What happened the last time PBKS played CSK in the IPL in Dharamsala?

Punjab Kings (PBKS) host Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 53rd match of the Indian Premier League 2024 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh on May 5, Sunday.

These two teams share a storied rivalry that was based upon the icon players who were a part of their respective squads in the inaugural editions of this competition.

With Yuvraj Singh helming the Kings XI Punjab (which was what the Punjab Kings were called earlier) and his buddy Mahendra Singh Dhoni leading the Chennai Super Kings, sparks were bound to fly.

On Sunday, however, Yuvraj is no longer a part of this story, and is happily retired with his wife and two kids. Dhoni, however, continues to be around to be a part of this famed rivalry.

With the snow-capped Dhaulagiri mountain ranges providing the perfect accompaniment to the pakoras running alongside the cricket at the HPCA Stadium, Sunday afternoon is bound to be one hell of a ride.

However, this is also a good time to know what happened when these two teams last met at this picturesque cricket ground.

When these two teams last met in Dharamsala, in May 2012, CSK batted first and put up a rather modest total of 120-7 on the board at the end of their twenty overs.

Dwayne Bravo top-scored for the visitors with a 43-ball 48 while Praveen Kumar, Azhar Mahmood and Parvinder Awana picked up a couple of wickets apiece for the hosts.

Murali Vijay and Michael Hussey, who opened the innings for CSK, found it tough to understand the sluggish surface and were kept under chains by the bowlers of KXIP.

Even Suresh Raina and Mahendra Singh Dhoni could not come to grips with the surface and departed for low scores. KXIP skipper Adam Gilchrist pouched four catches from behind the stumps while leading his team onwards.

Ravindra Jadeja and Albie Morkel tried to finish the innings on a high for their team after Bravo had set the platform, but could not quite do so and got restricted by the KXIP bowlers.

Kings XI Punjab (PBKS) beat CSK the last time these two teams met in Dharamsala

Both these teams last met on Wednesday, May 1. [IPL]

In response, KXIP started on a positive note with skipper Gilchrist and fellow opener Mandeep Singh tucking into the CSK bowlers. Although the latter departed for 24, Gilchrist kept going and top-scored with an unbeaten 64 off 46 balls.

KXIP lost a few quick wickets after Mandeep's dismissal, with Nitin Saini and David Hussey following suit soon afterwards.

Siddharth Chitnis and Gilchrist gave their side some momentum before Azhar Mahmood hit the winning boundary in the seventeenth over with his smiling skipper applauding from the other end.

The game on Sunday comes on the back of the brilliant encounter these two teams had against each other on Wednesday, May 1 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai, where PBKS emerged victors by 7 wickets.