Right then, that wraps up a double-header Tuesday. Earlier in Kolkata, we witnessed an absolute run-fest, where the Lucknow Super Giants emerged victorious in a thriller against the Kolkata Knight Riders. Then, in Mullanpur, the Kings and the Super Kings faced off where Shreyas Iyer's Punjab prevailed. The action in the 2025 IPL continues on Wednesday, 9th April, as the Gujarat Titans take on the Rajasthan Royals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The game will begin at 7.30 pm IST (2 pm GMT), but as always, you can join us early for the build-up. See you then. Cheers!

Priyansh Arya is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his outstanding knock of 103 runs off 42 balls. Arya says he is very happy but wants to keep contributing to the team's cause. Adds that he will play similarly and with a positive intent which is backed up by his skipper. Talks about playing according to the situation and says all the bowlers are good enough to trouble him but he is glad to have done well.

The captain of the Punjab Kings, Shreyas Iyer says this is going to be their batting template irrespective of the venue. He praises the scintillating innings from Priyansh Arya. Adds that he looked a bit timid while facing Jofra Archer, but tonight he was completely free-flowing and that’s the mindset he wants to see from every batter in the side. He calls Arya’s knock one of the top innings he has seen in the IPL so far. Iyer explains the decision to hold Chahal back, saying it was deliberate with two left-handers at the crease. Further says that they preferred pace against Dube, which is why Chahal’s introduction was delayed. He admits they still haven’t played their best game yet. Ends by saying that it’s still early days in the tournament, and there's work to be done, especially in the field.

Time for the presentation ceremony...

Shashank Singh is in for a chat. He says his role was to play with minimum risk and with the way Priyansh Arya was batting, he just had to rotate the strike over and knew they could get to a big total. Mentions that once, on the field he just focused on watching the ball and hitting it. States that it was Brain Lara and Ricky Ponting who backed him to time his shots and guided him especially when he was at his low. Appreciates the way Arya batted and says he is a bright prospect for the franchise and the country going forward. Concludes that they take one match at a time and stay in the present.

Ruturaj Gaikwad, the skipper of Chennai Super Kings, says that since the last 4 games, the lapses in the field have proved to be a concern. Adds that sometimes they just have to appreciate the batter and lauds Arya for the way he played and reckons that had they executed better, it would have been a different outcome. Mentions that the batting performance was spot on in this game with two of their best batters setting the game at the top and says there are plenty of positives to take ahead. Talks about the role Jadeja has in finishing games, and once Devon struggled to time the ball, they had to make that change. Talks about enjoying in the field and says being nervous only makes it worse and they will need to pick themselves up and work harder in the field.

Earlier in the night, the Kings won the toss and Priyansh Arya set the tone straight away with a six off the first ball. He didn’t hold back and kept playing his shots, even as wickets fell around him. Arya was at his attacking best and brought up his first IPL hundred in just 39 balls. After he got out, Shashank Singh and Marco Jansen kept things going and helped the Kings finish strong at 219. As for CSK, they had PBKS at 83/5 but couldn’t capitalise due to a few lapses in the field and an inconsistent bowling effort. 

When the 14th over went for 19 runs, it looked like CSK might finally break free, but Shreyas Iyer read the situation well and brought back Arshdeep Singh and Lockie Ferguson, who shut down the charge before it could take off. The required rate spiked, and although there was a flicker of hope with MS Dhoni’s late striking, it proved to be too much to chase down in the end.

A strong start was crucial for CSK, and the Kiwi pair of Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra delivered. They found the boundaries early and got the innings going with positive intent. Calamity struck after the Powerplay as the Super Kings lost Rachin and Ruturaj in 6 balls. Conway and Shivam Dube tried to rebuild, but the big hits didn’t come as often as needed, and the pressure kept building.

The Punjab Kings are back to winning ways! They see off the Super Kings in this battle of Kings and hand CSK their fourth straight defeat. CSK haven't chased down a 175-plus target since 2021, and 220 proved to be a bridge too far. The Kings did put down as many as four chances in the field, but it didn’t come back to haunt them on the night.

Vijay Shankar is in next.

Yash Thakur (3-0-30-0) with the final over with the Chennai Super Kings needing 28 runs off 6 balls.