Punjab Kings have made a blistering start in their chase of 210 against Chennai Super Kings in their IPL 2026 clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday.
PBKS raced to 50 runs in just 3.2 overs — the fastest team fifty ever recorded against CSK in IPL history — putting the home side under immediate pressure in what promises to be a high-scoring encounter.
Ayush Mhatre’s Record-Breaking Knock Powers CSK
Earlier in the evening, 18-year-old Ayush Mhatre delivered a standout performance, scoring a brilliant 73 off 43 balls to guide CSK to a formidable total of 209/9.
With this knock, Mhatre became the youngest player to score a half-century at Chepauk, achieving the feat at just 18 years and 261 days.
Strong Partnerships Anchor CSK Innings
CSK had an early setback with Sanju Samson departing cheaply for 7, but Mhatre stitched together a crucial 95-run partnership with skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, who contributed 28 runs.
The innings received a late boost from Sarfaraz Khan, who played an explosive cameo of 32 off just 12 balls, accelerating the scoring in the death overs.
However, CSK’s high-priced signing Kartik Sharma failed to make an impact, managing just 1 run from 3 deliveries.
PBKS Bowling Effort
For Punjab Kings, Vijaykumar Vyshak was the standout bowler, returning figures of 2/38 and helping restrict CSK from pushing beyond the 210-mark.