IPL 2018, CSK vs KXIP: 3 Unnoticed things from the game between Chennai Superkings and Kings XI Punjab

Punjab needed a big win in the last match of the league stages against Chennai to qualify for the playoffs.

M.S Dhoni won the toss and decided to chase. His decision was vindicated as his seamers delivered a dream opening spell, dismissing Punjab’s top three batsmen with just 16 runs on the board.

Lungi Ngidi, in particular, was brilliant with his line and lengths. It took a special inning from Karun Nair to propel Punjab to a competitive score of 153 runs.

In reply, Chennai lost both their openers quickly with not many runs on the board. Dhoni surprised everyone by promoting Deepak Chahar up the order and the move paid rich dividends as he blasted a 20-ball 39 to get Chennai back in the match.

Suresh Raina finished off things nicely to guide Chennai to a comfortable win. Let us have a look at some of the things that the fans might have missed from today’s match.

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#1 First single digit score for Rahul and Rayadu

Rayudu and Rahul had a bad day at the office

Both K.L Rahul and Ambati Rayadu have staked a claim for a slot in the Indian limited-overs team through some fantabulous performances this year in the IPL.

While Rahul had amassed 652 runs, Rayadu had scored 585 runs in the IPL this season before today’s match.

Punjab were hoping for a Rahul special to help them qualify for the playoffs. However, Rahul could not do much of note today as he shouldered arms to Ngidi, only to see his stumps rattled.

Rayadu too had an off day as he edged a Mohit Sharma outswinger to the keeper. This was the first instance of a single digit score by both Rayadu and Rahul this season.

#2 First no ball by CSK this season

The CSK bowling unit has been one of the main reasons for their fine run this season

Chennai may not have the most lethal attack in the IPL but they do possess one of the most disciplined bowling lineups.

Their bowling coach Lakshmipathy Balaji emphasises a lot on not giving any extra runs to the opposition.

This is exemplified by the fact that the no-ball bowled by Deepak Chahar in the seventh over of today’s match was the first no-ball bowled by any CSK bowler this season.

This fact states that not only Chennai have a power-packed lineup but they also possess a very handy bowling line-up. This is the reason why they are amongst the contenders for the title this season.

#3 Dhoni overtakes Sanga for most catches in T20s

The catch of Manoj Tiwary was Dhoni's 143rd catch in T20's

Dhoni’s batting might have faded a bit over the past few years but his wicketkeeping skills have been top notch.

Captain cool Dhoni had a field day behind the stumps today as he collected 3 catches. By picking up these three catches, Dhoni reached another milestone in his career as he overtook Kumar Sangakkara for most catches by a wicketkeeper in T20s.

The catch of Manoj Tiwary was the 143rd catch of his T20 career. The record was held by Sangakkara with 142 catches. Interestingly, the third wicketkeeper on the list is another Indian, Dinesh Karthik with 139 catches.

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