Urvil Patel’s record fifty helps CSK knock Lucknow Super Giants out of playoff race

Urvil Patel turned a tense chase into a statement of force at Chepauk, smashing 65 off 23 balls as Chennai Super Kings hunted down 204 and ended Lucknow Super Giants’ playoff hopes by five wickets. His 13-ball fifty matched the joint-fastest in IPL history, and the innings carried added weight when he dedicated the milestone to his father.

Lucknow had posted 203 for eight after Josh Inglis blazed 85 off 33 balls, but CSK never let the target settle into pressure. Urvil struck 2 fours and 8 sixes, including three straight maximums off Avesh Khan, and the momentum changed decisively before the middle order had to close it out. Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 42 off 28 and Sanju Samson’s brisk 28 off 14 gave the chase early shape, while Shivam Dube and Prashant Veer finished the job with composure as Chennai reached 204 at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.

The defeat ended Lucknow’s season in mathematical terms as well as cricketing ones. They were left on six points from 11 matches and could rise only to 12 even if they won out, a ceiling that made the loss decisive. Jamie Overton had taken 3 for 36 for Chennai, but Lucknow’s real problem was not one spell or one collapse. It was a season in which one giant innings from Inglis was not enough to offset the gap between flashes of quality and the consistency needed to survive a crowded playoff race.

Mumbai Indians suffered the same fate later in the day, this time in Raipur, where Royal Challengers Bengaluru sealed a two-wicket win off the final ball and pushed themselves to the top of the table on 14 points. Mumbai were rocked early when Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed Ryan Rickelton, Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav in the opening overs, and later returned to finish with 4 for 23. Tilak Varma’s 57 and Naman Dhir’s 47 dragged Mumbai to 166 for seven, but the total never looked secure enough.

RCB’s chase was messy before it was decisive. Virat Kohli fell for a first-ball duck, and the side slipped to 39 for 3 in the powerplay before Krunal Pandya’s 73 off 46 restored control. His counterattack kept RCB alive long enough to complete a last-ball thriller and leave Mumbai stranded on six points after their eighth loss. The double elimination sharpened the playoff picture immediately, with RCB, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings making up the top four, while CSK stayed fifth on 12 points and still needed two wins from their final three matches to reach the usual 16-point line.