fifty in 13 balls, as CSK stormed to 97 in their own powerplay.
By hitting the fastest fifty hit by a CSK batter, also his maiden IPL half-century, Urvil also equalled Yashasvi Jaiswal’s record for the fastest fifty in IPL history, coming in the 2023 season, and eventually finished with 65 off 23 balls, including eight sixes and two fours, coming at a strike-rate of 282.61.
By the time Urvil departed after being dropped on 62 by Rathi, the rest of CSK’s chase was seemingly a straightforward one. But LSG clawed back through Shahbaz Ahmed’s double strike and Rathi’s dismissal of Dewald Brevis. By the time Avesh Khan removed Kartik Sharma, LSG tightened the equation and raised hopes of a turnaround.
But Prashant Veer (18 not out) and Shivam Dube (15 not out) hung around to complete the chase with four balls to spare, including the latter hitting consecutive sixes. It also helped that LSG’s fielding let them down, as two catches of Veer were grassed under pressure by Rathi and Nicholas Pooran.
CSK’s uphill chase began with intent as Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson hit eight boundaries collectively in 3.3 overs. But Rathi had Samson dismissed when he tried to pull off a quicker delivery, and was left to see his stumps being castled. His fall brought Urvil to the crease, and for the next few minutes, 32,000 odd fans at Chepauk were left spellbound.
Walking in after Samson’s dismissal, Urvil tore into the LSG attack with his quick pick-up of lengths and timing his maximums with impeccable power. Urvil quickly launched Avesh Khan for three sixes in the fifth over, before smacking Rathi for three maximums and a four.
The highlight of his stay at the crease came when Urvil launched Mohammed Shami for his seventh maximum over long-on to be at 48 off 11 balls. Though he managed only a single on the next ball, Urvil reached his first IPL fifty in just 13 balls, with chants of “Urvil! Urvil!” reverberating in the electrified stands. In a touching gesture, Urvil pulled out a note from his pocket that read, “This is for you, Dad,” along with some lines in Gujarati, even as the CSK dugout was full of joy.
Urvil’s explosive start also helped CSK reclaim the record for the highest powerplay score at Chepauk via 97/1, surpassing LSG’s 91 earlier in the day. Though Urvil’s blitzkrieg was brought to an end by a slower delivery from Shahbaz Ahmed in the tenth over, he had set the tone for a memorable evening for CSK at Chepauk.
But after that, LSG fought back through the middle overs, with Shahbaz and Digvesh striking crucial blows to remove Gaikwad and Dewald Brevis. Kartik Sharma chipped in with 20 before Avesh dismissed him, leaving CSK at 169/5 in the 17th over.
With the equation tightening, nervousness was felt in Chepauk, but Veer brought the nerves down by flicking Prince Yadav for six, before hitting another maximum off Avesh, apart from being dropped twice on nine. With 10 needed off the final over, Aiden Markram was handed the ball, and after two wides, Dube finished the job in style by smashing back-to-back sixes to seal victory and strengthen CSK’s hopes of entering the playoffs.
Previously, Inglis dominated the powerplay for LSG with a flurry of strokes, leading to ten fours and six maximums coming off his blade. But LSG’s momentum dipped once the field spread, as CSK’s bowlers clawed their way back. Overton’s three-fer and Noor Ahmad further kept the scoring rate in check.
Despite the slowdown in the middle overs, Shahbaz’s late cameo of 43 not out off 25 balls, capped by a six off the final delivery, lifted LSG past the 200-run mark. Inglis set the tone from the opening over, as he lofted, swept, and hammered Akeal Hosein for two fours and a six.
Inglis continued to smash boundaries at will, with reverse scoops and pulls being the standout. Though Mitchell Marsh fell cheaply to Anshul Kamboj, Inglis raced to a 17-ball half-century and gave LSG their highest powerplay score of the season.
After Noor had Nicholas Pooran slog-sweeping to deep mid-wicket, Inglis eventually fell for 85 off 33 balls, caught by Sanju Samson while trying to paddle off Overton, who had Rishabh Pant chopping onto his stumps in the same over. Markram’s run-out and Akshat Raghuwanshi’s departure off Overton further added to LSG’s slide, as from 91/1, they slipped to 154/6.
But Shahbaz and Himmat Singh joined forces to steady LSG’s innings. Shahbaz, in particular, counter-attacked with inventive strokes, striking boundaries off Overton and Mukesh Choudhary. Though Kamboj castled Himmat to bring the 50-run stand to an end and Mohammed Shami was run out for a duck, Shahbaz launched the last ball of the innings over long-on for six to take LSG past 200, which proved inadequate against a rampaging Urvil.
Lucknow Super Giants 203/8 in 20 overs (Josh Inglis 85, Shahbaz Ahmed 43 not out; Jamie Overton 3-36, Anshul Kamboj 2-47) lost to Chennai Super Kings 208/5 in 19.2 overs (Urvil Patel 65, Ruturaj Gaikwad 42; Shahbaz Ahmed 2-30, Digvesh Rathi 2-45) by five wickets
Article Source: IANS