IPL 2018, KXIP vs CSK: 5 talking points
The 12th match of the 2018 IPL season between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings was billed as the battle between Ravichandran Ashwin and his previous side led by MS Dhoni and it turned out to be an absolute cracker that went right down to the wire.
Having successfully chased down totals in their opening two matches of the 2018 IPL season, CSK fell narrowly short this time around losing the thriller by 4 runs.
Here are the 5 major talking points from today's match.
#5 Kings XI's all-round batting effort
While Chris Gayle was undoubtedly the headline grabber during Kings XI's innings against CSK, all the batsmen barring Aaron Finch, who fell for a golden duck, played their part in helping the side reach 197 after being put into bat by CSK.
Gayle scored 63 off 33 balls while KL Rahul scored 37 off 22 balls with the opening duo for KXIP scoring 96 runs off just 8 overs. Mayank Agarwal continued the good work by the openers with a knock of 30 off 19 balls while Yuvraj Singh too chipped in with a 13-ball 20.
Karun Nair provided the late flourish with 29 off 17 balls while skipper Ravichandran Ashwin scored 14 as the hosts nearly reached the 200-run mark. It was thus a brilliant team effort from the hosts with all batsmen chipping in and it proved the difference at the end of what was a thrilling contest.