Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opener Urvil Patel made history on Wednesday as during his first appearance for the five-time champions, he became the Indian batter with highest strike rate in a debut Indian Premier League (IPL) innings, lasting 10 balls or more. Urvil reached this accomplishment during his side’s match against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens. During the game, he made 31 in just 11 balls, with a four, and four sixes. His runs came at a strike rate of 281.82. This included two sixes and a four against Moeen Ali and a six and four against Ravichandran Ashwin, marking his ability against spin.
However, this is the second-highest SR by a batter in his debut IPL innings, with the highest being in the hands of former England batter Luke Wright, who made 34 in 10 balls (with six fours and a six) at a strike rate of 340.00 for Pune Warriors India against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at Mohali in 2013.
Urvil, who represents Gujarat in the domestic circuit, is known for his high intent and explosiveness. Last year, during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy match against Tripura, the batter star India player Rishabh Pant’s record for fastest T20 century by an Indian and overall, second-fastest century in the format, scoring 113* in 35 balls, with seven fours and 12 sixes at a strike rate of 322.86 during a chase of 156 runs.
In 48 T20s, Urvil has made 1,193 runs at an average of 26.51, with a strike rate of 172.15, two centuries and four fifties. His best score is 115*.
After winning the toss, KKR opted to bat first. A second wicket 58-run stand between skipper Ajinkya Rahane (48 in 33 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) and Sunil Narine (26 in 17 balls, with four boundaries and a six) propelled KKR forward with a fine run-rate.
After that, knocks from Andre Russell (38 in 21 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes) and Manish Pandey (36* in 28 balls, with a four and six) helped KKR reach 179/6 in their 20 overs.
Noor Ahmed (4/31) topped the bowling charts for CSK while Anshul Kambhoj and Ravindra Jadeja got a piece each.
In the run chase, CSK was reduced to 60/5 in 5.2 overs. A counter-attacking 51 from Dewald Brevis (in 25 balls, with four fours and four sixes) and his 67-run stand with Shivam Dube brought back some momentum to the Men in Yellow. Dube (45 in 40 balls, with two fours and three sixes) continued being the aggressor in his 43-run partnership with skipper MS Dhoni, taking CSK to the brink of a win.
However, in a twist, Vaibhav Arora got both Dube and Noor Ahmed in the penultimate over, leaving CSK with eight to get in the final over, with two wickets left.
Dhoni (17* in 18 balls, with a six) pulled off the finish fans wanted from him, tonking Andre Russell for a six on the first ball of the final over and letting Anshul hit the winning runs. CSK finished at 183/8 in 19.4 overs, getting their third win of the season.
Vaibhav Arora leaked runs, but was the pick of the bowlers for KKR with 3/48 in three overs. Varun Chakravarthy (2/18) and Harshit Rana (2/43) were also among the wicket-takers for KKR.
With three wins and nine losses, CSK remains at the bottom of the points table. KKR currently has 11 points, with five wins, six losses, and a no result in 12 matches. Their playoff chances have taken a serious hit as they sit in the sixth spot.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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