Virender Sehwag celebrating his century in the 2nd Qualifier
Virender Sehwag’s masterclass and Chennai’s comeback in the game with the help of Suresh Raina’s knock are worth remembering for the fans to this date. This match was an intense one for both teams, showcasing their explosive batting strength, and eventually led to a historic victory for Punjab. Let’s take a look back at the match and how it went down in IPL history.
Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings dominated in the League stages of the season, and now it was time for them to go against each other. Kings XI Punjab lost the first qualifier against Kolkata Knight Riders by 28 runs, and Chennai Super Kings won the Eliminator against Mumbai Indians by 7 wickets, which set the stage for the 2nd Qualifier.
Both captains, George Bailey and Mahendra Singh Dhoni, came out for the toss at the iconic Wankhede Stadium. The coin was flipped in Dhoni’s favour, and he decided to bowl first. This decision was thought to be fruitful for the team, considering the dew effect, which made the pitch favourable for chasing. Along with that, the batters of Chennai had been in excellent form with their latest win over the Mumbai Indians, boosting their confidence levels.
For Kings XI Punjab, Manan Vohra and Virender Sehwag came to open, and what happened next remains a part of the IPL. Chennai Super Kings thought to get rid of them early, but both batters started to score well in the initial overs. Their bowlers had a great start, as Punjab scored just 19 runs in the first three overs of the match.
In the fourth over, Ishwar Pandey bowled, and Sehwag and Vohra unleashed their aggressive batting style. With two fours and two sixes, they scored 24 runs off the over, marking the start of one of Punjab’s most aggressive opening partnerships. The team reached 50 runs in just 4.2 overs, with active contributions from both players.
Sehwag started to boost off his innings and went on to score a half-century in just 21 balls with 7 fours and 2 sixes. By this time, Manan Vohra was just playing the role of an anchor, giving the strike back to Sehwag when needed. With the powerplay coming to an end, Punjab had scored 70 runs for no wickets. This quickly accelerated as the team even reached the 100 runs mark in 9.1 overs, without losing a wicket.
In the 11th over, Chennai finally got the breakthrough, with Ishwar Pandey taking the wicket of Manan Vohra. After his wicket, the column started to increase as Punjab lost their batters in quick succession. Glenn Maxwell (13 runs off 6 balls) lost his wicket to Ashwin, but David Miller came at number 4 as a surprise package.
Helping Sehwag, Miller also started smashing boundaries against the CSK bowlers, adding to their troubles. Following this, Virender Sehwag, who was struggling throughout the season, went on to score his century in just 50 balls. But his innings finally came to an end in the 19th over, as he lost his wicket to Ashish Nehra.
He got out scoring 122 runs off 58 deliveries with 12 fours and 8 sixes, but Punjab didn’t seem to stop even after his wicket. David Miller was set on the crease, but he also lost his wicket quickly, being run out by MS Dhoni. But he played a great cameo for the team by scoring 38 runs off just 19 deliveries with 5 fours and one six.
Kings XI Punjab finished their innings at the score of 226 runs for the loss of 6 wickets, with the help of Sehwag’s century. Ashish Nehra came out to be the top but also the costliest bowler for CSK, as he took two wickets of Virender Sehwag and George Bailey but also conceded 51 runs in his spell of four overs.
Coming out to chase the massive target, Chennai Super Kings didn’t get the start they had expected. In the second ball of the innings, Faf du Plessis lost his wicket to Mitchell Johnson. Just when Punjab thought they had the upper hand early in the second innings, Suresh Raina stepped down at number three and almost took the game away from them.
Raina showcased his intent from the second over, as he smashed 18 runs against Sandeep Sharma, including 3 fours and one six. Dwayne Smith stood at the other end, watching Punjab’s bowlers being wrecked by Suresh Raina. In the fourth over, when he went against Mitchell Johnson, it ended up well with the team scoring 20 runs off the 4th over.
However, Dwayne Smith was not able to help Raina much from the other end, as he lost his wicket to Sandeep Sharma, being dismissed at the score of 7 runs off 11 balls. But Raina continued his onslaught, taking advantage of the last over of the powerplay. Being bowled by Parvinder Awana, he scored 33 runs off the over, including 2 sixes and 5 fours, as an extra delivery took place due to a no-ball.
The match was very much in Chennai’s side, as the team had scored 100 runs in just 6 overs, with Raina also completing his half-century in 16 deliveries. But things turned down pretty well for the team after the power play. In the first ball of the 7th over, Brendon McCullum defended the ball towards the covers for a single. However, both batsmen had confusion whether to run or not, but Bailey wasted no time in throwing the ball for a run out.
As a result, Suresh Raina lost his wicket in the form of a run out, going back to the pavilion with his blistering 87 runs off 25 balls with 12 fours and 6 sixes. With McCullum and Jadeja on the crease, the run rate dropped over the next few overs, and now the pressure was mounting for the Super Kings. Maxwell did a midfield which made McCullum run for the double, but he was eventually run out with a sharp throw to the keeper’s end.
Parvinder Awana, who bowled a big over in the powerplay against Suresh Raina, now came back as a threat to Chennai Super Kings in the 13th over. He took the wickets of Ravindra Jadeja and David Hussey, sending them back to the dugout and pushing Kings XI Punjab closer to its first final in IPL history. Jadeja lost his wicket at the score of 27 runs off 21 balls, while Hussey scored just 1.
MS Dhoni came out at number 7 and was able to smash well against the Punjab bowlers. But it was a little too late, as he didn’t receive the required support from the other end. Eventually, Chennai Super Kings finished their innings with 202 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in 20 overs, allowing Kings XI Punjab to win by 24 runs and enter the finals.
Dhoni scored 42 runs off 31 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes, but the main star for CSK was Raina, with his impressive 87-run knock. Punjab bowlers, despite not having a good start, made a magnificent comeback, as Parvinder Awana ended with 2 wickets, conceding 59 runs in 4 overs. Axar Patel, Mitchell Johnson, and Sandeep Sharma also got a wicket each, with Maxwell and Bailey contributing as fielders.
For his masterclass in the most important clash, Virender Sehwag received the Player of the Match award, scoring 122 runs off 58 balls. Along with that, Raina’s 87-run knock, at a time when high-scoring games were rare, still remains one of the best IPL innings in the playoffs, which unfortunately ended up in a losing cause.