IPL 2020 Match 18: Faf du Plessis, Shane Watson shine as CSK crush KXIP by 10 wickets

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) openers Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson displayed solid performances with the bat to help the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side thrash Kings XI Punjab by 10 wickets at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday.

It was KL Rahul-led Kings XI Punjab who won the toss and elected to bat first in Match 18 of the 13th season of the lucrative T20 tournament.

Skipper Rahul led from the front as he not only notched up a half-century of 63 runs but also stitched crucial partnership of 61 and 58 runs with Mayank Agarwal (19-ball 26) and Nicholas Pooran (17-ball 33) to help CSK post a decent score of 178 for four in their stipulated 20 overs. 

En route to his knock, Rahul also completed 1,500 runs for Kings XI. 

For CSK, Shardul Thakur bagged two wickets as he removed KL Rahul and Pooran on back-to-back deliveries. Ravindra Jadeja and Prithvi Shaw also chipped in with a wicket each.

Chasing the target, openers Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis not only hammered a fifty each, but also shared a mammoth partnership of 181 runs to help CSK cross the mark in just 17.4 overs.

While Watson scored 11 boundaries and three sixes in his 83-run knock of 53 balls, Du Plessis’ innings of 87 runs was decorated with 11 fours and a maximum.

Watson was adjudged ‘Man of the Match’ for his impressive performance with the bat.

The victory saw CSK climb up to the sixth spot from eighth place in the IPL standings, while Kings XI Punjab have slumped to the bottom of the table.

The Chennai franchise will next lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on October 7, while KXIP will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad a day later.