Mumbai: Liam Livingstone’s allround performance with bat and ball, powered Punjab Kings to hand out Chennai Super Kings their third defeat by winning by 50 runs at Brabourne Stadium here on Sunday. Batting first, Livingstone cracked 60 off 32 balls and then bagged two wickets including a very crucial wicket of dangerous Shivam Dube who was batting fluently in the company of “Mister Cool” Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Debutant Vaibhav Arora (2 for 21) was special with the new ball as he swung the ball both ways. Rahul Chahar chipped in with three wickets, conceding just 25 runs in 4 overs. Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh and Odean Smith, scalped one wicket each as they reduced Chennai 36 for 5 in 8th over. Only a miracle could have taken Chennai to victory from there. Dube tried as he crushed 57 off 30 balls, but was removed by Livingstone who completed a special day with a double-strike to seal the win. This was Chennai’s third consecutive loss in this season, a rather surprising performance for a team who are defending champions. Chasing 181 runs target, Chennai got off to a disastrous start by losing four wickets within the powerplay. They lost Ruturaj Gaikwad (1) and Robin Uthappa (13) early. Moeen Ali (0), Ravindra Jadeja (0) and Ambati Rayudu (13) departed in quick succession, leaving Chennai tottering at 36 for five in the 8th over. Dube kept Chennai’s chances alive by scoring quickly and completed his first half-century for Chennai off 26 balls after smashing 3 sixes and 6 boundaries. Chennai pinned hope on Dhoni as they needed 91 off the last 36 deliveries. Dwayne Bravo (0) and Dwaine Pretorius (8) fell quickly to Livingstone and Chahar, leaving Dhoni in the lurch. The chase was all over after Dhoni became the ninth batsman to get out after scoring 23 off 28 balls. Earlier, Livingstone smashed his maiden IPL fifty to power Punjab Kings to 180 for 8. Dropped early on by Ambati Rayudu, the Englishman made great use of the opportunity and swatted 5 sixes and 5 boundaries. Livingstone, who was bought for a whopping Rs 11.5 crore at the IPL auction, ensured that he gave back the monies worth to the franchise owners, who also watched him wallop the longest six recorded in this edition by hitting a massive 108 meters six. Punjab came out all guns blazing with skipper Mayank Agarwal (4) clobbering a boundary off the very first ball, though he perished in the next ball. Bhanuka Rajapaksa (9) was run out, leaving Punjab struggling at 14 for 2. Despite losing two quick wickets, Livingstone raised the bar with some boundaries to keep the scoreboard ticking, helping Punjab to cross the 100 run mark in the 10th over. He was involved in the 95-run third wicket stand with opener Shikhar Dhawan (33 off 24). The Englishman left the scene after scoring a scorching 60 off 32 deliveries. Jitesh Sharma (26 off 17), on debut, also displayed his power-hitting skills. To their credit, Chennai fought back in death overs and conceded just 38 runs off the last six overs. Leading this effort were Dwaine Pretorius and Chris Jorda who bagged two wickets each, while Mukesh Choudhary, Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo bagged a wicket each. UNI BDN GNK
