Chennai Super Kings posted 209 off 20 overs, yet it proved just short. Ayush Mhatre's 73 off 43 set the tone early — he struck at 169.77 and added 87 runs with Shivam Dube's 45 off 27. But the final five overs yielded only 41 runs as Punjab's bowlers tightened. CSK's run rate of 10.45 masked a sluggish death phase.

Punjab chased it down in 18.4 overs. Shreyas Iyer's 50 off 29 kept them calm, while Prabhsimran Singh's 43 off 34 grounded the innings. They needed 22 from the final two overs and got there with five wickets in hand. The asking rate eased from 10.45 to 9.65 once they crossed the halfway mark at 12 overs.

Marcus Stoinis bowled four overs for just 17 runs — the standout economy of 4.25. His spell broke Punjab's rhythm in the powerplay. But no bowler for CSK took more than one wicket. Tushar Deshpande and company leaked runs in the slog overs. Mhatre's brilliance counted for little. Punjab's chase was a clinic in controlled acceleration — the numbers tell it all.