When the 'fall guy' sent Chepauk into a frenzy

Last year around this time, Chennai Super Kings showed urgency in securing replacements for injured players. Urvil Patel was one of them after going unsold in the 2025 auction. Almost one year later, CSK again grappled with injuries but showed no panic.

"We've got Urvil Patel who's still itching to get a game," head coach Stephen Fleming said. "We're lucky to have some quality players, so the urgency to get a replacement is not necessarily there."

The 'commentary' Fleming spoke about was the social media chatter from fans and former players pushing for Urvil's inclusion. It was understandable given CSK's poor start and Urvil's spark during their gloomy 2025 campaign. He scored a 31-ball ton in the SMAT, but after expensive acquisitions of Kartik Sharma and Prashant Veer, Urvil was the "fall guy".

An injury to Mhatre finally paved the way for Urvil at No.3, and the 28-year-old grabbed the opportunity. CSK have been on a comeback trail but still need to break into the top four. Back-to-back fixtures against bottom-placed Lucknow Super Giants provided an opportunity, though ticking the first box was never easy once LSG breached 200.

CSK's record chasing over 180 has been well documented. The target was 204 after Josh Inglis' Powerplay show. The last time CSK chased over 200 was eight years ago. The task became harder when Sanju Samson fell, but what followed over the next two overs was pure mayhem.

Avesh Khan kept bowling in the slot and Urvil kept clearing his front leg, hoicking the ball over the ropes thrice in a row to race to 19 off 4. With fielding restrictions still in place, Urvil continued. Two more sixes made it 5 in 5. He was on the cusp of history with Riyan Parag being the only player to smash six sixes in a row (spread over two overs) in the IPL before. Urvil swung again and 'settled' for a four. The very next delivery, Digvesh Rathi was smashed for a six that travelled almost 100 metres. Urvil picked a single from the final ball of the Powerplay and the stadium gave a standing ovation.

"When Urvil was going, it was quite rowdy in there," Jamie Overton said. "That's the way he plays. He plays exactly the same in training. It was only a matter of time before he did it again. Phenomenal knock.

"I think the big thing 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 youngsters go about their cricket now."

After 9 deliveries, Urvil was 42*. He became the first batter in IPL history to smash six sixes off his first eight balls. He equalled Yashasvi Jaiswal's all-time IPL record of reaching fifty off 13 balls – the fastest in IPL history. He then brought out a note from his pocket, dedicating 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 in 2014. For neutrals, it was AB de Villiers scoring 41 (11) in 2015. 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. They eventually went past the finish line.

Mhatre was CSK's closest answer to an explosive top-order batter. In his absence, they needed someone to recreate that impact. For a batting lineup heavily reliant on Samson, a 'fall guy' turning hero was a tick in the box at the business end of the tournament.