Chennai is out of the IPL playoff race.

Chennai Super Kings Become First Team Eliminated from IPL Playoff Race

Chennai Super Kings have become the first team to be knocked out of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) playoff race.

Under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, Chennai suffered a 4-wicket defeat against Punjab Kings on Wednesday. This marks the second consecutive season that Chennai has failed to qualify for the playoffs—a rare occurrence in the franchise’s storied history.

Led by captain Shreyas Iyer, Punjab secured their sixth win of the season. For Chennai, this was their eighth loss in ten matches.

Chasing a target of 191 runs set by Chennai, Punjab reached the goal in 19.4 overs, losing six wickets. The victory was powered by half-centuries from captain Shreyas Iyer and opener Prabhsimran Singh. Shreyas scored a match-high 72 runs, while Prabhsimran added 54. Openers Priyansh Arya and Shashank Singh contributed 23 runs each.

For Chennai, Matheesha Pathirana and Khaleel Ahmed took two wickets apiece, while Noor Ahmad and Ravindra Jadeja took one each.

Earlier, Punjab won the toss and chose to bowl first. Chennai were bowled out for 190 runs in 19.2 overs. The start was shaky for Chennai as they lost three wickets for just 48 runs.

Sam Curran and Dewald Brevis tried to steady the innings with a 78-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Brevis was dismissed for 32 runs.

Sam Curran played an explosive innings, scoring 88 runs off 47 balls, including 9 fours and 4 sixes. Aside from Curran and Brevis, no other batter managed to stay at the crease for long. Ravindra Jadeja scored 17, while Sheikh Rasheed and MS Dhoni added 11 runs each. The rest of the batting lineup failed to reach double figures.

With the ball, Yuzvendra Chahal was outstanding, taking 4 wickets for 32 runs in 3 overs, including a hat-trick in his final over. Arshdeep Singh and Marco Jansen picked up 2 wickets each.

With this win, Punjab climbed to second place in the points table with 13 points, while Chennai remains at the bottom with just 4 points.