Shreyas Iyer’s half-century, blending calm and aggression, led Punjab Kings to a five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in their IPL match on Friday.

Shreyas (50 off 29 balls) and his 59-run partnership with Nehal Wadhera for the fourth wicket took Punjab to 210 for five while chasing 209 on a dry Chepauk pitch, handing CSK their second consecutive loss.

It was Punjab’s second win in a row, but other players also contributed. Chasing a total at a run-rate near 11 required steady batting, and the PBKS top-order delivered.

Priyansh Arya (39 off 11), Prabhsimran Singh (43 off 34), and Cooper Connolly (36 off 22) all made notable contributions.

Arya was aggressive against the CSK attack, hitting Khaleel Ahmed for a four and six and Matt Henry for 4, 6, 4 in his first over. Arya and Prabhsimran added 61 runs in 4.2 overs, setting the tone for the chase.

Arya was eventually dismissed by Henry, giving CSK some relief, but Shreyas took control of the innings, using the spinners effectively. His inside-out six off leg-spinner Rahul Chahar stood out.

He reached fifty in 26 balls with a boundary off Kamboj before falling while chasing a wide delivery. Wadhera was dismissed on the first ball of the next over by Henry, leaving PBKS at 186 for five. The setback did not change the outcome.

Earlier, Ayush Mhatre scored 73 off 43 balls to guide CSK to 209 for five. He and Ruturaj Gaikwad (28) added 96 runs for the second wicket after Sanju Samson fell early.

Samson attempted a big shot over covers off Xavier Bartlett’s outswinger but edged it to Prabhsimran behind the stumps. Mhatre attacked Punjab’s bowlers with precision. Bartlett conceded three consecutive fours, a loft through mid-wicket, a flick, and a pull.

Mhatre later pulled Marco Jansen for a six and hit Marcus Stoinis for back-to-back sixes to reach fifty in 29 balls. Yuzvendra Chahal then challenged Mhatre with googlies.

Mhatre survived two drops, by Vijayakumar Vyshak inside the circle and Shahshank Singh in the deep, before finally being caught by Chahal at short third man.

Gaikwad was also dismissed by Chahal, and CSK managed just 45 runs between the 10th and 15th overs. Sarfaraz Khan (32 off 12) added quick runs with close-to-body shots, and Shivam Dube (45 off 27) hit a few boundaries to accelerate the innings.

CSK scored 64 in the final five overs, but it was not enough.