Following a stunning seven-wicket victory at Chepauk on Wednesday, May 1, the Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) social media account made a subtle dig at Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
Punjab linked MS Dhoni’s jersey number (7) to their current point standing in a tweet. PBKS is now sixth in the standings, having won four of ten games.
It is clear that MS Dhoni is affectionately known as “Thala” by CSK supporters. The Tamil phrase means “leader of chief,” referring to Dhoni as the side’s leader.
Dhoni led his team Super Kings to the playoffs many times. They reached the playoffs 12 out of 14 seasons. His team won the Indian Premier League five times. The years they won were 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, and 2023. Because of this success, Dhoni’s fans really like him. They think he is a great captain.
However, prior of this season, Dhoni handed up the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad, the current Orange Cap holder. In terms of performance, CSK has done well, with five victories in ten games.
Here’s the tweet from Punjab Kings:
PBKS keep their playoffs hopes alive with a crucial victory against CSK
The Chennai Super Kings started batting first. Ajinkya Rahane scored 29 runs. Ruturaj Gaikwad also scored some runs. But then, Chennai lost Rahane, Shivam Dube, and Ravindra Jadeja quickly. This put them in a difficult situation.
However, Gaikwad scored 62 off 48 balls, while Sameer Rizvi added 21 off 23 balls to help the home team score 162. Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar both claimed two wickets.
In response, Prabhsimran Singh (13) started strongly but was unable to turn it into a significant knock. Nevertheless, the international combination of Jonny Bairstow (46) and Rilee Rossouw (43) kept PBKS on track with their optimistic attitude.
Following that, Shashank Singh (25) and Sam Curran (26*) impressed, helping PBKS cross the line with 13 balls to spare.
If they are to qualify for the playoffs, PBKS must win their final four games to finish with 16 points. Certainly, with two wins in a row and Shikhar Dhawan’s availability expected in the next games, the Punjab Kings will feel optimistic in their chances.