CSK storm into IPL 2018 final as du Plessis stunner beats SRH in qualifier

Faf du Plessis scored well composed 67 and took Chennai Super Kings beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by two wickets. CSK reach finals while SRH will now play Qualifier 2

Chasing 140 in the Qualifier 1 of the VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL 2018), Chennai Super Kings won the match by 2 wickets and sealed their berth in the finals, thanks to the wonderful batting by Faf du Plessis and a cameo by Shardul Thakur. CSK will now play in the finals on May 27. SRH will face the winner of the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals. Kaul came to bowl the 17th over and just gave 4 runs. CSK needed 43 from 18. Brathwaite came to bowl the 18th over and Faf hit him for a four and six. He completed his 50 as well. Harbhajan was run out on the bowler's end for 2 from 9 runs. Shardul Thakur was the new man in. Faf hit Brathwaite for 20 runs and took the equation to 23 from 12 balls. Kaul came to bowl the 19th over and Thakur edged one for four and then one more. 6 were needed from 6 when Bhuvneshwar came to bowl the final over. First ball six to Bhuvneshwar and CSK won by 2 wickets.

Earlier, were off to a bad start as Shane Watson was caught clueless by an outswinger by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and was out for a duck. Suresh Raina was the new man on the crease and scored one run off the very first ball. Sandeep Sharma came to bowl the second over and Raina hit him for three consecutive fours. He leaked 13 runs in the over. Kumar came to bowl the third over. He kept it tight for the du Plessis and Raina. Rashid continued and just gave two runs in the 10th over. Shakib Al Hasan came to bowl and gave just six runs from the over. Rashid came to bowl his third over and scalped Bravo, who was caught at slip by Dhawan. He went for 7. Ravindra Jadeja came to the crease. After 12 overs, CSK were at 61-5. Carlos Brathwaite was introduced in the attack. Runs did not come easily against his bowling as just three runs came from it. Rashid Khan came to the attack and scalped Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He misread the ball and his stumps were rattled. Dhoni scored 9 runs from 18 balls. Dwayne Bravo came to the crease. After 8 overs CSK were at 40 for the loss of 4 wickets. Carlos came to the attack, and du Plessis was hit for a six. CSK were at 48-4 in 9 overs.

Chennai Super Kings innings analysis after 20 overs

Shane Watson and Faf Du Plessis opened the innings for CSK while Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled the first over. Kumar was off to a good start and was swinging the ball both ways. SRH needed early wickets to give themselves a chance to win the match. Four dot balls and Kumar had set the stage for what came on the 5th delivery. Another quick out-swinger and Watson got an edge on it and the wicket-keeper did no mistakes. CSK had lost their first wicket and Suresh Raina came in on number 3. Sandeep Sharma started the second over with a loose delivery outside-off and Raina smacked him away for a four. But Raina didn't just stop at that and followed it with consecutive boundaries and put Sharma under pressure. Sharma went for 13 runs in his over, including 3 fours and a single. Kumar continued with his second over. Both the batsmen played it safe and just 6 runs came off this over. CSK were 20/1 after 3 overs.

Siddarth Kaul was introduced into the attack and took an important wicket dismissing Raina who was looking good. Raina went across, leaving his leg stump exposed and Siddarth Kaul hit the spot just right. The man in form Ambati Rayudu was the next man in but didn't spend too much time on the crease as Kaul clean bowled him. Rayudu departed for a duck paving way M S Dhoni to come into bat next. Kaul finished a successful over conceding just 4 runs and taking 2 crucial wickets. The momentum had shifted a little bit and Williamson looked to continue the attack with Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 5th over. Dhoni played 5 dot balls and Kumar gave just 1 run in his over. Kaul continued from the other end. Dhoni was looking to slow down the game after the fall of quick wickets. It took him 9 balls to go off the mark but followed it with a boundary towards deep fine leg region. The game had become even as CSK stood at 33/3 after 6 overs....Read More

IPL 2018: MI hand KKR 102-run defeat, move to 4th position on points table

Mumbai Indians beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 102 runs and moved to the fourth spot on the VIVO IPL points table. Ishan Kishan made 102 runs

In the 41st match of the VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018, Mumbai Indians pulled a stellar performance against Kolkata Knight Riders, defeating them by 102 runs at the Eden Gardens. With this victory, Mumbai also climbed to the fourth spot of the VIVO IPL points table. Put to bat first, Mumbai Indians set the target of 211 runs for Kolkata Knight Riders. As the saying goes --fortune favours the brave--when it seemed that Kolkata bowlers would finish off Mumbai's innings even before 20 overs, Ishan Kishan emerged and bravely went for big shots. He ended up hitting 62 runs off just 21 balls including six sixes. Rohit Sharma also contributed significant runs. Earlier, Mumbai openers Suryakumar Yadav and Lewis were exposed to Spin bowling. Piyush Chawla got the breakthrough in his first over and Lewis had to depart on an unusual dismissal. In the aftermath of a wicket, Yadav got on the backfoot but could not recover as Chawla trapped him.

Ishan Kishan took the initiative by putting life into Mumbai's dull inning and compelled Kolkata to recall spinners. Ishan celebrated the crucial fifty-run stand with Rohit with four consecutive sixes that led to his half-century also. The match had taken a turn and Mumbai were in the driver seat. Narine got the better of Ishan kishan after he had inflicted serious damage. Rohit too put up a decent show and contributed with a significant inning. In Mumbai's reply, Kolkata had the task of saving their prestige at home and keep their claim alive for the IPL title. Sunil Narine succumbed early to a short delivery. Kolkata's start went from bad to worst as Chris Lynn was soon run out. Robin Uthappa too fell even before the team could touch the 50-run mark and the team was on backfoot. Wickets fell at regular intervals and after captain Dinesh Karthik's wicket, Kolkata was on the verge of another defeat. The tail-enders were just delaying the inevitable. Mumbai emerged victorious by handing Kolkata Knight Riders an embarrassing defeat at their home with a stellar performance in all three departments--batting, bowling and fielding.

Kolkata Knight Riders innings analysis after end of innings

Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine opened the batting for KKR. Mitchell McClenaghan started the first over. Narine did what he is expected to do and hit a lofted off-drive for a boundary. But the show didn't last long as he hit the next ball high up in the sky gave away his wicket rather cheaply at short covers. Robin Uthappa was the next man in. Lynn got two consecutive boundaries and that ended a successful over for MI. Krunal Pandya bowled a tight second over giving away just 2 runs. MI looked in control as no easy runs were coming in for KKR. McClenaghan returned with the third over. Chris Lynn wanting to change the narrative smashed him for six and a four. KKR was 25/1 after 3 overs.

Krunal picked up the fourth over from where he had left the second one. Got hit for a six but MI made a comeback thanks to a crucial run-out of Chris Lynn. Nitish Rana joined Uthappa at the crease. Apart from a six in Bumrah's over, MI was scoring at a rate of 7.5 runs per over, much lower than the required run rate of over 11.40. Hardik Pandya came in with the last over of the powerplay and was welcomed with a boundary of the very first ball of the over. Only one more boundary came in this over. KKR stood at a modest 47/2 after 6 overs.

KKR wasn't having the best of their nights as Mayank Markande stricken in his very first over, getting rid of Uthappa. Andre Russell came next. KKR was finding it difficult to mark the rhythm to chase such a huge total, losing wickets at regular intervals. Hardik Pandya came to bowl the eighth over looking to build up the pressure on the batsmen. The strategy paid off and Pandya managed to dismiss the dangerous man Russell who went for a lofted drive but didn't get the required height, hitting straight into the hands of Markande. Karthik was the new man in. The required rate had climbed up to 13.0 runs per over when Markande bowled a comparatively expensive ninth over. KKR was struggling at 67/4 at the end of 9 overs.