Xplorich
Urvil Patel said he kept his approach extremely simple during his breathtaking knock against Lucknow Super Giants, revealing that clear instructions from the coaches and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad helped him produce one of the greatest power-hitting displays in IPL history. The CSK batter smashed a sensational 65 off just 23 balls during Chennai Super Kings’s chase of 204 at Chepauk, including a jaw-dropping 13-ball fifty that equalled the fastest half-century ever recorded in the IPL. His innings featured eight sixes and two boundaries at a staggering strike-rate of 282.61 as Chennai sealed a five-wicket victory and climbed to fifth place in the points table. Despite the chaos he created with the bat, Urvil insisted there was no complicated plan behind the innings. “There was nothing in my mind, but I just wanted to bat according to the situation and the ball,” Urvil said after the match. The youngster explained that the coaching staff had only one clear instruction for him before he walked out to bat. “The coach just told me to maintain a stable base and then hit, I did the same,” he revealed. Urvil also credited skipper Gaikwad for helping him prepare for the conditions at Chepauk, where the pitch had started staying slightly low during the chase. “Rutu said the wicket was low and to be ready for it. He didn’t tell me much; he just let me play my game,” Urvil added. Once Sanju Samson fell after a blazing start, Urvil completely changed the momentum of the contest. He launched Avesh Khan for three consecutive sixes before dismantling Digvesh Singh Rathi in another brutal over packed with boundaries and towering maximums. The right-hander eventually became the first batter in IPL history to smash six sixes within the first eight balls of an innings. He also equalled Yashasvi Jaiswal’s long-standing record for the fastest IPL fifty after reaching the landmark in only 13 deliveries. His explosive innings powered CSK to 97/1 in the powerplay, the highest powerplay score ever recorded at Chepauk, overtaking the 91 runs LSG themselves had scored earlier in the evening. Although LSG fought back in the middle overs through Shahbaz Ahmed and Digvesh Rathi, Chennai eventually completed the chase with four balls remaining after Shivam Dube smashed consecutive sixes in the final over.
