Hello and welcome to Sportstar's live coverage of today's Indian Premier League encounter between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Chepauk Stadium.
Du Plessis' unbeaten 45-ball 43 has guided CSK to a comfortable seven-wicket win over KKR. Dhoni's men now go to the top of the points table; it was an all-round performance from the Chennai side. After putting KKR in to bat, Deepak Chahar rocked the top order with three quick wickets before Imran Tahir, Harbhajan and Jadeja choked the batsmen in the middle overs with regular strikes. Andre Russell's fifty was the lone bright spot. CSK made light work of the chase in the end despite losing two quick wickets.
◘ Gurney returns into the attack. Du Plessis is in a hurry now, takes CSK past 100 with two back-to-back boundaries. Chennai needs 6 runs in 20 balls. Two singles to finish the over. CSK 105/3 after 17 overs.
◘ Prasidh to bowl out. Four runs off the first three balls. Four off the last three. Prasidh's figures 4-0-23-0. Chennai needs 16 runs in 24 balls
◘ Rayudu steps out, doesn't get the timing right and nearly holes out to Prasidh, who has dropped a sitter. Rayudu takes two and follows it up with a single. But doesn't matter! B ecause Chawla gets his man off the fourth ball, Rayudu is caught trying to up the ante. Kedar Jadhav is the new man in. And he makes his intentions clear with a lifted hit over covers for four. What a shot. CSK 85/3 after 15 overs
The umpires have changed the ball, Chawla has a dry one to roll his arm with.
◘ CSK is taking this game deep, the wicket is getting slower as the chase wears on. Leg-spinners Kuldeep and Chawla bowling in tandem at the moment. The host still has eight wickets in hand, so they are sorted on that front. The only concern, however, will be loss of wickets in quick succession [if such a situation arises]. The duo is happy to work the ones and twos. Nine off the last two overs. CSK 77/2 after 14 overs. Chennai need 32 runs in 36 balls
◘ Narine returns for his third. Gives a single off the first two balls, some miscommunication between the two batsmen, du Plessis didn't take off for the single right away but makes it in the end. Five off it in the end, no big hits. CSK 68/2 after 12 overs.
◘ Kuldeep Yadav, bowling his third, doesn't concede any run for the three balls. Rayudu takes a single, gets off the strike and du Plessis has taken full toll of a full length ball, sweeps it away for four. Much needed boundary. CSK 63/2 after 11 overs. Chennai needs 46 runs in 54 balls
◘ Harry Gurney to roll his arm. Du Plessis takes a single to bring up the team 50. Rayudu cracks a boundary to backward point. CSK 57/2 after 10 overs. Chennai needs 52 runs in 60 balls
◘ Kuldeep to continue. And he slips in another three-run over. CSK has the batting to chase down the total but it will do well to not get stuck in a rut. CSK 49/2 after 9 overs. Chennai needs 60 runs in 66 balls
◘ Chawla is back into the attack. Cheeky shot from du Plessis, gets two runs to fine leg. Chawla responds by bowling two dots. Make that three dots and a single off the fifth ball. and no run to wrap up the over. CSK 46/2 after 8 overs.
◘ Kuldeep Yadav to bowl his first over. Tidy start from the leggie. Gives away just three runs in the end. CSK 43/2 after 7 overs.
◘ Prasidh to continue. Three dots to Rayudu, the new man. The Karnataka seamer gets extra bounce off the pitch but errs with a no-ball. Pays the price, Rayudu opens his account with a boundary off a free hit. Five coming off it. CSK 40/2 after 6 overs.
◘ Narine to continue. That's out! Caught. Raina has holed out and its taken a brilliant take from Piyush Chawla to get rid of CSK's No. 3. Great over from Narine, two runs and a wicket. CSK 35/2 after 5 overs.
◘ Prasidh to continue. Raina takes a brace, two dots and then gets a boundary through sweeper cover for four, backed away and sliced it nicely. Raina is playing his shots. Eight off it in the end. CSK 33/1 after 4 overs.
◘ Sunil Narine has been introduced into the attack and is greeted by a Watto boundary through extra-cover. GONE! Narine has his revenge off the next ball, gets Watson caught by Chawla. Not a wicket taking ball, a half tracker really but luck favours the West Indian. CSK loses its first wicket.. Raina is the new man in and he has taken the aerial route off his second ball, deposits it out of the ground. CSK 25/1 after 3 overs.
◘ Prasidh Krishna to share the new ball. Three dots to start off it from Krishna. He's getting decent bounce off the pitch. Concedes a single off his fourth and fifth deliveries. Just two off it in the end. Superb start. CSK 14/0 after 2 overs.
◘ Watson gets off the mark with a boundary off the first ball, carved away through
long-off deep extra-cover
for four. Chawla guilty of serving a rank half-volley first up. Watson follows it up with a maximum. 12 off the first over.
CSK 12/0 after 1 over.
Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis to start the chase, Piyush Chawla to bowl the first over.
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KKR rode on Russell's 50 to limp to 108/9 on a night when CSK, buoyed by Imran Tahir and Deepak Chahar's bowling performances, restricted the visitor to a modest score. CSK needs 109 to win and move to the top of the points table.
◘ Kuggeleijn to bowl the last over. Gurney has given the strike back to Russell. Russell denies a single and launches the Kiwi speedster over mid-wicket for SIX. Follows it up with a boundary. What a player. Russell brings up his fifty with a boundary.
◘ Chahar returns for his last over. Russell swings, and just about manages to get it over the ropes. SIX for KKR. Will Russell take a single off the last ball? Swings and misses. Right then, Gurney will be on strike for the final over. KKR 93/9 after 19 overs.
◘ Scott Kuggeleijn returns. Russell smacks a boundary off the first ball. By the way, Harry Gurney has joined Russell. But Russell isn't interested in ones. He will swing. Gets off the strike in the fifth ball. Gurney has to survive one delivery. He does so without a fuss. KKR 87/9 after 18 overs.
◘ Prasidh Krishna joins Russell. Jadeja to bowl out. Starts with a wide, Russell gets off strike with a single. Jadeja has Prasidh caught and KKR loses ninth. Just two off it. KKR 79/9 after 17 overs.
◘ Harbhajan is back into the attack. Can he repair the damage by getting Russell out? Oh that will do too. Can't get Russell out. Get the non-striker out of the way. Piyush Chawla is stumped. KKR has lost its seventh wicket. Make that eight. Total miscommunication has led to Kuldeep Yadav getting run out.
◘ Tahir to bowl out. Great stop by Tahir off his own bowling but Russell sends the next ball racing away to the fence, straight down the ground. There's a review for lbw, Tahir is confident, MSD isn't but he complies and replays show the ball missing the stumps. Russell survives. Tahir bowls out. KKR 75/6 after 15 overs. Tahir: 4-0-21-2.
◘ Scott Kuggeleijn is back into the attack. Jaddu nearly pulls off a blinder at deep mid-wicket. Russell pulls it hard towards deep mid-wicket and Jadeja has saved a boundary or possibly, a six. Russell celebrates the reprieve with a boundary. KKR 70/6 after 14 overs.
◘ DROPPED! Bhajji has dropped Russell. Oh my, the crowd is stunned. They can't believe what they have just seen. Fear of Russell, ladies and gents . Tahir could have had his third. Russell rubs salt in the wounds with a huge six over deep mid-wicket. Seven coming off it. KKR 63/6 after 13 overs.
◘ Bhajji greeted by Russell with a maximum by Russell; smoked over cow corner. But gives away just one off the next five balls. Bhajji completes his third. KKR 56/6 after 12 overs.
◘ Tahir grabs his second! Shubman Gill has been stumped! Gill fails to read the googly, misses it and Dhoni does the rest. KKR six down. Piyush Chawla is the new batsman. Just two runs and a wicket off it. 2-0-9-2 : Tahir's figures so far. Brilliant. KKR 49/6 after 11 overs.
◘ Jadeja to bowl the 10th over, quicker deliveries from Jadeja skidding on with one turning and bounce to beat Russell's edge. Jadeja concedes just three. KKR 47/5 after 10 overs.
◘ More spin from Dhoni. Tahir comes into the attack. Gill flicks one towards long-on for a single and Karthik follows it up with a brace. Karthik gets a much-needed boundary to fine leg. Imran strikes, and in his first over, like Bhajji and it's the big wicket of Dinesh Karthik. KKR has lost half the side for less than 50. KKR 44/5 after 8.4 overs. Time for strategic time-out! Dre Russ is in the house. Seven and a wicket off it. KKR 44/5 after 9 overs.
◘ Bhajji returns into the attack. 1.0-0-2-1, his first over. Four off it. Another economical over for CSK. KKR needs a move on. KKR 37/4 after 8 overs. Partnership between Gill and Karthik is 13 off 20.
◘ Scott Kuggeleijn has been introduced into the attack. Tidy start from the Kiwi seamer. The ploy is to slip in a few overs from the seamers and save the spinners for the death overs. Just four off it. KKR 33/4 after 7 overs.
◘ Jadeja to continue. Karthik gets another boundary; jadeja goes short and pays the price. Good comeback from Jaddu, just one off the next five. KKR 29/4 after 6 overs.
◘ Chahar to continue. He has been dispatched for a four, room on offer and Uthappa latches on to it. And another one; this time through deep mid-wicket. Two back-to-back boundaries. And he perishes. Chahar you beauty. Gets rid of Uthappa too. KKR in doldrums. It is four down. Shubman Gill comes ahead of Russell.
◘ Ravindra Jadeja to bowl the fourth over. Classic MS manoeuvre, keeps the batsman guessing. Edge, and the ball runs away to the fence. Watson, in the slip , doesn't get a hand to it and Karthik gets a boundary. Seven off the over. KKR 16/3 after 4 overs.
◘ Deepak to continue. Nitish Rana joins Uthappa in the middle. And Nitish Rana leaves Uthappa to take the walk back to the dressing room. Chahar is all over KKR. Second wicket for him as Rana departs. KKR Skipper Dinesh Karthik is out in the middle. KKR 9/3 after 3 overs.
◘ Harbhajan Singh to share the new ball. Robin Uthappa is the new man in. The Lynn dismissal, the ball didn't rise as high as Lynn is expected it to. WICKET! Harbhajan strikes in his first over, has Narine caught and KKR has lost both openers cheaply. KKR 8/2 after 2 overs.
◘ Chahar starts off with a dot. Two more to follow it up. Some movement off the deck for Chahar. Lynn gets off the mark with a single. The ball's not quite coming on to the bat nicely. GONE! Lynn has been given out lbw, that's plumb in front. Chahar has drawn first blood. CSK 6/1 after 1 over.
Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn to open for KKR, Deepak Chahar with the new ball for CSK.
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TOSS UPDATE: Dhoni has won the toss and CSK will bowl first.
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(w/c), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Scott Kuggeleijn, Deepak Chahar, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Harry Gurney, Prasidh Krishna
Both sides are unchanged
MS Dhoni: "We're getting consistent dew here over the last few days and so, we want to chase. At the end of the day, you need to focus on your own strengths."
Dinesh Karthik: "We would have bowled first as well due to the dew factor. But now that we're batting first, need to put runs on the board. Yes, the bowlers practise it a lot but it's not easy at all."
PITCH REPORT| "It's a dry and hard surface. There is no moisture whatsoever. Like always, there will be plenty of turn on offer for the spinners, more than Eden Gardens. So the batsmen will be wary of that. The average first-innings score here is 135," reckons Laxman Sivaramakrishnan.
As we wait for the toss, just a quick update on the whole "Will Chennai host the IPL final?" issue. The Board of Control for Cricket in India ( BCCI) will hold a discussion with the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association ( TNCA) .
With the three stands at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium sealed for the last seven years, the broadcaster and the Board are concerned about hosting the high-profile fixture. As a tradition, the defending champion hosts the IPL opener and the final. Shayan Acharya has more here| Will Chennai host the IPL final: CoA puts the ball in TNCA court
Fan clubs have always been the driving force for any sporting franchise and Indian Premier League outfit Chennai Super Kings' fan army is no exception| CSK's Yellow Army cleans stand at Chepauk after KXIP match, catches Raina's eye
Fifty per cent of those who voted feel Imran Tahir will top the wickets tally
In case you were wondering how Dre Russ brought the roof down at Chepauk last year
13.5 SIX
15.3 SIX
15.4 SIX
16.2 SIX
16.4 SIX
17.1 SIX
18.1 SIX
18.2 SIX
18.3 SIX
19.1 SIX
19.6 SIX
READ| Andre Russell returns to Chepauk where he nearly spoiled CSK homecoming in 2018
FOLLOW: 2019 IPL FULL COVERAGE
There is nothing much to differentiate between both the teams when it comes to their ethos and balance. Both these aspects are quite distinct from the very start of this season, and more importantly Chennai and Kolkata know how to win matches.
Here's Sattwik Biswal's preview of tonight's contest:
IPL 2019, CSK v KKR Preview: Local boy Karthik looks to breach Super Kings fortress
Kolkata Knight Riders is yet to put a foot wrong except for its Super Over loss to Delhi Capitals. However, its real test awaits at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday, when it runs into a formidable Chennai Super Kings for the first time in IPL 2019.
There is nothing much to differentiate between both the teams when it comes to their ethos and balance. Both these aspects are quite distinct from the very start of this season, and more importantly Chennai and Kolkata know how to win matches.
It won't be wrong to call it a marquee clash with both teams coming in with wins and having eight points from five games.
Russell threat
The Kolkata batsmen, especially its top-order have to play the waiting game and need to take the innings deep. M.S Dhoni and Ambati Rayudu proved so in Chennai's last outing against Kings XI Punjab at this venue on Saturday.
Kolkata seem to have gone back to its tried and tested opening combination of Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine, with both of them finding form. Moreover, the batsmen following them - Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Karthik are also in good touch.
WATCH: IPL 2019, CSK v KKR: Battle of spin supremacy at Chepauk
After his blazing 13-ball 48* against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Andre Russell will be the talking point for the opposition. But on a sluggish Chepauk track, playing the big shots won't be easy and the spinners will once again have the spotlight.
CSK head coach Stephen Fleming too was not sure of what would be an ideal score against a batting-heavy Kolkata line-up.
"Our balance has been affected with Bravo, so our options are a little bit limited. KKR are now second [it is first] and I don't know what would be a good score with the dew factor, so it is really difficult reading and assessing conditions and committing to that, so we stick to what we normally do," Fleming said on Monday.
Spin battle
If Chennai has Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir and Ravindra Jadeja, Kolkata is no novice in this department, matching them equally with the spin trio of Narine, Kuldeep Yadav and Piyush Chawla.
From a strategic point of view, all of the above six players are likely to feature on Tuesday, and it would be an interesting battle to witness.
READ: Will Chennai host the IPL final? CoA puts the ball in TNCA court
With Faf du Plessis coming in at the top and Rayudu dropping down gives Chennai's batting solidity. The host may persist with the same team and if at all there is a change, then Deepak Chahar could make way for Mohit Sharma or Shardul Thakur. Dwayne Bravo's absence is hurting Chennai but Scott Kuggeleijn is proving to be an ideal replacement.
On the other hand, it is highly unlikely of Kolkata to make any changes with Harry Gurney making an excellent IPL debut in the game against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday, where he returned figures of 2 for 25 from four overs.
It would be a tough task to breach Chennai's fortress but Kolkata will benefit from having local boy Dinesh Karthik leading the charge.
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