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Chennai Super Kings: Youngster Ayush Mhatre played a sensational knock of 73 off 43 deliveries while Sarfaraz Khan (32 off 12) and Shivam Dube (45 off 27*) played late cameos to guide Chennai Super Kings to 209/5 in 20 overs against Punjab Kings in the seventh match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday.

Chennai Super Kings’ innings started with a mix of early troubles and bold counterattacks. Ayush Mhatre stepped up to boost the score, even as the team lost key wickets during the Power-play. The atmosphere on the ground became tense when Sanju Samson (7), one of CSK’s star players, went out cheaply once more. Fans expected him to deliver strong starts, but he continued to struggle against the moving ball this season. Xavier Bartlett delivered a challenging outswinger that caught a thick outside edge, which the wicketkeeper easily caught. Samson has usually succeeded by standing tall and hitting through the line when the ball comes straight at him. However, even slight lateral movement has revealed a weakness, leading to yet another single-digit score.

At the opposite end of the wicket, Ayush showed his commitment to shifting the momentum; he had spent a great deal of time hitting the pull shot before the game and clearly displayed that he was confident against the short balls that he received early on in his innings. Not only were his early boundaries a result of instinct, but they were all well-constructed plans; even after Mhatre hit his first boundary off a full-length delivery over mid-on, he was able to force the bowlers to adjust their lengths and then used a controlled swivel pull shot to punish the opponent's efforts. That tactical awareness helped him race to 29 off 19, capitalising on pace while the field was up.