Did Chahal’s Hat-Trick Dismantle CSK After Curran’s Masterclass at Chepauk?

Chennai, April 30 (NationPress) In a dramatic finale, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) faced a shocking collapse in the death overs, succumbing to Yuzvendra Chahal’s spectacular hat-trick. The team plummeted from 184/6 to a dismal 190 all out within just seven deliveries. This twist was astonishing, especially considering the solid foundation laid by Sam Curran’s impressive 88 runs off 47 balls and a determined half-century from Shivam Dube.

After a slow start where Shaik Rasheed struggled against Marco Jansen’s swing, CSK gained early momentum through Rasheed’s flurry of boundaries against Arshdeep Singh. However, both Rasheed and Ayush Mhatre quickly fell victim to the PBKS seamers’ clever use of cutters and scrambled-seam deliveries.

Ravindra Jadeja displayed great form, hitting three fours off Harpreet Brar in the last over of the powerplay. But a crucial review by PBKS saw him dismissed for 17, concluding the powerplay at 48 for 3.

During the middle overs, Curran and Dewald Brevis revitalized the innings with aggressive strokeplay, particularly against the spinners. Curran confidently attacked Brar and Chahal with precise footwork, while Brevis contributed a valuable 32 runs.

On a sluggish pitch with unpredictable bounce, the PBKS bowlers, Azmatullah Omarzai and Suryansh Shedge, effectively stifled the run rate. However, once Curran reignited his innings in the 16th over, smashing 26 runs off Shedge’s third over, it seemed CSK would easily surpass the 200 mark.

Curran’s innings was a masterclass in hitting, punishing short deliveries with precise pulls and hooks, amassing nine fours and four sixes in total. His dismissal came unexpectedly—a faint edge off Jansen while attempting to duck a bouncer.

The atmosphere electrified with MS Dhoni's arrival, prompting deafening cheers at Chepauk. He launched a trademark six off Chahal but was dismissed trying to replicate the shot just two balls later.

What ensued was utter chaos.

Chahal had already taken a wicket in the over, dismissing Deepak Hooda and then striking again on his first delivery against Impact Player Anshul Kamboj with a deceptive leg-break. On the final ball of the 19th over, he drew Noor Ahmad into a reckless shot, which was expertly caught by Jansen close to the inner circle.

A perfect storm unfolded at the death—three wickets in three balls, marking the 11th hat-trick in IPL history, Chahal’s second hat-trick, and the first since 2023.

Brief scores:

Chennai Super Kings 190 all out in 19.2 overs (Sam Curran 88, Dewald Brevis 32; Yuzvendra Chahal 4-32, Marco Jansen 2-30) against Punjab Kings.