Hello and welcome to Sportstar 's live blog of Sunday's Indian Premier League clash between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Imran Tahir's four-for restricted KKR to 161 after Chris Lynn's 82 had threatened to take the host over 200. Despite losing two early wickets, CSK got to the total in the end with five wickets to spare thanks to Suresh Raina's unbeaten half-century.
◘ Piyush Chawla bowls a nothing delivery and Jadeja has got a boundary to third-man. Two singles off the next two overs.
◘ Gurney to Jadeja, he has hit that over the bowler's head for four. Follows it up with two back-to-back fours to bring the equation down to 11 off 8. 16 off it. CSK 154/5 after 19 overs.
◘ Narine to bowl out. Raina has dispatched it for four. CSK inching towards victory. Narine bowls out. Chennai needs 24 in 12 balls.
◘Prasidh Krishna is back into the attack. Raina brings up his 50 off 36 balls. Good over from Krishna so far. Mixing up the slower balls nicely . Jadeja gets hold of one, smacks a boundary. Nine off it in the end. CSK 130/5 after 17 overs.
◘ Sunil Narine is back into the attack. Raina moves to 49 with a single. Dhoni has been given out lbw! Dhoni reviews reluctantly and replays show the ball hitting him plumb in front. He's gone. Big wicket for KKR. Ravindra Jadeja is the new man in. Great stuff from Narine. Just one off it. CSK 121/5 after 16 overs.
◘ Harry Gurney is back into the attack. Raina gets another four to fine leg for four. 11 runs off it. CSK in cruise mode at the moment, with Dhoni and Raina in the middle. CSK 120/4 after 15 overs.
◘ Raina takes full toll of Chawla, a boundary to third-man is followed by a six down the ground. 100 up for CSK. Dhoni and Raina running the ones and twos hard and playing the odd big shots to keep up with the asking rate. CSK 109/4 after 14 overs.
◘ Kuldeep is back into the attack. And Dhoni has launched him over long-on for six. 13off it. CSK 96/4 after 13 overs. KKR 96/4 after 13 overs. Chennai needs 66 runs in 42 balls
◘ Chawla again. And this time it's Kedar Jadhav who is trapped in front. He reviews but replays show no inside edge and the ball is crashing into the leg-stump! CSK loses its fourth wicket. M.S. Dhoni is the new man in. Just two off it and a wicket. CSK 83/4 after 12 overs.
◘ Kuldeep Yadav has been dispatched for a six over deep mid-wicket. Jadhav giving the chase some much needed momentum. And backs it up with an equally impressive pull shot for four. Kuldeep guilty of bowling short. CSK 81/3 after 11 overs. Chennai needs 81 runs in 54 balls.
◘ Piyush Chawla to bowl the 10th over. So, leg-spin from both ends. Chawla strikes with the first ball off his first over of the night. Rayudu holes out to Uthappa. Kedar Jadhav is the new man in. He announces his arrival with an inside out shot over extra cover before helping one to third-man for a second consecutive boundary. CSK 70/3 after 10 overs.
◘ Kuldeep Yadav has been introduced into the attack. Bowls a tight first over. Only four coming off it. CSK 61/2 after 9 overs.
◘ Narine to continue. Rayudu and Raina have taken CSK past the 50-run mark. Boundary! Much needed one for Chennai, works it to fine leg for four. 10 off it. CSK 57/2 after 8 overs.
◘ Krishna to continue. Good over, just three off it. The Karnataka seamer is working up good pace. CSK 47/2 after 7 overs.
◘ Sunil Narine has been introduced into the attack. Bowled 'em. Narine removes Du Plessis with the second ball off his first over; the South African skipper tries to sweep only to miss and lose his stumps. Rayudu joins Raina. Wicket maiden from Narine. KKR 44/2 after 6 overs.
◘ Prasidh is back into the attack. Prasidh errs in line, bowls one on Raina's pads who works it away to fine leg for four. Another one to end the over, bowls a length delivery down leg, and Raina puts it away. KKR 44/1 after 5 overs.
◘ Gurney strikes. Watson has been adjudged lbw. Length ball and Watson was on the backfoot, misses and is trapped in front. Suresh Raina is the new man in. He has been given out lbw . Reviews and replays show a faint edge. He survives and celebrates with a four . KKR 36/1 after 4 overs.
◘ Andre Russell to bowl the third over. Russell drops this one short and Du Plessis pulls this one for four before hammering one through mid-wicket for a second consecutive boundary. Follows it up, with a cheeky ramp shot over third-man for four. And another one. Four consecutive boundaries in the over! 16 off it. CSK 29/0 after 3 overs.
◘ Harry Gurney, left-arm seamer, to bowl the second over. Good start. Three off it in the end. CSK 13/0 after 2 overs.
◘ What a start from Shane Watson; hint of movement into the batsman and he drives it past mid-on for four. Now, du Plessis whips it to deep square leg for four. 10 off it. CSK 10/0 after 1 over.
Shane Watson and Faf Du Plessis to begin the chase, Prasidh Krishna to start with the proceedings.
ICYMI: Imran Tahir is now the purple cap owner.
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Imran Tahir's four-for has restricted KKR to 161/8. Chris Lynn's 82 was the highlight of the innings but he found little support from the other end. CSK needs 162 to win.
◘ Thakur to bowl the last over. Just four to end the over and two wickets. Excellent death bowling from CSK.
◘ Chahar to bowl the penultimate over. Excellent over from Chahar. Parthiv Chawla has joined Gill by the way. Just four off it. KKR 157/6 after 19 overs.
◘ Thakur to bowl the 18th over. He strikes and it's the skipper, Dinesh Karthik, who has to depart. Du Plessis garbs his fourth catch of the innings, KKR loses its sixth wicket. Just four off it. KKR 153/6 after 18 overs.
◘ Tahir to bowl out. Four wickets for 27 for Imran Tahir. What a day he has had with the ball. Just when Lynn was threatening to put CSK under the pump, he got rid of him and Andre Russell in the same over. Bravo, Tahir! KKR 149/5 after 17 overs.
◘ Santner to bowl out. Shubman Gill, meanwhile, has joined Dinesh Karthik. Karthik gets one away for four between mid-wicket and long-on. Nine off the 16th over. KKR 142/5 after 16 overs. Santner 1 for 30 from his four.
◘ Tahir is back into the attack. And he strikes, again. Gets the danger man, Lynn. Wicket No. 3 for the Protean as Lynn holes out to Thakur trying to up the ante. Andre Russell, the new batsman, gets off the mark with a thunderous wallop to mid-wicket before launching a maximum over long-on. Whaddaplayah! Oh wait, Tahir has his revenge. Removes Russell. Wicket No. 4. What an over. KKR 133/5 after 15 overs.
◘ Jadeja has been welcomed with three back-to-back maximums. He is in the zone, is Lynn. Carnage at Eden Gardens. Karthik joins the fun, gets a boundary to end the over. 23 off that over. KKR 121/3 after 14 overs.
◘ Santner returns. MS juggling his bowlers. Just seven off it. KKR 98/3 after 13 overs.
◘ Chahar is back into the attack. KKR is losing wickets at the other end but Lynn is undeterred. He clobbers a maximum over fine-leg. Dinesh Karthik is the new man in. 10 off it. KKR 91/3 after 12 overs.
◘ Just as Rana and Lynn were building a partnership, Tahir has Rana caught at long-on. KKR loses its second wicket. Robin Uthappa comes to the crease. Robin Uthappa leaves, caught courtesy a brilliant diving catch by Faf Du Plessis. The Protean has now taken all three catches in the match. Two wickets and four off it. KKR 81/3 after 11 overs.
◘ Jadeja to continue. Room again from Jadeja and the same result; Rana cuts it square on the off-side for another four. Wraps it up with three dots. KKR 77/1 after 10 overs.
◘ Imran Tahir into the attack. A dot and two singles so far. Lynn brings up his fifty with a single. Three singles off the next three; four of the over. Tidy start from Tahir. KKR 71/1 after 9 overs. There's a strategic timeout been called by the umpires.
◘ Jadeja to continue. Once again, rrom outside off stump, and Rana has placed that beautifully for four. That was short and wide from Jaddu. A belter of a wicket this. Nine off it. KKR 67/1 after 8 overs.
◘ Santner to continue. 50 up for KKR with a single. HUGE! Lynn has hit that one over the bowler's head for six. Nine off the over. KKR 58/1 after 7 overs.
◘ Ravindra Jadeja, left-arm spinner, comes into the attack. Rana opens his account; Jadeja gives ample room outside off stump and Rana gets a boundary. Lynn joins the fun, makes room and muscles it away past cover fielder for another four. Single to end the over. 11 off it. KKR 49/1 after 6 overs.
◘ Mitchell Santner has been introduced into the attack. Not a good start for Santner. Three wides conceded, Four off the first three balls. GONE! The ploy to introduce spin has worked, Narine holes out and Santner has the first breakthrough. Nitish Rana is the new man in. KKR 38/1 after 5 overs.
◘ Thakur to continue. Narine takes a single, gets off the strike. Lynn, in the mood, has bludgeoned this one down the ground. What a shot to end the over. Timed away for four by Lynn. KKR 33/0 after 4 overs.
◘ Chahar to continue. Lynn welcomes him with a boundary to deep mid-wicket and follows it up with a maximum over the same region. Too short from Chahar and pays the price. Goes too full, and Lynn has scythed that through covers for four. Good comeback from Chahar, ends with three dots. KKR 24/0 after 3 overs.
◘ Shardul Thakur to share the new ball. Starts off with a probing length to Narine. Gets off the mark with a single... err.. leg byes given by the umpire. Just two off the over. Top start from Thakur. KKR 10/0 after 2 overs.
◘ Chahar starts with a gentle outswinger. Follows it up with two dots. Errs in length, bowls a delivery , short and wide and has been slapped away for four by Lynn. 1000 IPL runs for Lynn. Backs it up with an equally dismissive cut shot for four. Chahar wraps it up with a dot. KKR 8/0 after 1 over.
Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn to open for KKR, Deepak Chahar with the new ball.
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TOSS UPDATE: Dhoni has won the toss and Chennai Super Kings will bowl.
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Imran Tahir
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Harry Gurney
Captain, bowlers and those batting in the company of Dhoni have all praised the man’s astute reading of the game in the middle | Dhoni and the 360 degree impact
“I like the ball coming on to the bat.” KKR's Shubman Gill talks about his batting, learnings from head coach Jacques Kallis and more in this chat| Shubman Gill: ‘I don’t like to hit the ball hard, I like to time it’
In a rare instance, MS Dhoni, who was not even meant to be on the field of play, lost his cool and rushed out of the dug-out to challenge umpire Ulhas Gandhe after he flip-flopped on a no ball. Michael Hussey believes Chennai Super Kings has put the M.S. Dhoni incident behind| Hussey: Have put Dhoni incident behind us
After the volatile ending in Jaipur, Chennai Super Kings might have found the lovely ambience at the Eden Gardens soothing as the side trained here on Saturday.
Read our correspondent S Dinakar's preview:
Confident CSK eyes encore against KKR
After the volatile ending in Jaipur, Chennai Super Kings might have found the lovely ambience at the Eden Gardens soothing as the side trained here on Saturday.
The side would also realise that its iconic captain is extremely lucky to be available for the big game against Kolkata Knight Riders after clearly crossing the line against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur.
CSK had reasons to be miffed at the umpire first signalling a no-ball for height and then reverting it but a fine of 50 per cent match fee for Dhoni is treating the issue with kid gloves and setting a bad precedent.
READ| Hussey: Have put Dhoni incident behind us
A skipper walking into the ground in the middle of a match and taking up an issue with the umpires is a serious matter. And sends a wrong message to youngsters.
The game is bigger than any cricketer. While some of the umpiring in the ongoing IPL has been abysmal, to put it mildly - if this continues, not just IPL but Indian cricket will be affected - BCCI has come out of the entire episode looking limp and weak. When he has time to reflect, Dhoni will rue the momentary lapse of reason.
READ| Dhoni hit with IPL fine after on-field umpire remonstration
Injury woes
Dhoni continues at the helm and CSK has the wind and the momentum behind it. It is up against a wounded KKR that has lost its last two games.
Dinesh Karthik’s side has injury worries. The explosive Andre Russell has a sore wrist and his fitness will be assessed.
And the two big hitters at the top of the order Chris Lynn (indisposed) and Sunil Narine (hamstring) are doubtful starters. Skipper Karthik is battling a fever.
READ| Shubman Gill: ‘I don’t like to hit the ball hard, I like to time it’
But then, KKR is playing at home and possesses match-winners. While much focus has been on Russell’s prowess as a power hitter, someone like Robin Uthappa can be influential.
Then wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Piyush Chawla can alter the course of matches.
CSK expects runs from its powerful but off-colour opener Shane Watson. During practice, he spent much time admiring the tattoo on Murali Vijay’s arm that actually reflects the cricketer’s love for his mother.
The pitch should be good for batting but might offer some assistance to the pacemen in the afternoon. As the game progresses spinners could come into the picture. The dew might not be a big factor and defending a total could be a good option.
Teams (from):
Kolkata Knight Riders: Dinesh Karthik (c/wk), Robin Uthappa, Chris Lynn, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite, Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Nikhil Naik, Joe Denly, Shrikant Mundhe, Nitish Rana, Sandeep Warrier, Prasidh Krishna, Lockie Ferguson, Harry Gurney, Matt Kelly, KC Cariappa and Yarra Prithviraj.
Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (c/wk), Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Murali Vijay, Kedar Jadhav, Sam Billings, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Shorey, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Rituraj Gaikwad, Dwayne Bravo, Karn Sharma, Imran Tahir, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Sharma, KM Asif, Deepak Chahar, N Jagadeesan, Scott Kuggeleijn.
Match starts at 4pm (IST).
( The match will be streamed live on Hotstar )
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