When the 'fall guy' sent Chepauk into a frenzy

Last year around this time, Chennai Super Kings showed urgency in securing replacements for their injured players. Urvil Patel was one of them after going unsold in the 2025 auction. Almost one year later, CSK again had to grapple with injuries to key players. Yet, they showed no signs of panic and remained calm instead of actively looking for replacements again.

"We've got Urvil Patel who's still itching to get a game, he's quality as well," head coach Stephen Fleming had said. "I know there's been some commentary around him. We're lucky to have some quality players, aggressive players at the top, so the urgency to get a replacement is not necessarily there,"

The 'commentary' that Fleming had spoken about was the chatter predominantly on social media from fans and former players. Fleming and the team management were certainly under a bit of pressure as the calls for the inclusion of Urvil in the CSK XII grew louder. It was understandable given CSK's poor start and also because of the fact that Urvil was one of those players who provided a bit of spark during their gloomy 2025 campaign. Urvil, alongside other replacements Mhatre and Dewald Brevis, made quite an impression. Between the two seasons, he had also scored a 31-ball ton in the SMAT. But following the expensive acquisitions of Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer, it was always going to be tough for CSK to accommodate all of them and hence Urvil was the "fall guy".

An unfortunate injury to Mhatre finally paved the way for Urvil to get a run at No.3 and the 28-year-old has now grabbed it with both hands by stepping up at a crucial juncture for CSK. The five-time champions have been on a comeback trail but there's still lots to be done in order to break into the top four. Back-to-back fixtures against bottom-placed Lucknow Super Giants provided an excellent opportunity to build more momentum. However, ticking the first box was never going to be easy the moment LSG breached 200 while batting first.

CSK's record during run chases in excess of 180 in recent times have been well documented. The target on Sunday (May 10) was 204 thanks to a spectacular show in the Powerplay from Josh Inglis. The last time CSK chased down anything over 200 was eight years ago. The task became even harder when Sanju Samson fell despite getting off to another promising start. But what followed over the next two overs was pure mayhem. Every ball bowled in the 5th and 6th over of the Powerplay became an event.

It was a case of rinse and repeat. Avesh Khan kept bowling in the slot and Urvil kept clearing his front leg and hoicked the ball over the ropes thrice in a row to race to 19 off 4. Ruturaj Gaikwad did the right thing by fetching a single off the first ball of the following over. With the fielding restrictions still in place, Urvil had the license to continue in the same vein. He sent Chepauk into a frenzy by going after every delivery.

Two more sixes followed and that made it 5 in 5. He was on the cusp of history with Riyan Parag being the only player to have smashed six sixes in a row (spread over two overs) in the IPL before. With the crowd and the dugout waiting in anticipation, Urvil swung his bat again and made a connection, only to 'settle' for a four instead of a six. But guess what happened the very next delivery? Digvesh Rathi was smashed for yet another six, this time the ball travelled almost 100 metres. Urvil then picked up a single from the final ball of the Powerplay and the entire stadium gave the player a standing ovation for his exploits.

"When Urvil was going, it was quite rowdy in there," Jamie Overton said on the atmosphere in the dressing room. "That's the way he plays. He plays exactly the same in training. So it was only a matter of time before he did it again. But yeah, phenomenal knock.

"I think the big thing for me was the way he was disappointed when he hit that one for four when he could have had six in a row. He put his head back and was like, 'oh, never mind'. But it's phenomenal the way the youngsters go about their cricket now. They're just taking the game on from ball one and they're not afraid of these things."

The fans at Chepauk don't often get to witness something like this. They did see Inglis pull off some breathtaking shots earlier in the day but this one from Urvil surpassed it. After facing 9 deliveries, Urvil was batting on 42*. He became the first batter in IPL history to smash six sixes off his first eight balls. He eventually went on to equal Yashasvi Jaiswal's all-time IPL record of reaching fifty off 13 balls - the fastest in the competition's history. Once he went past that landmark, Urvil brought out a note from his pocket. He would have certainly been excused had that read 'Yea Flem, Talk Nah'. But the 28-year-old dedicated it to his father while soaking in the applause.

For the Chepauk faithful, this was the closest to Suresh Raina's thrilling 25-ball 87 way back in 2014 even though that game was played in Mumbai. For the neutrals, this was the closest to AB de Villiers scoring 41 (11) in 2015. 'OG' IPL fans would remember those knocks. Both those efforts came in a losing cause. This one nearly did as well, with CSK's middle order threatening to bottle the chase despite needing only 73 from 60 at one stage after Urvil's dismissal. They eventually went past the finish line and grabbed those two points to continue their surge.

Mhatre was CSK's closest answer to a Vaibhav Sooryavanshi or an Abhishek Sharma or a Priyansh Arya. In his absence, they certainly needed someone who could recreate that same impact in the top order. For a batting lineup that's been heavily reliant on Samson throughout the season, a 'fall guy' turning hero was definitely a tick in the box right at the business end of the tournament.

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