Kings hold their nerve
Punjab Kings 187 for 4 (Dhawan 88*) beat Chennai Super Kings 176 for 6 (Rayudu 77) by 11 runs
Punjab Kings completed the double over their counterparts from Chennai, closing out a tight game for a fourth win that moves them back to within touching distance of the top four. Shikhar Dhawan scored a stately, unbeaten 88 from 59 balls to anchor Kings’ rethought approach to setting a target, and although Ambati Rayudu kept CSK in the hunt until the closing overs, his 39-ball 78 was not enough to avert a sixth defeat from eight games.
On the same pitch that Lucknow Super Giants had successfully defended 168 against Mumbai Indians the previous evening, Kings’ total of 187 for 4 always looked too much of an ask. Each of the three previous results at the Wankhede had gone the way of the team batting first, and although Ravindra Jadeja and Super Kings’ preference was to chase, a lack of contributions at the top of the order again undermined their chances.
CSK had looked to be heading for a much heavier defeat, only for Rayudu’s innings, which included 13 boundaries, to repeatedly jangle the nerves of Mayank Agarwal and his men. Sandeep Sharma was collared for 23 in the 15th over, and with MS Dhoni waiting in the wings, and coming off the back of a vintage display of finishing in his previous outing, CSK could not be ruled out going into the final stretch.
But Rayudu was visibly tiring and when he was cleaned up by Kagiso Rabada in the 18th, CSK were left needing 35 off 13 – an equation which became 27 off the last over, to be bowled by Rishi Dhawan. Dhoni smashed the first one into the crowd to threaten a reprise, and a wide from the next ball left Dhawan feeling the heat. But a well-executed yorker was followed up by Dhoni holing out to deep midwicket and Punjab fans could breathe again.
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All over (surely?)
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Dhoni vs Dhawan
Eight runs from Arshdeep's final over and it's over to Rishi Dhawan... 27 still needed, but with Dhoni on strike. Yikes!
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Rabada gets Rayudu
Big wicket, Rayudu deflecting an attempted yorker into his stumps. But the crowd swells nevertheless, as MS Dhoni walks out, with 35 needed off 13. Can the old maestro do it again...?
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Rayudu's rampage!
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Was this a match-turning over? Rayudu thrashes three consecutive sixes off Sharma, then finishes by slotting four more to shave 22 off the target in the space of four balls. Sharma was struggling the land the ball where he wanted, twice bowling full tosses that were swatted to the leg-side boundary, then seeing a short one carved over third. Rayudu is flying and, with four overs to go, CSK still have a glimmer.
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Fifty for Rayudu
A disdainful smash for six over deep square leg takes Rayudu to a 28-ball half-century - his first of the season. The asking rate is still above two runs a ball, but the regular rat-a-tat salvo of boundaries from Rayudu is just about keeping CSK in the hunt.
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Gaikwad goes
A recovery stand between Gaikwad and Ambati Rayudu, worth 49 off 33 balls, is ended by Rabada. Gaikwad had just hit him over mid-off but tried to do the same again and ended up chipping a catch. CSK slip to 89 for 4 in the 13th over, needing another 99 runs to win as Ravindra Jadeja comes out at No. 6
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CSK's lack-of-powerplay
20.5 CSK's batting average in the powerplay - worse than any other team this IPL. They have lost 16 wickets, joint-most alongside KKR
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Three down!
Dube chops on against Rishi Dhawan, CSK slip to 40 for 3 in the seventh over of their chase. The masked Dhawan, who was reportedly hit the face in his follow through while playing in the Ranji Trophy, has his first IPL wicket since 2016! Kings have started well with the ball.
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Bowled 'im, CSK two down
Arshdeep Singh sends back Santner for 9 off 15, leg stump flattened as he walked across his stumps. His previous delivery had been edged wide of the keeper for four, but Arshdeep gets his man - and only his third wicket of the season - with one fired in straight.
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Sandeep strikes straight away
Second start in this year's IPL for Sandeep Sharma, and he picks up his first wicket with his fifth ball of the CSK chase. Banged into the pitch and Robin Uthappa is late on his pull, splicing the shot tamely towards midwicket. Gaikwad had slapped two boundaries in Kagiso Rabada's opening over, but he's lost his partner early. Super Kings' response is to send in Mitch Santner at No. 3.
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Slower balls, faster scoring
37 Number of slower balls delivered by the CSK attack, the most in an innings this season. However, those deliveries conceded 65 runs (econ 10.54); in contrast to the 26 bowled at the Wankhede by Mumbai yesterday, at a cost of 19 (econ 4.38)
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Kings pace it well
PBKS racked up 115 from the second half of the innings, anchored by Dhawan's 88 from 59. That has given them a score that might be considered 15-20 above par. Bhanuka Rajapaksa reckons the surface is two-paced and "holding a bit", and it certainly looks a steep chase for CSK. Kings, remember, comfortably defended a score of 180 the last time these teams met (though their methods in setting a target were very different). The challenge is for a reshaped attack to do the same again.
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Kings bossing it
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Livi lets fly from the outset, picking up boundaries from his third, fourth and fifth deliveries. The first skewed through backward square leg off the inside edge, before Pretorius was twice dumped for sixes - full and down the ground, short and over midwicket. A scooped four over short fine from Dhawan finishes the over in style for Kings. They've now gone past the 168 LSG made on this same pitch 24 hours ago, and still have an over of the innings to come.
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Rajapaksa his bags
CSK finally break the stand, Rajapaksa skying a Bravo slower ball into the cover region where Shivam Dube holds on. That brings in Livingstone, one of Kings' most-dangerous hitters, for some fun in the last 2.4 overs of the innings.
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Century stand
The calculated assault from Dhawan and Rajapaksa continues, bringing up a century stand for the second wicket off 62 balls. First time Kings have had a partnership worth three figures in this IPL. From seeming off the pace, this pair have carried PBKS into a position of some strength for the death overs.
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SD heart CSK
1000 With a driven four down the ground off a Dwayne Bravo free hit, Dhawan brings up four figures against CSK - the first batter to do so in the IPL
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Fifty for Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan likes batting against CSK - this was his ninth 50-plus score against them, brought up with a sweep for four of Dwaine Pretorius, from 37 deliveries. They have still only had three double-figure overs, but Kings are heading into the final quarter of the innings with a solid base to launch from.
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Shikhar leg
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Three boundaries, all scored by Shikhar Dhawan, in the 12th over could be the spark Punjab Kings need. Mukesh Choudhary was the bowler, twice offering width to be crashed in front of and then behind the cover sweeper; before getting too straight for a flick through the ring to deep backward square leg. A couple of wides into the bargain, and PBKS took 16 off the over.
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Kings pull their punches
Have PBKS got their calculations right here? In contrast to their full-blooded approach in previous games (which, to be fair, has only produced intermittent success), Kings have been much more circumspect in this innings. At the halfway stage, they were 72 for 1 and had hit just six boundaries (four fours and two sixes) - one of which should have resulted in the dismissal of Rajapaksa. Lucknow Super Giants defended 168 here on Sunday, of course; but as things stand, PBKS are not getting anywhere near that many.
EDIT: LSG were also 72 for 1 from 10, although they did need KL Rahul in full flow to get them 96 from the second half of the innings.
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Costly drops
13 Number of chances CSK have failed to take in this IPL season - the most of any team
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Rajapaksa's lives
They've kept lid on things pretty well, but CSK might yet rue twice dropping Bhanuka Rajapaksa before he had reached double-figures. The first was a swirling chance towards deep square leg, which Ruturaj Gaikwad got both hands to on the dive but couldn't hold; the second, with Rajapaksa on 5 from 9, was a meaty slog-sweep that sounded great off the bat but flew straight to deep midwicket, where Mitch Santner tipped it over the rope. Ravindra Jadeja, CSK's captain, was the bowler on both occasions, and will be hoping that's the end of the butter fingers for tonight.
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Theekshana strikes
CSK have bowled four overs of spin in the powerplay, and Mayank Agarwal departs in the last of them - an attempted force through the off side against Theekshana only succeeding in picking out backward point. Agarwal's mediocre season continues, and CSK will be fairly content with a score of 37 for 1 after six, even though the openers had started to find the boundary.
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Kings, meanwhile, have promoted Rajapaksa, back in the side and back at No. 3, above Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone.
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Cagey Kings
Punjab Kings came into this game as the second-fastest scoring team in the powerplay this IPL (their rate of 9.52 runs per over behind only Delhi Capitals), but having bolstered the batting they also seem to have changed tack at the top of the order. Just 22 runs, and a single boundary, from the first four overs suggests they are keen to have a look at this Wankhede pitch while keeping wickets intact.
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Shikhar landmark
6000 Shikhar Dhawan nudges a single into the covers of Maheesh Theekshana's first ball, bringing up 6000 runs in the IPL - only the second man to do so. He's scored almost 1000 of them against CSK, too, making them his favourite opposition
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PBKS change gear
Some significant changes to the Punjab Kings line-up, after they took a hammering against Delhi last time out. That team featured Kagiso Rabada batting at No. 7, which is a place too high however you slice things. With Shahrukh Khan managing just 98 runs from 98 balls across seven innings in the middle order - and displaying a clear weakness against short-pitched bowling, as our graphic illustrates - they have brought back Rajapaksa, who performed well in their two wins at the start of the tournament, and added a seam-bowling allrounder in Rishi Dhawan to give a better balance to their side.
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CSK chasing
As in the match-up between these two sides earlier in the competition, Chennai have chosen to bowl first. That's an interesting call, not least because we are starting to see surfaces slowing down, which impacts further on chasing - and the last three matches at the Wankhede have been won by the team batting first. CSK are unchanged from their last match, when MS Dhoni did MS Dhoni things to Jaydev Unadkat; Punjab make three tweaks to their XI, bringing in another overseas batter in Bhanuka Rajapaksa, alongside Sandeep Sharma and Rishi Dhawan. Shahrukh Khan, Nathan Ellis and Vaibhav Arora are the players to drop out.
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Watch live (in the US)
Those of you in the USA can watch the action live on ESPN+ in English or in Hindi. And why wouldn't you want to do that?
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Kings pair going pear?
Hello, hello. We’re just past halfway in the IPL group stage, and things are starting to take shape. Unfortunately, for both these sides, the particular shape is threatening to be that of a pear. Chennai Super Kings had their worst-ever start to an IPL, before finally pulling a couple of wins out of the bag – but they’re still only kept off the bottom by more fallen royalty in the shape of winless Mumbai Indians. Punjab Kings, meanwhile, were the gung-ho standard-bearers in the opening games of the tournament, seeing off CSK in their encounter at Brabourne at the start of the month. But they have lost three of their last four, with their big-hitting approach too often undermined by a lack of depth to the XI.
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