PANJIM: Chennai Super Kings might have won their first Indian Premier League game of the season against Royal Challengers Bangalore, but for Goa, it was a jubilant moment as Suyash Prabhudessai made his debut for Bangalore on Tuesday.
Though RCB weren’t at their best, Suyash was definitely good at his trade. He came on the field when RCB were struggling at 50 for 4. Suyash didn’t waste much time on the field smashing boundaries in every corner.
The Goan lad put up a 60 runs partnership with Shahbaz Ahmed. He hit five fours and sent a Ravindra Jadeja delivery over the rope, before he was bowled out by Theekshana. Suyash had to go all out considering his side were chasing a mammoth target set up by Chennai Super Kings.
Suyash was earlier dropped on 32 by Mukesh Choudhary. Suyash becomes the third Goan to play in the IPL following Swapnil Asnodkar and Shadab Jakati.
Following the team line up announcement, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant tweeted, “Goa’s talent to shine in the Indian Premier League, with @suyash_043, in the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Team against Chennai Super Kings. Congratulations and all the Very best to Suyash for an amazing debut.”
Shivam Dube and Robin Uthappa smashed 17 sixes between them to help holders Chennai Super Kings register their first win.
Dube, who struck an unbeaten 95, and Uthappa, who hit 88, put on a third-wicket partnership of 165 to drive Chennai to 216-4 against RCB in Mumbai.
Chennai, led by new skipper Ravindra Jadeja, then kept Bangalore to 193-9 to win by 23 runs after a threatening 34 off 14 from Dinesh Karthik.
Four-time winners CSK, who had a change of captaincy before this season after Mahendra Singh Dhoni stepped down, bounced back from their opening four losses.
Uthappa, 36, was dismissed after his 50-ball blitz, laced with nine hits over the fence, as he fell to Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga who also got Jadeja for nought with his next ball.
Dube missed out on a century, but smashed two more sixes in the final over from Josh Hazlewood to steer Bangalore to the highest total of this season’s tournament.
