"160 on this wicket was chaseable": Rilee Rossouw lauds bowlers for restricting CSK to 163

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 2 (ANI): Punjab Kings (PBKS) batter Rilee Rossouw, who played a match-winning knock against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), credited bowlers' fiery spells to give batters a chasable target and lauded Jonny Bairstow for providing the side with a "foundation to chase it down." 

Punjab Kings with an all-round performance, clinched a comprehensive seven-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk on Wednesday in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Chasing a target of 163, PBKS chased the target in 17.5 overs, courtesy of Jonny Bairstow's 46 off 30 and Rossouw's 43 off 23.

Rossouw also appreciates the spin duo of Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar for dominating the mid-overs in the first innings.

"Got to give credit to the bowlers, 160 on this wicket was chaseable. The way Jonny played today, hopefully, he takes this form forward and gives us the foundation to chase it down. The spin twins as we call them, there's another one who is sitting on the bench, he wants to come in," Rossouw said in a post-match presentation.

After Lucknow Super Giants breached Chepauk, CSK's fortress was breached for the second time in the ongoing season as CSK bowlers struggled to find their rhythm with dew majorly hindering them throughout the night.

"They did the job for us today. [on plans when he was out there with Bairstow] See the ball and hit the ball, nothing really spoken about as to how many we need, just keeping it simple. [on his dismissal] Unfortunate. It was one of those things, so focused on hitting the ball and one of those things, I missed out. It's never over, till it's over, we have still the belief in the changeroom, we will focus on our game and not on the others. Hopefully, things work out," he added.

The vibrant yellow wave in the stands of Chepauk were reduced to silence after PBKS effortlessly chased down 163 with more than two overs to spare.

Sam Curran's decision to put CSK to bat turned out to be the correct decision as the dew factor kicked in to become a hindrance for CSK bowlers in the second half of the match. Ruturaj Gaikwad led from the front and scored 62 off 48 deliveries and MS Dhoni provided the finishing touches at the death to power CSK to an unlikely 162/7.

In reply, PBKS batters hardly broke a sweat while chasing 163. Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Rossouw forged a 64-run stand to completely shift the momentum in their favour.

Curran and Shashank Singh applied the finishing touches to seal a 7-wicket win for PBKS. (ANI)