CSK vs DC: Ishant Sharma to bowl out. Dhoni on strike. He holes out trying to go for the glory shot. That's it. They've done, have the Chennai Super Kings. Dwayne Bravo with the winning hit and CSK will meet the Mumbai Indians in the finals on Sunday.
CSK vs DC: Axar to bowl out. Rayudu dances down the track and hits Axar over extra cover for four. GONE! Raina has played on and CSK has lost a third wicket. Chennai needs 21 runs in 24 balls. Boult is back. MS Dhoni is in the house. Dhoni gets off the mark with a boundary. Follows it up with a brace next ball. Eight off the over. Chennai needs 13 runs in 18 balls. Keemo Paul back for his third. Rayudu helps one to the fence; trickles it fine towards the long leg fence. Chennai needs 8 runs in 15 balls. Make that four. Rayudu gets another boundary. Nine off it. CSK 144/3.
CSK vs DC: Watson has holed out and it's Amit Mishra who has got the breakthrough. Ambati Rayudu is the new batsman. Good over from Mishra; just three coming off it. Chennai needs 37 runs in 42 balls. Axar back for his third over. Four coming off the over. Mishra to continue. He goes for four as well. CSK 119/2 after 15 overs. Chennai needs 29 runs in 30 balls.
CSK vs DC: Axar Patel back into the attack. Du Plessis gets to his fifty with a single. Watson, at the other end, is hitting the strides, launches Axar over deep square leg for six. Nine off the over. Boult is back into the attack. Du Plessis has holed out in the deep. A brilliant innings comes to an end. Suresh Raina is the new man in. Chennai needs 67 runs in 58 balls. Raina off the mark straightaway. Just two runs and a wicket off it. Paul is back and is greeted by Watson with a maximum. He's having a terrible night with the ball. Watto follows it up with a cracking four. He is in the zone now, is Watson. He has dismissed a slower ball for six, and has finished the over with yet another maximum. Watson has also brought up his half-century. 25 runs off that over. CSK 108/1 after 12 overs.
CSK vs DC: Amit Mishra has been introduced into the attack. Du Plessis ruins a fine over by sweeping Mishra for a boundary. Six off the over. Keemo Paul has been introduced into the attack. He concedes five wides! Rubbish delivery from Paul, strays on Watson's pads and goes for four. And another boundary to end the over... 16 off the over . Full marks to Colin Munro for the effort. Mishra to continue, and Watson gets a four to fine leg. DROPPED! Munro has misjudged a skier from Watson. Eight off the over. CSK 72/0 after 9 overs.
CSK vs DC: Ishant to continue. Just three runs off the over. Delhi's not giving runs easy. The required run-rate is going up. Axar Patel has been introduced into the attack. Du Plessis has timed that one nicely and it will run away for four. He follows it up with an audacious lofted hit over long-off for six. 11 off the over. Chennai needs 121 runs in 90 balls. Ishant to continue and he has been dispatched for four by Du Plessis, and another one: gives himself room and carves it towards third-man for four more. Make that three in three. This one's raced away to the deep mid-wicket fence. 15 to end the Powerplay. CSK 42/0 after 6 overs.
CSK vs DC: Oh Dear! Harakiri, nearly. Complete breakdown in communication between the two batsmen and the Delhi fielders have managed to not get either batsman out. All they needed to do was hit the stumps. They don't. Just one run coming off it. Ishant Sharma to share the new ball. Another tight over; just three coming off it. Boult to continue. Du Plessis dismisses a short ball to deep mid-wicket for his four of the match. Nine from it. CSK 13/0 after 3 overs.
Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson to begin the run chase. Trent Boult to start with the new ball.
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Delhi Capitals rode on Rishabh Pant's 38 to reach 147/9. Chennai Super Kings needs 148 to win and qualify for the finals. Deepak Chahar, Bhajji, Jaddu and Bravo took two wickets each.
CSK vs DC: Ravindra Jadeja has dropped a catch off his own bowling and Boult rubs salt in the wound by dispatching him for a six next ball. And he's cleaned up next ball. Six runs, three balls and a wicket so far. Ishant Sharma, the new batsman, dances down the track and hits Jaddu for a boundary. Ishant wraps up the innings with a maximum. DC finishes on 147.
CSK vs DC: Amit Mishra is the new batsman. Deepak Chahar back into the attack. Pant hares back for a second. And another brace. Pant is farming the strike, and rightly so. A single now brings Mishra on strike. Rishabh Pant is caught trying to raise the ante! Du Plessis has saved a certain six. What athleticism from the Protean. Mishra gets a cheeky four. 12 off the over.
CSK vs DC: Bhajji to bowl out. STAND AND DELIVER! Rutherford launches him over extra cover for six. Much needed hit that; brings up the team 100. GONE! Bhajji gets his revenge, Rutherford departs. Nine off the over. Tahir to bowl out. Keemo Paul the new man in. Pant is playing a lone hand here, sweeps this one for four. Jeez, Chahar takes a catch but touches the ropes and it's a six! Dear oh dear; Dhoni is visibly upset. 14 off the over. Bravo back into the attack. What a delivery. Bravo takes out Paul with a brute yorker! Just three runs and a wicket . DC 119/7 after 18 overs.
CSK vs DC: Bravo back into the attack. Just one run off the first three balls. The pressure gets to Patel who holes out at third-man. Sherfane Rutherford is the new batsman at the crease. Just two coming off the over. All eyes on Rishabh Pant. Tahir to continue. Four byes! CSK think Pant's struck in front. They review but replays show the ball going over the stumps. Four consecutive dots to end the over. Superb stuff from the Parasakthi Express. Bravo to continue. He concedes a free hit but no damage done. Just eight off the over. DC 93/5 after 15 overs.
CSK vs DC: Leggie Imran Tahir has been introduced into the attack. Pant gets a boundary, his first of the match. A premeditated scoop that from the youngster. Nine off the over. Dwayne Bravo has been brought into the attack. SHOT! That's the shot of a player in form. Iyer drills this through the covers for four. Six off it in the end. Tahir to continue. He gets his man; Iyer departs and with this dismissal, Tahir inches closer to grabbing the purple cap. Axar Patel the new batsmen to the crease. Four singles and a wicket. DC 78/4 after 12 overs.
CSK vs DC: Ravindra Jadeja introduced into the attack. Brilliant start; just three off it. Bhajji to continue. Munro times this one beautifully, carving it square of the wicket for four. He follows it up with a hit to sweeper cover for four more. 10 off the over. Jaddu to continue. GONE! Munro has perished trying to up the ante. Rishabh Pant the new batsman. Five off the over. DC 59/3 after 9 overs.
CSK vs DC: Bhajji to bowl in the powerplay . Munro cuts and cuts fine for his second four. Seven off the over. Chahar to continue. A single to end the over. Four off it. Bhajji to continue. He gets Shikhar Dhawan out, caught behind. Brilliant from Bhajji! Shreyas Iyer is the new man in. Five runs and a wicket. DC 41/2 after 6 overs.
CSK vs DC: Chahar starts off with a wide. Follows it up with three consecutive dots. Shaw gets off the mark with a single. Oh! Dhawan almost plays on, but scampers across for a single. SHOT! Shaw shows his class with a thunderous pull for four. Seven off the over. Shardul Thakur to share the new ball. Dhawan gives him the charge and misses! Gets it this time, drives it to long-off for four and follows it up with a glorious straight drive. Make that three consecutive fours. 13 off the over. Chahar to continue. CSK has appealed for a lbw. They have gone for the review and replays show the ball hitting the stumps. Shaw departs! Chahar gets the breakthrough. Colin Munro at No. 3. He makes his intentions clear, gets a four. Five off it. DC 25/1 after 3 overs.
Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw to open for Delhi, Deepak Chahar to start proceedings with the new ball.
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TOSS UPDATE: MS Dhoni has won the toss and Chennai Super Kings will bowl.
Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Colin Munro, Axar Patel, Sherfane Rutherford, Keemo Paul, Amit Mishra, Trent Boult, Ishant Sharma
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Faf du Plessis, Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(w/c), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Imran Tahir
Iyer: "It (Pitch) looks a far better one that the previous game. We felt that during practice too. We would have batted first actually, so not a bad toss to lose. We're unchanged ."
Dhoni: "We'll bowl first. (If the toss is crucial) It depends on how the bowlers start. Some of the tosses are crucial but it depends on how the opposition bats. I don't mind that because all this increases the anticipation. Ultimately, you need to be aged to be experienced but again, there are pros and cons for everything."
Ahead of the IPL2019, here's what Ricky Ponting had to say. Now his team is one win away from the final| Ricky Ponting: I’m here to win the IPL
Pitch report: "It's a different surface from the one used in the Eliminator. This looks an even better surface as it's harder and hence, the ball should come onto the bat much better." says Michael Slater .
Prithvi Shaw lauded team-mate Rishabh Pant, calling him the best finisher among youngsters after the wicketkeeper-batsman helped Delhi Capitals to a thrilling win in IPL Eliminator| Prithvi Shaw rates Rishabh Pant as a great finisher
STAT ALERT| In IPL 2019, 104 bowlers have been used (including part timers) - 58 pacers and 46 spinners. The former accounted for 362 wickets @ 8.83 runs per over, while the latter claimed 252 wickets @ 7.58 r/o. The pacers claimed a wicket every 21 balls, while the spinners needed 22: Stats credit: Mohandas Menon
Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni had regretted his team's loss to Mumbai Indians in the first qualifier at Chepauk but remained hopeful of making it to the finals| Finishing in the top-two gives us a second chance, says Dhoni
While Kedar Jadhav's injury looked scary initially, the medical staff is optimistic over his availability for India's World Cup opener versus South Africa on June 5| Selectors to give Kedar Jadhav time to recover for World Cup
Here is Shreedutta Chidananda with the preview:
IPL 2019 Qualifier 2: Delhi faces Chennai hurdle on road to maiden final
When the dust around Wednesday's gripping IPL Eliminator settles, it is the Rishabh Pant show that will live on in the memory. On a tacky, slow pitch, where other batsmen struggled for timing as the game wore on, Pant decided there was only one way he was going to approach the contest. It is this image that will define that see-saw encounter — of Pant walloping muscular sixes into the night sky. There were some tense moments at the close but Delhi Capitals eventually made it home — a first playoff win for the franchise after four failed attempts.
Read: Selectors to give Kedar Jadhav time to recover for World Cup
Shreyas Iyer and his overjoyed lot have little time to rest before their next challenge -- a meeting with Chennai Super Kings in Friday's second qualifier at the ACA-VDCA Stadium here. Despite all its troubles against Mumbai Indians, and all of Delhi's youthful energy, CSK cannot be seen to be the underdog here. This is a team with three IPL wins and seven final appearances to its name, up against another aiming to reach its first final. There is something to be said for experience — edging knockout games is an art CSK has mastered.
M.S. Dhoni did not mince any words after Monday's defeat. In familiar conditions, his seasoned top order let the side down. Suresh Raina and Shane Watson played ill-advised shots against the spin on a slow turner, and CSK simply could not build any momentum. "When you have experienced players in the side, that's what you bank upon them [for]," Dhoni remarked, bluntly. "You're not banking on them for extraordinary fielding."
Also read: Hitting sixes is in my muscle memory, says Rishabh Pant
CSK has persisted with Watson despite his poor form this season; it felt he had turned a corner with that 96 against SRH but he has made scores of 8, 0, 7 and 10 since. With Kedar Jadhav out injured, it would seem CSK has no alternative — outside of trying inexperienced homegrown batsmen — but to trust Watson.
At Chepauk, CSK's spinners — Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir and Ravindra Jadeja — could not quite have the same impact on the game as their Mumbai counterparts, but they will be pleased with how the pitch here behaved in the Eliminator. There was turn on offer, and a total of 162 turned out to be hugely competitive. "Obviously, Chennai have got good spinners...Jaddu bhai and Tahir bhai and Harbhajan sir are there; so we’ll plan for them,” said Prithvi Shaw. “Everyone understands how they’re bowling because they’ve faced them already, in two-three IPLs.”
Also read: Prithvi Shaw rates Rishabh Pant as a great finisher
Delhi has a potent spin attack of its own. The veteran Amit Mishra was superb against SRH (not in his running between the wickets, it must be pointed out), dismissing Martin Guptill en route to figures of one for 16 from four overs. Axar Patel has gone at a shade over seven runs an over this season, while there are options on the bench in Rahul Tewatia and Karnataka's J. Suchith.
CSK has lost five of its last seven matches, the dominance of the early weeks now feeling like events from a distant past. But among the two games it did win during this trying phase was an 80-run rout of Delhi. Form can change in a heartbeat. With a place in the final, against Mumbai Indians, at stake, neither side can afford to relax.
Squads:
Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (capt/wk), Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Murali Vijay, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Shorey, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Rituraj Gaikwad, Dwayne Bravo, Karn Sharma, Imran Tahir, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Sharma, K M Asif, Deepak Chahar, N Jagadeesan, Scott Kuggeleijn.
Delhi Capitals: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant (wk), Colin Ingram, Keemo Paul, Axar Patel, Rahul Tewatia, Amit Mishra, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma, Hanuma Vihari, Ankush Bains, J Suchith, Manjot Kalra, Chris Morris, Sherfane Rutherford, Jalaj Saxena, Sandeep Lamichhane, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Nathu Singh, Bandaru Ayyappa, Colin Munro.
The match will be telecast live on Hotstar.
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