West Indies T20 specialist and former captain of the One-Day International team, Dwayne Bravo had some interesting choices to make during an interview on Cricbuzz, leaving out some big names on a list of five of the best T20 players in the game today.
Kings XI enjoyed a reasonably strong start, but ultimately their total of 178-4 was nowhere near enough to put off Du Plessis and Watson, who set a new franchise record for the highest ever partnership, as they finished on 181-0.
Chennai had suffered three successive defeats heading into the match and their opponents – led by KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal – gave every indication that it could be another tough outing.
However, they failed to build on the early promise and a late burst never arrived, as captain Rahul edged behind for 63 straight after Nicholas Pooran – whose 33 off 17 indicated a little more urgency – was dismissed in the same Shardul Thakur over.
While a little slow to get going, Du Plessis (87 not out) found his groove and toyed with Chris Jordan, hitting him for four fours in the space of five balls.
Watson, who finished up unbeaten on 83, was clearly in the mood too, reaching his half-century in 31 balls – two quicker than his partner – as the Kings XI attack had no answer.
Their 181-run alliance makes it the second-highest target chased down without losing a wicket in IPL history, with the Kings XI replacing them at the foot of the table.
AN EMPHATIC RESPONSE FROM WATSON
Watson and Du Plessis were deadly here, swatting away all the Kings XI bowlers could throw at them, and they secured the handsome victory with 14 balls to spare.
It was a particularly applaudable performance from Watson, whose four previous innings (1, 14, 33 and 4) had attracted criticism – there will be none of that here.
"I felt like something that been slightly off, technically," he said in the post-match presentation ceremony. "So, it was nice for it to come off. It was just a combination of technique and intent. I was able to get the weight through the ball a lot better."
ANOTHER DIFFICULT DAY
It has been a poor start for Kings XI, who are left bottom of the IPL having lost four of five matches, and it is arguable that they paid the price for failing to push on in the second half of their innings.
Rahul was 46 off 44 in the 15th over, and while the partnership of Watson and Du Plessis would have made it a tall order to get the better of the Super Kings anyway, a more aggressive mentality might have made the difference.
The former Australia all-rounder has decided to end his playing career after concluding his duties for the Chennai Super Kings at the 2020 Indian Premier League.
Watson - who scored 14 in his final appearance against Kolkata Knight Riders - played in 59 Tests, 190 one-dayers and 58 Twenty20 games during an international career that spanned 14 years.
Since his last appearance for Australia in 2016, the 39-year-old has been in action in T20 leagues around the world, including stints in the IPL, Pakistan Super League and the Caribbean Premier League.
"It all started out as a dream," Watson said in a video posted to his own YouTube channel. "As a young kid saying to my mum as I watched a Test match as a five-year-old, 'I want to play cricket for Australia'.
"Now as I officially announce my retirement from all cricket, I feel crazily lucky to have lived out my dream and then some.
"It really does feel like the right time knowing I played my last game of cricket ever for my beloved CSK who have been so incredibly good to me over the last three years.
"To think I'm finishing up my playing days as a 39-year-old after all of my injury setbacks along the way, I feel so ridiculously fortunate."
Watson scored four Test hundreds and averaged just over 40 in the ODI format, often batting at the top of the order for Australia.
The big-hitting right-hander starred for Chennai in the 2018 IPL final, smashing 117 not out to help the franchise secure a third title in their history.
He scored 299 runs at an average of 29.90 in this season's competition in Abu Dhabi, though was unable to help the Super Kings qualify for the play-offs.
The Master Blaster was certainly adept at sending the best deliveries of huffing bowlers crashing back into the stands. But surely, any slight miscalculation, particularly with no restrictions yet implemented on bouncers, could have sent a 90mph delivery crashing into his skull. Richards, however, believes the risk was simply a part of the game.
“The passion for the game I felt was such that I wouldn’t mind dying playing something that I love. If this is what I chose and I go down here, what better way is there to go,” Richards told former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson on a recent podcast.
The big West Indian was known for relying on reflex, quickness of eye, and technique to keep him out of trouble.
“I have looked at other sportsmen and women who I have a lot of respect for doing it to an extreme level. I see a guy driving a Formula 1 racing car, what could be more dangerous than that?” said Richards, to which Watson jokingly replied, “Facing 150kph without a helmet?”
Richards who scored 8540 runs in Test cricket, had a high score of 291 and averaged 50.23. In ODIs, he scored 6721 with a highest of 189 and an average of 47.