Hello and welcome to Sportstar's live coverage of tonight's Indian Premier League encounter between the Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians from the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Dhoni: "Somebody has to lose, things really didn't go our way, especially batting. These are the best batsmen we have got, it looks like we are are batting well, but at times, they pull off shots that shouldn't be played."
CSK vs MI: Deepak Chahar returns. Surya gets a four and now, MI just one run away from victory. That's that. Suryakumar brings up Mumbai's victory with a single and with it, powers his team into it's fifth final. That has been a comprehensive performance from the Rohit Sharma-led side. They have now beaten CSK thrice this season; twice in their own backyard. Chennai, on the other hand, wouldn't lose heart yet. It'll face the winner of the Eliminator between Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday. That would be all from our side. We will be back with all the action from tomorrow's match between DC and SRH. Until then, this is Ayan Acharya signing out. Night!
CSK vs MI: Tahir returns for his last. Hardik Pandya the new man in. Eight runs from the over. Tahir 4-0-33-2. Mumbai needs 16 runs in 24 balls. Bravo returns into the attack. Nine runs off the over. Mumbai needs 7 runs in 18 balls. Jadeja to bowl out. Just one run from the over. Jaddu 4-0-18-0. Mumbai needs 6 runs in 12 balls.
CSK vs MI: Jaddu returns into the attack. He goes for seven with Surya getting a four off the last ball. Seven off it. Mumbai needs 40 runs in 42 balls. Tahir to continue. 4 wides off the first ball. Fifty up for Surya. Top knock from Surya. GONE! Tahir strikes, cleans up Ishan. Is this the opening CSK needed? ANOTHER ONE! Krunal falls first ball. Tahir, you beauty. Jadeja to bowl his third . MI 108/4 after 15 overs.
CSK vs MI: Bravo to continue. SHOT! Surya brings out a glorious cover-drive and gets four for it. 10 off the over. They are cruising at the moment, are MI. Tahir to continue. Surya upping the ante, brings up the 50-run partnership with a cracking four, and follows it up with yet another four to long-on. 11 off the over. Bhajji to bowl out. Five to end the over. Bhajji 4-0-25-1. MI 85/2 after 12 overs.
CSK vs MI: Ravindra Jadeja to bowl his first. Four off his first over. Dwayne Bravo has been introduced into the attack. Seven in the over. Imran Tahir introduced into the attack. He concedes just five. MI 59/2 after 9 overs. Mumbai needs 73 runs in 66 balls.
CSK vs MI: Bhajji to continue. He strikes! Gets rid of de Kock who holes out to Faf. Ishan Kishan to the crease. Just two off that over. Chahar to continue. DROPPED! Vijay drops Surya and concedes a four, second consecutive one for Surya. 11 runs from the over. Bhajji to continue. Kishan collects a four and a six. MI 44/2 after 6 overs.
CSK vs MI: Dhoni starts with Deepak Chahar like always. Rohit gets off the mark with a punch off the backfoot for four. GONE! Deepak traps Rohit in front. He reviews but the umpire's call stands. CSK has drawn first blood. Suryakumar Yadav is the new man in. Eight off the over. Bhajji to share the new ball. De Kock gets a four with a delightful late cut. Seven off the over. Deepak to continue. Another four for de Kock. Five to end the over. CSK 20/1 after 3 overs.
Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock all set to begin the chase. Deepak Chahar to start with the new ball.
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Right then, we have a match on our hands. Dhoni and Rayudu have added 66 for the fifth wicket to take CSK to 131/4 on a spinner friendly pitch. Mumbai needs 132 to win and book a final berth. All three CSK spinners average below 6 at home. Mumbai has a task at hand.
CSK vs MI: Bumrah to bowl the final over. Last four overs have gone for 31. OUT! It's all happening. The bat flies off Dhoni's hands but he has been caught. HUGE WICKET! Oh Wait! Its been given a no-ball. JEEZ! MS survives. Good comeback from Bumrah. Just nine of it. CSK 131/4.
CSK vs MI: 12 balls to go. Dhoni, Rayudu will surely look to go big. Malinga to bowl the 19th. My word! Dhoni, you beautu. He has launched Malinga over long-on for his 22nd maximum. And another one. This one goes straight over the bowler's head. He has arrived. Single to end the over. CSK 122/4 after 19 overs.
CSK vs MI: Krunal to bowl out. Both batsmen happy to run the ones and twos. Five in the over. Krunal Pandya 4-0-21-1. Rahul is back into the attack. Three to end his spell. 4-0-14-2 for Rahul Chahar. Excellent. Bumrah is welcomed by Rayudu with a thumping shot for four and that's 100 up for CSK too. Eight runs from the 18th over. CSK 107/4 after 18 overs.
CSK vs MI: Rahul outsmarts Vijay, has him stumped. A huge roar around Chepauk as MS Dhoni walks out to the middle. Dhoni gets off the mark with a single. Just three coming off it. Jayant Yadav is back into the attack. Dhoni dismisses Yadav for a six! Rayudu finishes the over with a six. 15 off that over. Hardik is back into the attack. Rayudu launches him for a four. Eight off the over. CSK 91/4 after 15 overs.
CSK vs MI: Jayant to bowl his second over. A typical Chepauk wicket this. Prodigious turn on offer for the spinners. Tahir and Bhajji will be itching to get out there. Four singles and two dots to end the over. In the meantime, CSK has brought up its 50. Malinga is back. Starts with a wide and now a no-ball. Rayudu picks up a four off the Free Hit. 11 off the over. Bumrah in his second over. Four off it. CSK 65/3 after 12 overs .
CSK vs MI: Rahul to continue. Rayudu is the new man in. Vijay ruins a good over by carting a glorious cover-drive. Seven off it. Hardik Pandya is the new bowler. Five off the over. Krunal is back into the attack. Two off it in the end. CSK 46/3 after 9 overs. Time out!
CSK vs MI: Jayant Yadav to bowl his first over. Starts off with a no-ball. Raina gets a four off a free hit. Hang on, the umpire has signalled a dead ball. Fielder count in the ring not right. He gets another four but holes out next ball. BIG WICKET! Murali Vijay in at 4. Six runs and a wicket off it. Spinners getting sharp turn already. 140-150 looks like a competitive total. Jasprit Bumrah to roll his arm now. He is rotating his bowlers wisely, is Rohit. Watson gets his first four. Wraps up the over with a cracking pull shot. 10 off it. Krunal is back into the attack. Vijay is going after Krunal, two fours. WATTO! He has perished trying to up the ante. Krunal strikes again. CSK 32/3 after 6 overs.
CSK vs MI: Malinga starts off by conceding just a one run . Remember, CSK have been slow starters this season. They wouldn't fret too much too early in the innings. Krunal Pandya opening the bowling from other end. Nearly a wicket for Krunal, but Du Plessis gets a boundary instead. Just five off it. Rahul Chahar introduced into the attack. GONE! Chahar removes Du Plessis with his first ball. Raina is the new man in. Just one run. CSK 7/1 after 3 overs.
Out come CSK openers Shane Watson and Faf Du Plessis. Lasith Malinga to start proceedings.
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TOSS UPDATE: Chennai Super Kings has won the toss and will bat.
STAT ALERT: Four times CSK has won the toss under lights at Chepauk and opted to bowl. Tonight's the first time Chennai has inserted the opposition in to the field.
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Shane Watson, Murali Vijay, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ambati Rayudu, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Quinton de Kock(w), Rohit Sharma(c), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Lasith Malinga
MS Dhoni: We will bat first. We don't think too much about the opposition, we rather would like to focus on our preparation. It would be disrespect to the others if I say that we focus only on Mumbai Indians. We have to respect every opposition. Mumbai are a balanced side.
Rohit Sharma: Yeah, we would have batted first as well. Considering the nature of the surfaces of late, that's what we would have liked. We do have a good record here but that doesn't matter much. Got to focus on our strengths and play good cricket tonight to come out on top. One change - Jayant Yadav in for McClenaghan
Right then, with 30 minutes to toss, here's what the fans think about which way tonight's contest will sway. Chennai seems to be the clear favourites at the moment.
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FOLLOW: 2019 IPL FULL COVERAGE
On paper, it’s advantage Mumbai Indians — up 2-0 in IPL 2019 — but it’s Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk amid a sea of yellow in the stands. Forget the math and switch on the emotions.
Here's Wriddhaayan's preview of this evening's contest:
CSK vs MI: Super Kings, Mumbai back to playoffs drill
Mindset is perhaps the biggest challenge in the IPL. Most players want to sharpen that skill set by playing in the league. In cut-throat contests, the venue holds supreme importance and Chennai Super Kings did its calculations right to return home for the Qualifier 1 against Mumbai Indians on Tuesday.
A victory against Kings XI Punjab would have ensured direct entry into the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium for the playoffs, but the Super Kings stretched the former’s chase of 171 till the 18th over — the cut off being 14.2 overs or more to clinch the second spot — in Sunday’s game; thereby, earning the ticket to its fortress.
Table-topper Mumbai has been a complete package in IPL 2019 with players contributing in every department. It beat the Super Kings twice in the season; including a 46-run thrashing at Chepauk. But skipper M.S. Dhoni is aware that if the yellow army needs to play to its strength, familiar conditions help.
- Looking at the batsmen -
Mahendra Singh Dhoni's composure in the final stages of the game has been phenomenal this season. - AP
The Super Kings batting department lacked firepower in this season. Consistency was limited to one or two players and a good start looked like rocket science. If Faf du Plessis scores 96, Shane Watson falls for 7 and if it’s the reverse, Faf barely gets to 1. The South African, however, has performed slightly better [314 runs at an average of 39.25] than the Aussie [258 runs at an average of 18.42] individually.
Suresh Raina has scored in flashes. The consecutive fifties in the last two games should hold him in good shape for the crucial fixture. Ambati Rayudu has been a disappointment and he will be hungry to prove a point or two.
Dhoni has led the batting group with 368 runs at a mammoth average of 122.66.
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Mumbai’s story has been a stark contrast. Quinton de Kock [492 runs] has been swinging his blade like a sword. The hook has been a delight to watch. He has been well-supported by skipper Rohit Sharma [386] who had a late bloom in the tournament.
Hitting sixes [29] at will, Hardik Pandya has taken his hand-and-eye coordination to a different level. The power-hitter also registered the fastest fifty of the season in 17 balls. Mumbai needs to promote him up the order; a potential No 4, right after Suryakumar Yadav at No 3 if Evin Lewis remains sidelined.
- The bowlers -
Jasprit Bumrah returned with two wickets for 31 runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad, and a fantastic Super Over spell, to take MI through to the playoffs. - PTI
The Mumbai seamers have kept the batsmen on a tight leash. World No 1 ODI bowler Jasprit Bumrah never runs out of gas. The Super Over composure against Sunrisers Hyderabad underlined his strengths.
Seasoned campaigner Lasith Malinga may have cut down on pace but the variations and the change of pace has fetched him wickets. He has also been trying to create an angle for right-handers by coming round the wicket; the Andre Russell dismissal being a reference point.
“He has been trying to create a different angle because a lot of batsmen has been getting used to him. This is something he has been practising and he felt good. You have to evolve in modern-day cricket even if you have been a great. It was nice to see Malinga opening up to the idea and getting rewards. It is just an option for him to use whenever he feels he needs to,” Mumbai coach Mahela Jayawardene praised the pacer’s willingness to experiment.
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The Super Kings have relied mostly on their spinners led by Imran Tahir [21 wickets], Ravindra Jadeja [13] and Harbhajan Singh [13]. Deepak Chahar has fought a lone battle in the pace department so far claiming 16 wickets.
- Injury concerns -
Kedar Jadhav, who has been struggling for form, injured his left shoulder while fielding against Kings XI. Keeping the World Cup in mind, he has been ruled out of the remaining games.
“Jadhav's getting an x-ray and a scan on Monday. I don't think we'll see him again in this tournament for us. He's in some discomfort. Fingers crossed that it is nothing too serious but it didn't look that good,” Super King coach Stephen Fleming had confirmed the development.
- Possible changes -
Jadhav’s injury has opened a slot. Dhruv Shorey or Murali Vijay are the first names that comes to mind but Karn Sharma could be a surprise inclusion. The leggie can bat and has a decent record in the playoffs — seven wickets in five games.
Sharma also has a unique record under his belt.
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He was part of the victorious Sunrisers side in 2016, Mumbai in 2017 and the Super Kings in 2018.
The host may also consider New Zealand all-rounder Mitchell Santner. The slow left-arm spin bowler had troubled the Mumbai batsmen in the previous meeting. He returned with handsome figures of 2/13.
- Fatigue and recovery -
Super Kings skipper Dhoni flew to Ranchi for a few hours to cast his vote in the elections and the side did not train on Monday.
The host will look to regroup and tighten the loose ends before meeting its arch-rival in the evening.
"It's about recovery and just making sure the options and execution is as good as can be. We have drifted a bit in the last couple of games with a little bit of fatigue and a little bit of being near the top of the table. But that's over now, and we can focus on the one-off game in Chennai and go wherever we need to go after that," Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming had reflected after the loss to Kings XI
Both the sides are three-time champions. They have done this before. The winner gets a direct entry into the final in Hyderabad on May 12; the team on the losing side will get a second chance to qualify. It has to beat the winner of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2.
Number crunch
Head-to-head
Squads
The match will be streamed live on Hotstar.
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