Highlights, IPL 2018, KKR vs CSK at Eden Gardens, Full Cricket Score: Gill, Karthik guide Kolkata to six-wicket win

This victory will certainly boost KKR’s campaign. It has been a morale-boosting triumph against the table toppers. Excellent innings by Gill as well skipper Karthik. The unbeaten 83-run partnership of 36 balls between the duo just didn’t allow CSK to build any sort of pressure. The ‘Men in Purple’ are now number three the point’s table. They will next take on defending champions Mumbai in back-to-back games.

Dinesh Karthik, KKR captain: Credit to the franchise. They picked a lof U-19 players. We were a little harsh on Gill earlier, but he’s hit first-ball boundaries in the past too, so he’s been good. Don’t want to hype him up so he doesn’t feel the added pressure, but he’s special. Sunil’s (Narine) a thorough allrounder, and he bowls the better overs for us.

Sunil Narine is the Man of the Match for his all-round effort! 

Narine: Im enjoying that I’m helping my team. Nice to come out with a win. Think it’s been getting freedom to play my shots that’s the key. It’s a total team effort. The seamers did their job today. For me it’s about being as humble as possible, and things will come your way. I’m enjoying my cricket now.

Dinesh Karthik, KKR captain: Credit to the franchise. They picked a lot of U-19 players. We were a little harsh on Gill earlier, but he’s hit first-ball boundaries in the past too, so he’s been good. Don’t want to hype him up so he doesn’t feel the added pressure, but he’s special. Sunil’s (Narine) a thorough allrounder, and he bowls the better overs for us.

Shubman Gill: We were just talking about rotating the strike. It was crucial for us to take the doubles. (On going after Asif) It was not really to target him. If there were balls to be hit, it had to be hit. KKR crowd is the best. Win or lose, they always support us. It is really great when you’re coached in U-19 by Rahul sir, and then by Kallis. To see their perspective and how they think.

This is as much a win for KKR’s backroom staff as their team. They had placed their bets on India’s U-19 stars, and both Mavi and Gill have had a great outing tonight. Shubhman Gill has looked particularly impressive. His shot making is top drawer, but his maturity and temperament set him apart. Dinesh Karthik continues to play those cameos whenever the team needs. KKR seems to be peaking at the right time with the youngsters coming good for them. On their day, they are the most dangerous batting line-up in IPL. Dhoni talked about his team’s death bowling at the toss but his team have been overall lacklustre in the field tonight. They have dropped catches and barring the initial salvo, their bowers have looked toothless. We may see a few more changes in the CSK squad in the coming games.

MS Dhoni: The wicket remained the same. You have to look at the strength of your lineup. You have to consistently hit the seam hard. The wicket got slightly better under the lights. The second innings ball was slightly in better shsape and was coming along slightly better. Overall disappointed with the loss. Guys need to be more aware and attentive on the field. Overall it will hurt us in a few games. We have got a few good ones who field in the deep midwicket boundary. I think the bowlers will have to maneouvre a bit as to what pace they’ll bowl. You can tell the bowlers or batters a lot, but once they are standing with the ball or bat, they’re on their own.

CSK v KKR last six encounters in IPL:

CSK won

KKR won

CSK won

KKR won

CSK won

KKR won

After 17.4 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 180/4 ( Shubman Gill 57 , Dinesh Karthik (C) (W) 45)

Bravo bowls the 18th over, and Karthik seals it for KKR with three boundaries, with two of them coming off the third and fourth deliveries of the over Knight Riders collect their fifth victory of the tournament to consolidate themselves at fifth.

KKR’s approach to a T20 chase is refreshing to watch. They are probably the only IPL team that understands the pace and dynamics of a T20 innings. They don’t play overs of consolidation and try to win the game in the last over. They keep playing their shots, even if they lose wickets.

FOUR! The KKR captain seals it in style for his side, guiding the ball towards backward point, where the ball lands just short of the diving fielder and runs away to the fence! KKR181/4

Kolkata Knight Riders win by six wickets!

FOUR! Karthik goes square in his flick off a low full toss on this occasion, beating the man at deep square-leg! KKR 177/4

FOUR! Flicked away by Karthik towards the fine-leg fence off Bravo’s bowling! KKR 169/4

Bravo returns, and will bowl the 18th over.

What an innings this has been by young Gill! Cool as a cucumber under pressure. Hardly taken any risk but has got the job done in style. In fact, in the previous games, he should have batted up the order. But, late is better than never.

Youngest players to score a fifty in IPL:

18y 169d – Prithvi Shaw

18y 169d – Sanju Samson 

18y 212d – Rishabh Pant 

18y 237d – SHUBMAN GILL*

After 17 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 165/4 ( Shubman Gill 57 , Dinesh Karthik (C) (W) 31)

Ngidi returns to the attack. Karthik pulls the ball towards the fine-leg fence for a four at the start of the over. Single collected off each of the subsequent deliveries, with a wide being conceded off the penultimate delivery. 10 off the over, with KKR just a couple of big hits away from a fine victory now. 

KKR need 13 to win off 18 balls.

FOUR! Pulled away towards the fine-leg fence by Karthik off the first delivery of Ngidi’s third over! KKR 159/4

Ngidi brought back from the other end, replacing Asif. Nothing seems to be working for Dhoni right now.

After 16 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 155/4 ( Shubman Gill 55 , Dinesh Karthik (C) (W) 24)

Jadeja returns from the other end. Gill collects a double off the first delivery to bring up his maiden IPL fifty, before smacking the ball through extra cover and mid off next ball to collect his sixth four. Karthik brings up the 150 with a double off the fourth delivery, before reverse-sweeping the ball towards the third man fence for a four. 14 off the over, and KKR are coasting away towards a victory now. Timeout signalled at the end of the over. 

KKR need 23 to win off 24 balls.

FOUR! Reverse-swept away by Karthik, placing it just out of Ngidi’s reach at short third man! KKR 154/4

FOUR! Driven away by Gill through the gap between mid off and extra-cover right after bringing up his maiden IPL fifty! KKR 147/4

Fine half-century for Shubman Gill, who gets to the milestone with a couple of runs at the start of the 16th over. Brings up the milestone off just 32 balls, this being his first half-century in IPL! KKR 143/4

Jadeja brought back from the other end.

After 15 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 141/4 ( Shubman Gill 48 , Dinesh Karthik (C) (W) 17)

Asif returns from the other end, and ends up conceding 21 off what could turn out to be a game-changing over in favour of the Knight Riders. Gill smacks the ball over the midwicket and third man boundaries, with Karthik pulling the ball over the long leg fence off the last ball. KKR in the driver’s seat right now!

KKR need 37 to win off 30 balls.

Still KKR’s game this is. Asking rate is manageable. However, in the first innings, we have seen hitting the spinners in the death overs has been a difficult task and CSK spin-trio still have five overs left.

Dinesh Karthik’s last five innings against CSK in IPL:

26, 28, 23, 10, 51 

Can he get a big score and stay till the end for KKR today?

SIX! Third big hit of the over, and this time it comes off Karthik’s bat off the last delivery of the over. The KKR skipper pulls a short ball over the long leg fence to collect his first big hit. KKR 141/4

SIX! Gill cuts the ball, sending it towards third man. Rayudu leaps up and gets a bit of his hand to the ball, only to help parry it over the boundary rope for a six. KKR 134/4

SIX! Gill pulls the back-of-length delivery over the midwicket fence for his first six of the innings! KKR 126/4

KM Asif brought back for the 15th over.

After 14 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 120/4 ( Shubman Gill 33 , Dinesh Karthik (C) (W) 11)

Karn Sharma’s introduced into the attack in the 14th over, with Gill collecting a double off the first delivery. Fires one wide outside leg, with Karthik accepting the invitation and smacking the ball towards the long leg boundary. 11 off the over. 

KKR need 58 to win off 36 balls.

FOUR! Fired wide outside leg, and Karthik brings his bat down in time to sweep it towards the long-leg fence for a boundary! KKR 118/4

Karn Sharma introduced in place of Harbhajan Singh.

Dinesh Karthik’s last five innings against CSK in IPL:

26, 28, 23, 10, 51 

Can he get a big score and stay till the end for KKR today?

After 13 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 109/4 ( Shubman Gill 29 , Dinesh Karthik (C) (W) 4)

Bravo’s introduced into the attack for the first time. Dots off the first two deliveries, before Gill times his inside-out shot to perfection to send the ball over mid off for a four. Wide off the penultimate delivery. A leg-bye and a single to end the over, with eight coming off it. 

KKR need 69 to win off 42 balls.

Harbhajan Singh has been a revelation in the last few games. He has succeeded in his general ploy of bowling a line and length aimed at keeping the ball away from batsmen and on occasions varying his trajectory to fox the batsmen. Against Rinku Singh it was the same variation that did the trick. It’s hard to pick Harbhajan’s variations with his action. This is as good as one has seen him bowl in the past four or five years. Perhaps working with Dhoni, who is a great captain with spinners has helped him get back some lost confidence in his bowling.

FOUR! Fine shot off Gill’s bat, going for an inside-out slog, picking a full delivery outside off to perfection! KKR 105/4

Dwayne Bravo introduced into the attack for the first time in the innings.

After 12 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 101/4 ( Shubman Gill 23 , Dinesh Karthik (C) (W) 4)

Harbhajan into his third over, and he breaks the partnership with a quicker delivery off the fourth delivery, one that drifts slightly into the batsman, slides through and rattles the leg stump. Skipper Karthik walks out to bat, and collects a boundary off the last delivery of the over. Five runs and a wicket off the over.

KKR need 77 to win off 48 balls.

FOUR! DK’s gets going in no time! Cuts the ball through the off side, placing it wide of the backward point fielder, with the ball running away unhindered thereafter. KKR 101/4

BOWLED EM! Quicker delivery from Bhajji that slides through. Rinku attempts a heave towards the leg side, missing the ball completely, and gets his leg-stump rattled. KKR 97/4

Rinku b Harbhajan 16(18)

Two youngsters are batting brilliantly here. Both Gill and Rinku are timing as well as placing the ball superbly. Especially, Rinku’s hand-eye combination has been really impressive.

After 11 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 96/3 ( Shubman Gill 22 , Rinku Singh 16)

Jadeja continues from the other end, bowling a much better over as he restricts the two batsmen to ones and twos. Six off the over, with the partnership between the two now worth 32.

KKR need 82 to win off 54 balls.

After 10 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 90/3 ( Shubman Gill 18 , Rinku Singh 15)

Harbhajan bowls his second over, with Rinku opening the face of his bat and guiding the ball wide of the slip fielder for a four. Another boundary four deliveries later, with Gill sweeping the ball towards the midwicket fence for a four. Single to Gill off the last ball. KKR progressing at nine-an-over at the halfway mark. 

KKR need 88 to win off 60 balls.

FOUR! Swept away towards the midwicket fence by Gill off Harbhajan! KKR 89/3

FOUR! Rinku plays this late, guiding it wide of the slip fielder and away to the fence for a four! KKR 84/3

After 9 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 80/3 ( Shubman Gill 13 , Rinku Singh 10)

Jadeja continues from the other end. Singles collected off the first two deliveries. Dhoni appeals for a stumping against Rinku after deflecting the ball back onto the stumps, though the batsman’s backfoot was firmly grounded. Jadeja fires the ball off the fourth delivery outside leg, with the ball undergoing sharp turn and running away for five wides. Eight off the over, with the players taking a break in the strategic timeout after this over.

KKR have been threatening to get away but wickets at regular intervals have pegged them back. Don’t expect them to slow down though. KKR like to keep the momentum going while batting even if they lose wickets. Shubhman Gill has played some exquisite strokes already. After the Shaw show yesterday, could this be Gill’s night?

After 8 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 72/3 ( Shubman Gill 12 , Rinku Singh 8)

Harbhajan gets introduced from the other end, with new batsman Rinku smacking him for a four through the covers off the second ball of the over to collect his first boundary. Rinku gets a thick inside-edge off the fourth delivery, with Dhoni failing to grab the tough chance. Single to Rinku off the last ball, with five coming off the over.

FOUR! New batsman Rinku Singh collects his first boundary in style, driving the ball through the covers for a four! KKR 71/3

Harbhajan Singh introduced into the attack in the eighth over.

After 7 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 67/3 ( Shubman Gill 12 , Rinku Singh 3)

Jadeja’s introduced into the attack in the first over after powerplay, with Narine hitting him for a six off the second ball of the over. The Saurashtra left-arm spinner though, levels things two balls later as Narine holes out to long on to depart for 32. 11 runs and a wicket off the over.

OUT! Jadeja finally has his revenge, and he makes up for the dropped chances earlier in the innings by dismissing the man he had given a reprieve twice. Narine tries pulling this one down the ground, doesn’t quite connect, and ends up hitting it into the hands of the waiting fielder at long on. KKR 64/3

Narine c Bravo b Jadeja 32(20)

SIX! Narine makes life all the more miserable for Jadeja, who had dropped him at mid on twice off successive deliveries earlier in the innings! Smacks the ball over long on for his second six. KKR 62/3

Ravindra Jadeja brought into the attack for the first time.

After 6 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 56/2 ( Sunil Narine 24 , Shubman Gill 12)

Watson bowls the final over of powerplay, and new batsman Shubman Gill gets into the act in this over, collecting three boundaries off the Aussie all-rounder to get into the groove in no time. Fine powerplay for KKR, with 56 coming off it (just one short of what CSK had achieved, although for the loss of one more wicket).

Thankfully, Gill gets a chance higher up the order. Let’s hope tonight the youngster will showcase his potential. A responsible knock is the need of the hour for KKR.

FOUR! Boundary number three for young Gill, carving this one through the off-side, beating point, with the ball racing away to the unmanned fence. KKR 56/2

FOUR! Gill runs the ball down to third man just two deliveries after his first boundary, bringing up the team fifty in the process! Opened the face of his bat on the occasion. KKR 52/2

FOUR! Gill, the new batsman at the crease, readies himself for a whip, and adjusts himself to the low bounce quite well, dispatching the ball towards the square-leg fence for a four. KKR 48/2

After 5 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 44/2 ( Sunil Narine 24 , Shubman Gill 0)

Change of ends for Asif, and he starts this over off with a wide. The Kerala pacer finally gets the elusive wicket off the second delivery of the over, with Uthappa sending the ball high in the air near wide mid on, where Bravo gets underneath the ball and collects the catch. Narine, though gets a boundary off the next ball, running the ball towards third man where Harbhajan fails to prevent the ball from touching the boundary rope despite putting in a dive. Five runs and a wicket off the over.

This has been a bit of a hit or miss start for KKR. Lynn got out in the first over after hitting two sixes and trying to manufacture a third one. Narine has done everything he can to get out, but thanks to Jadeja, he is still there. And now Uthappa has played a horrible shot and to let his team down.

FOUR! Narine runs the ball to third man, where Harbhajan puts in a slide, but is unable to gain control over the ball, which rolls away from him and touches the boundary cushion. KKR 44/2

OUT! Asif finally gets the elusive wicket, and gets rid of the dangerous Uthappa! The Karnataka batsman tries pulling the short delivery from Asif, and gets a thick top-edge that skies the ball. Bravo comes underneath it, and is not one to let go of such opportunities. KKR 40/2

Uthappa c Bravo b Asif 6(8)

After 4 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 39/1 ( Sunil Narine 20 , Robin Uthappa 6)

Watson’s brought into the attack in the fourth over, and he starts off with a wide. He keeps it tight for the first five deliveries of the over, giving away just two singles, before Narine ruins what would’ve been a superb over with a boundary off an outside edge. Seven off the over.

FOUR! Second such shot off Narine’s bat — making room for an inside-out slog, and getting a thick outside edge that sends the ball flying towards the vacant third man region. KKR 39/1

Shane Watson replaces KM Asif from the High Court End.

After 3 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 33/1 ( Sunil Narine 15 , Robin Uthappa 5)

Ngidi bowls from the other end. Narine makes the most of the two dropped chances in the previous over, smacking boundaries off successive balls. Uthappa, who gets off the mark with a single off the first delivery of the over, flicks the ball through square on the leg side to end the over with a four. 14 off the over.

FOUR! Stylish flick from Uthappa to end the third over, guiding it through square-leg. Two fielders converge from different directions, and fail to cut the ball off. KKR 32/1

FOUR! Make it back-to-back boundaries for Narine, this one a much better shot as he makes room and executes a short-arm pull to perfection. KKR 27/1

FOUR! Make it back-to-back boundaries for Narine, this one a much better shot as he makes room and executes a short-arm pull to perfection. KKR 27/1

FOUR! Narine makes room, and gets a thick outside edge that sends the ball sailing towards the vacant third man fence! KKR 23/1

After 2 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 18/1 ( Sunil Narine 6 , Robin Uthappa 0)

Asif bowls from the other end, and troubles Narine with the short ball initially. Narine, though, adjusts to the short ball beautifully to collect a six off the fourth delivery, smacking it down the ground. Jadeja, fielding at mid off, drops Narine off the last two balls of the over — lunging forward on the first occasion, while leaping up in the air on the second. Asif’s gutted to have missed out on a wicket off both deliveries. Six runs off the over.

SIX! Narine shuffles to his left to make room for a short-arm jab, and connects well to send the ball sailing over the long on fence! KKR 18/1

Robin Uthappa is one of the three players to score 500-plus runs against CSK in IPL. He has amassed 521 runs at an average of 37.21 from 17 innings against them.

KM Asif to bowl from the other end.

After 1 overs,Kolkata Knight Riders 12/1 ( Sunil Narine 0 , Robin Uthappa 0)

Mixed start for CSK, with Ngidi bowling the first over. Dots off the first two balls, before Lynn decides to get off the mark in style with back-to-back sixes, only to get dismissed off the last ball, getting a faint inside-edge that deflects off his thigh, and lands on Watson’s palms at slip. The umpire doesn’t think it’s out initially, and it’s only after Dhoni decides to review it that Lynn’s sent back to the dressing room. 12 runs and a wicket off the over.

OUT! Lynn’s on his way back already after hitting a couple of sixes, as Ngidi strikes off the last ball of the over. Lynn gets a faint inside-edge, with the ball deflecting off his thigh and to Watson at slip! The umpire doesn’t notice the edge initially, and it’s only after Dhoni goes upstairs that it is detected on Ultra-Edge. KKR 12/1

Lynn c Watson b Ngidi 12(6)

SIX! This one’s pitched fuller by Ngidi, and Lynn still ends up smacking it over the bowler’s head to collect back-to-back sixes! KKR 12/0

KKR’s win/loss record while chasing at Kolkata in IPL is 22-5.

SIX! Pulled away behind square, and Lynn takes just three deliveries to get going! KKR 6/0

Right then. Lynn and Narine walk out to bat, with Ngidi bowling the first over of the second innings!

Karthik has pulled off a masterstroke at the death by keeping his spinners on from both ends. Dhoni has an overall strike rate of about 50 against Narine in the IPL and Narine was again effective against the CSK captain on the night as he concedes just 5 in the 19th over after Kuldeep was unlucky to not get Dhoni’s wicket in the 18th over. Chawla gave away 3 fours in his final over but KKR will be happy that they didn’t allow CSK those really big overs at the end.

KKR have managed to stop CSK before 180. This is some achievement. Mavi and Narine deserve a lot of credit for this.From here on, if the hosts bat according to their potential, they should chase down 178. With no Rana in the batting line-up, tonight someone like Uthappa needs to a play a more responsible role. Hope here Gill will be sent up the order to showcase his potential.

CSK – thanks largely to MS Dhoni – accelerated decently in the death overs. 

Piyush Chawla becomes the first player in IPL history to take 50 wickets for two different teams. (KXIP & KKR)

After 20 overs,Chennai Super Kings 177/5 ( MS Dhoni (C) (W) 43 , Karn Sharma 0)

Chawla bowls the final over. Dhoni starts off with a single. Jadeja comes back for a double off the subsequent delivery. Jadeja dances down the track, and smacks the ball just wide of Chawla’s head off the third delivery. Four byes off ball no 4, with the ball missing both Jadeja’s inside-edge as well as DK’s gloves and pads. Jadeja skies the ball off the penultimate delivery, getting caught by wicketkeeper-skipper Karthik. Dhoni, facing the last delivery, smacks the ball towards the midwicket fence for a four. 

Kolkata Knight Riders need 178 to win off 20 overs.

FOUR! Pulled away towards the midwicket fence by Dhoni off Chawla off the last ball of the innings! Chennai Super Kings finish on 177/5 off 20 overs!

OUT! Jadeja gets a thick outside edge that skies the ball towards the keeper! KKR keeper DK calls out for the catch, and collects it safely between his gloves. CSK 173/5

Jadeja c Karthik b Chawla 12(12)

FOUR! Jadeja dances down the pitch, and smacks the ball just wide of Chawla’s head! And this brings up the fifty-stand off just 31 balls! CSK 169/4

Chawla given the responsibility of the final over.

MS Dhoni becomes the first skipper to hit 23 or more sixes in three different seasons of IPL. (2011, 2013 and 2018)

Kohli (2015 and 2016) and Warner (2016 and 2017) have done it in two different seasons for their teams.

After 19 overs,Chennai Super Kings 163/4 ( MS Dhoni (C) (W) 38 , Ravindra Jadeja 7)

Narine bowls the penultimate over. Dhoni collects a single off the first ball of the over. Dots off the next two deliveries, with Jadeja collecting a single off the fourth ball as the southpaw guides the ball towards wide long on. Single off the penultimate ball. Single to Dhoni off the last ball. Excellent over from Narine, with just five coming off it.

MS Dhoni becomes the second batsman to hit 150-plus sixes for CSK in IPL after Suresh Raina.

Most sixes in IPL – 11:

24 – MS DHONI*

23 – Chris Gayle

23 – AB de Villiers 

23 – Andre Russell

Time to take cover in the stands. Dhoni is all set to fire his low flying missiles. A few quick wickets in the middle forced him to be watchful but he isn’t holding back now as he hits Johnson twice over the ropes. CSK need more of this in the final 2 overs.

A very good phase of play for the hosts. CSK have scored only 41 runs in the last six overs. Now, KKR need to finish strongly. Mavi, Narine and Russell should ideally bowl the final few overs.

After 18 overs,Chennai Super Kings 158/4 ( MS Dhoni (C) (W) 36 , Ravindra Jadeja 4)

Kuldeep into his final over. Singles collected off each of the first three overs, with the chinaman bowler conceding a wide off the fourth delivery. Kuldeep sets Dhoni up with a googly, and nearly gets him dismissed as Dhoni pulls straight to Shubman Gill at deep square-leg, only for the fielder to spill the chance, and allow the ball to parry over the boundary rope for a six. 12 off the over, and Kuldeep finishes with figures of 1/34.

SIX! Dhoni rocks back, and smacks the ball towards the square-leg fence! He doesn’t quite get the middle of the bat on this occasion, failing to pick the wrong ‘un, but Shubman Gill ends up spilling the chance at deep square-leg, with the ball bursting through his palms and landing beyond the boundary cushion! CSK 157/4

After 17 overs,Chennai Super Kings 146/4 ( MS Dhoni (C) (W) 27 , Ravindra Jadeja 2)

Johnson returns to the attack in the 17th over. Dhoni continues to attack the bowlers, going for a wild swing of the bat that sends the ball sailing over the long leg fence. Dhoni collects his second big hit of the over off the penultimate delivery, smacking the ball over long on. Johnson finshes on an expensive note, signing off with figures of 0/51.

SIX! Second six of the over from MS’ bat! This one’s smacked down the ground, with long on simply watching it land beyond the fence. CSK 145/4

SIX! Swivelled away by MSD off Johnson’s ball, with the ball sailing away towards the long-leg fence for a flat six! CSK 137/4

Mitchell Johnson returns to the attack in the 17th over of the innings.

Mitchell Johnson returns to the attack in the 17th over of the innings.

After 16 overs,Chennai Super Kings 131/4 ( MS Dhoni (C) (W) 12 , Ravindra Jadeja 2)

Mavi returns to the attack, getting smacked by Dhoni over the midwicket fence for a six off the penultimate delivery. 10 off the over. MSD certainly will look to hit the gas pedal with only four overs left in the innings.

SIX! First big hit off MSD’s bat! Slightly short from Mavi and outside off, Dhoni stretches his arms and pulls it towards the midwicket fence, clearing it comfortably! CSK 130/4

CSK scored only 31 runs from 11th to 15th over and lost three crucial wickets.

Ravindra Jadeja in IPL-11 with the bat.

0*, 0*, 3, 2*, 19, 11*, 12

Promoted ahead of Bravo, Jadeja must look to make an impact today.

Sunil Narine has taken IPL 32 wickets in-form of bowled – the second most times for any spinner.

Mavi brought back in the 16th over.

KKR are chipping away at the wickets at the right time.

After 15 overs,Chennai Super Kings 121/4 ( MS Dhoni (C) (W) 4 , Ravindra Jadeja 1)

Narine into his third over. Gets rid of Rayudu off the fourth delivery with an stock delivery that beats the batsman’s defence completely, with Rayudu looking to guide it towards third man by opening the face of his bat. Superb over by the Trinidadian, with just four runs coming off it in exchange for Rayudu;s wicket. Meanwhile, Chennai have decided to send Jadeja ahead of Bravo.

MS Dhoni – Ambati Rayudu stands in IPL 11:

57 v KXIP

101 v RCB

79 v DD

Intriguingly, all have ended in Rayudu getting run out.

BOWLED EM! KKR had put the brakes on CSK’s scoring rate over the last couple of overs, and with Narine beating Rayudu’s defence completely to castle him, the home side should be under more pressure. KKR 119/4

Rayudu b Narine 21(17)

Narine back into the attack. So we have spin from both ends, at least for now.

After 14 overs,Chennai Super Kings 117/3 ( Ambati Rayudu 20 , MS Dhoni (C) (W) 2)

Chawla returns to the attack. Rayudu collects a double off the first delivery, flicking the ball towards the square-leg region, before sweeping the ball towards the fine-leg boundary for a four off the next ball. The Andhra batsman collects a single off the penultimate ball. Seven off the over.

FOUR! Pitched outside leg by Chawla, Rayudu gets down on one knee and sweeps this one towards the fine-leg fence. CSK 116/3

Chawla brought back into the attack in place of Kuldeep.

MS Dhoni – Ambati Rayudu stands in IPL 11:

57 v KXIP

101 v RCB

79 v DD

Intriguingly, all have ended in Rayudu getting run out.

Ok, the Raina threat has been removed and here comes Dhoni 2.0, much to the delight of a sell out Eden Gardens. Throughout this IPL, the CSK skipper has expressed himself and KKR do not want this to happen tonight. Think, Karthik should attack Dhoni with spin (read Narine) early, like Gambhir used to do.

After 13 overs,Chennai Super Kings 110/3 ( Ambati Rayudu 13 , MS Dhoni (C) (W) 2)

Johnson returns to the attack. Rayudu guides the ball wide of the keeper off the second delivery of the over, opening the face of his bat on the occasion. Seven collected off the over, and the umpire signals for the second timeout of the innings.

MS Dhoni v Kuldeep Yadav in IPL:

Runs – 25

Balls – 19

Dismissals – 2

S/R – 131.58

And another one bites the dust. This is a good period of play for KKR. They have managed to keep the batsmen quiet and picked two valuable wickets back to back. Raina this time tries to hit the Kuldeep out of the park but doesn’t get enough behind it. Raina’s range hitting hasn’t been up to his usual IPL standards this season.

FOUR! Rayudu opens the face of his bat, and deftly guides the ball wide of the keeper for a four! CSK 107/3

Mitchell Johnson brought back for his third over.

After 12 overs,Chennai Super Kings 103/3 ( Ambati Rayudu 7 , MS Dhoni (C) (W) 1)

Kuldeep into his third over. Single each to Raina and Rayudu off the first two deliveries of the over. Raina comes back for a second off the third delivery after guiding the ball down the ground. The southpaw, though, perishes off the fourth delivery, holing out to Johnson at long on after hitting off the bottom of his bat. Dhoni walks out to bat next, and gets off the mark with a single off the first delivery that he faces. Great over from Kuldeep, with six runs and a wicket coming off it.

OUT! Raina tries slogging the ball down the ground, but ends up toe-ending it down the ground, offering Johnson a simple catch at long on. Raina departs after getting off to a good start. CSK 101/3

Raina c Johson b Kuldeep 31(26)

Mavi has bowled brilliantly tonight, hasn’t he? The youngster has touched the 140kph mark on a frequent basis and hit the pitch hard. Most importantly, he has learnt from each outing and come out as a better bowler. For me, this boy has the capability to be an all-format bowler for India. 

Meanwhile, Watson’s wicket will provide Karthik a breathing space, but Raina is looking dangerous. Remember, he has an excellent track-record against KKR, especially against Narine.

After 11 overs,Chennai Super Kings 97/2 ( Suresh Raina 28 , Ambati Rayudu 5)

Narine returns to the attack, and gets rid of the in-form Watson, slightly shortening his length on the occasion. Watson heaves towards deep midwicket, but doesn’t quite get the distance, and holes out to Mavi standing just short of the crease. Rayudu walks out to bat next, and gets off the mark with a sigle off the first ball, before sweeping the ball towards the square-leg fence for a four off the penultimate delivery. Seven off the over.

Watson perishes trying to clear the boundary against Narine. It was in his hitting arc. Watson is severe on anything short from the spinner, but on this occasion, he picked the boundary rider to perfection there. CSK won’t be too worried yet as the wicket brings the in-form Rayudu to the crease.

FOUR! Swept away powerfully by Rayudu towards the square-leg fence! CSK 97/2

Ambati Rayudu has not been dismissed for a single digit score yet in this IPL. 

His last four IPL innings: 79, 82, 46, 41

CSK are content to be a bit conservative after the flying start. They are setting things up for another big flourish at the end with wickets in hand.

OUT! KKR get the big wicket, as Watson holes out to Mavi at deep midwicket. The ex-Australian all-rounder went for a leg-side heave, but coudn’t quite get the middle of his bat on this occasion. CSK 91/2

Watson c Mavi b Narine 36(25)

Sunil Narine brought back into the attack.

After 10 overs,Chennai Super Kings 90/1 ( Shane Watson 36 , Suresh Raina 26)

Kuldeep bowls his second over, and keeps the batsmen restricted to singles off the first deliveries, with just three coming off it. Watson, though ruins what would’ve been a fine over, smacking a full, wide delivery straight over the umpire’s head for a big six! Nine off the over.

SIX! Kuldeep fires one wide, with Watson stretching his arms and smacking the ball straight over the bowler’s head for a massive six! CSK 90/1

CSK are content to be a bit conservative after the flying start. They are setting things up for another big flourish at the end with wickets in hand.

After 9 overs,Chennai Super Kings 81/1 ( Shane Watson 29 , Suresh Raina 24)

Mavi returns to the attack, and keeps it tight by restricting the two batsmen to singles, five of which are collected off the over.

Shivam Mavi returns to the attack for the ninth over of the innings.

After 8 overs,Chennai Super Kings 76/1 ( Shane Watson 27 , Suresh Raina 21)

Kuldeep, the last of the spin trinity to get introduced into the attack, bowls the seventh over and concedes seven off it. Watson gets down on one knee off the fourth delivery, and paddles the ball towards the fine-leg fence for four. Raina keeps the strike with a single off the last ball.

This CSK batting line-up is oozing with confidence at the moment. Du Plessis was the early aggressor today, but he was bowled neck and crop by a Chawla Googly. Raina hasn’t wasted any time to get going either. CSK are setting themselves for a big total. They will need that to challenge KKR on this good pitch and lightening outfield.

FOUR! Watson gets down on one knee after moving slightly to his right, and paddles the ball towards the fine-leg fence! CSK 71/1

Kuldeep Yadav introduced for the first time into the attack. Karthik continues with the ploy of a spinner and a pacer in tandem.

After 7 overs,Chennai Super Kings 69/1 ( Shane Watson 22 , Suresh Raina 19)

Another good over for CSK, with Raina collecting another couple of boundaries, this time off Andre Russell’s bowling. 12 off the over, and it is time for a two-and-a-half-minute strategic timeout. CSK making superb progress so far.

FOUR! Stylish from Raina, going for the late cut to guide the ball towards the third man fence off Russell’s bowling! Four boundaries to the southpaw already! CSK 66/1

FOUR! Fired down leg by Russell, and Raina simply brings his bat down and gives it a push to send it wide of the keeper, and away to the boundary. CSK 61/1

Andre Russell brought into the attack in the first over after Powerplay.

After 6 overs,Chennai Super Kings 57/1 ( Shane Watson 21 , Suresh Raina 9)

Chawla returns to the attack, and delivers right away by foxing du Plessis with a googly, rattling his stumps in the end. Raina however, walks out to bat, and smacks two boundaries off his first three balls! Nine runs and a wicket off the over, bringing to an end a useful Powerplay for CSK.

FOUR! Raina goes fine off a half-tracker from Chawla, guiding it towards the fine-leg fence! CSK 56/1

FOUR! New batsman Raina gets going right away! Smashes the ball over cover to collect his first boundary! CSK 52/1

BOWLED EM! Chawla deceives du Plessis completely with a googly, the latter failing to pick it and getting his stumps rattled in the process! First wicket collected by KKR! CSK 48/1

Du Plessis b Chawla 27(15)

Suresh Raina has amassed 852 runs from 21 innings at an average of 50.11 and a strike rate of 140.82 in T20 cricket – the most by any player.

Most wickets for KKR in IPL:

103 – Sunil Narine

49 – Piyush Chawla*

48 – Umesh Yadav

Chawla brought back in place of Narine.

After 5 overs,Chennai Super Kings 48/0 ( Shane Watson 21 , Faf du Plessis 27)

Johnson’s brought back into the attack, and it turns out to be a massive over for Chennai, with two sixes and a four coming off it. Chennai are making rapid progress here.

SIX! Watson simply redirected the pace in the Johnson delivery to redirect it towards the fine-leg fence for the second six of the over! CSK 48/0

This game is being played on the same strip on which KKR played their season opener against RCB. And that was a high scoring fixture. Well, on this evenly paced track, we can expect the same tonight as well.  

Meanwhile, CSK openers have got starts. Both Watson and Faf are timing the ball nicely, which is a dangerous sign for the home side. Interestingly, Karthik has already used four bowling options in the first four overs. Getting a wicket inside the powerplay has been KKR’s major weakness this season and it seems team management is yet to find a solution for it.

SIX! That’s the first big hit of the innings! Du Plessis makes room for a pull, and smacks the short ball towards the square-leg fence. CSK 41/0

Faf du Plessis v KKR in IPL:

 
3, 13, 23, 29*, 20, 4

FOUR! Watson smashes the ball down the ground, with the ball deflecting off Johnson’s arm, over the umpire’s head and down the ground for a boundary! Johnson barely grimaces after the blow, though he is still attended to by the physio. CSK 34/0

Mitchell Johnson brought back into the attack in the fifth over.

After 4 overs,Chennai Super Kings 29/0 ( Shane Watson 10 , Faf du Plessis 19)

Narine replaces Chawla from the High Court End. Du Plessis collects a single off the first ball, with the next three deliveries going for dots. Watson is served a back-of-length delivery off the fifth ball, and swings his bat across to send it towards the square-leg fence. Five off the over.

FOUR! Heaved away towards the square-leg fence! Marginally short from Narine, and Watson waited for the ball to climb on to him before swinging his bat across. CSK 29/0

Faf du Plessis v KKR in IPL:

3, 13, 23, 29*, 20, 4

Fourth bowler introduced in as many overs, although Karthik maintains a spinner from one end. It is Sunil Narine who replaces Piyush Chawla.

Sunil Narine has dismissed Shane Watson six times out of 13 T20 innings which he played against him. 

Should KKR bring him early to dismiss in-form Watson?

Dhoni talked about his team’s death bowling at the toss. That was about the only area of improvement for his team in their last near-perfect outing. Dhoni’s honest and open assessment of his own team is one of the reasons why he presides over one the most successful T20 franchise in the world. It will be interesting to see how his team fares at the death tonight against a KKR batting line-up that is adept at chasing.

After 3 overs,Chennai Super Kings 24/0 ( Shane Watson 6 , Faf du Plessis 18)

Mavi’s brought in from the other end. Watson blocks the ball off the third delivery, and sets off for the non-striker’s end with partner Faf already halfway down the pitch, only for the two to complete the single. Du Plessis collects another boundary for himself, getting an inside-edge off the fourth delivery of the over. Watson back on strike after a quick single off the penultimate delivery. Bouncer to end the over.

FOUR! Inside-edge off du Plessis’ bat, and the ball races away to the fine-leg fence! CSK 23/0

Shivam Mavi replaces Mitchell Johnson from the Pavilion End.

After 2 overs,Chennai Super Kings 18/0 ( Shane Watson 5 , Faf du Plessis 13)
 

Spin from the other end, with Karthik tossing the ball over to Chawla. Faf’s beaten fair and square off the second delivery, with the ball dangerously close to the off-stump. The South African, though, collects two boundaries off the remainder of the over. Eight off the over.

FOUR! Inside-out loft from Faf. Although he doesn’t quite time his shot on the occasion, he does clear the infield, and that’s all that he needs to do for now. CSK 18/0

FOUR! Faf rocks back, and punches the ball through square on the off side, beating the fielder stationed at point to collect his second boundary! CSK 14/0

Piyush Chawla to bowl from the other end.

After 1 overs,Chennai Super Kings 10/0 ( Shane Watson 5 , Faf du Plessis 5)

Johnson bowls the first over of the innings, and it’s a good one for CSK, with both Watson and du Plessis collecting a boundary and a single each off the over, with 10 coming off it.

FOUR! Now a boundary for Faf! Back-of-length delivery from Johnson. Faf gets a thick outside edge while looking to punch it towards the covers, with the ball travelling wide of the slip fielder. No third man to cut it off. CSK 9/0

Shane Watson’s last six innings against KKR in IPL:

42, 34, 104*, 31, 33, 35

FOUR! First runs on the board for CSK, and this one comes off the inside-edge off Watson’s bat! The ball still has enough pace to not only beat mid off, but run all the way to the boundary rope! CSK 4/0

Shane Watson’s last six innings against KKR in IPL:

42, 34, 104*, 31, 33, 35

Alright then! Time for some cricketing action 33rd match of IPL 2018. Bhajji rings the bell installed at the Eden Gardens to signify the start of play. CSK persist with the Watson-Du Plessis opening combination, with Mitchell Johnson bowling the first over of the innings.

A match against CSK is always considered as a high profile game for the Kolkata crowd. And let me tell you, the loyalties will be the divided at the stands tonight.  

However, huge toss to win for KKR and thankfully they don’t have to defend against the power-packed CSK batting line-up. Rinku Singh comes into the playing XI in place of an injured Nitish Rana. Though I believe in this crucial game, they should have picked someone like Ishank Jaggi, who is a more experienced batsman.

Kolkata Knight Riders XI: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (c,wk), Shubhman Gill, Shivam Mavi, Piyush Chawla, Mitchell Johnson, Kuldeep Yadav.

Just one change for KKR: Nitish Rana misses out; middle-order batsman Rinku Singh comes in his place.

Chennai Super Kings XI: Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c,wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Karn Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Lungi Ngidi, KM Asif

CSK v KKR at Kolkata in IPL:

Matches – 7

CSK won – 4

KKR won – 3

“We would’ve liked to bowl first as well,” says CSK skipper MS Dhoni, who announces an unchanged XI for this game.

TOSS: Kolkata Knight Riders win the toss, and opt to field first!

CSK v KKR in IPL:

Matches – 17

CSK won – 11

KKR won – 6

Another five minutes to go for the toss…

Pitch report: “Here at the iconic Eden Gardens. Looks like a very, very good pitch to bat on. There might be some help for the spinners. For the seamers, early at 8 o’ clock you’ll get a lot of seam movement. Chennai Super Kings are in good form, and are batting really, really well. Kolkata Knight Riders batsmen are also join the party,” says Sunil Gavaskar at the pitch report.

The current edition of the Indian Premier League also happens to the first that will feature a mid-season transfer window. Rohit Sankar, in his latest piece here , lists some of the options for the franchises in this new development.

Meanwhile, an Australian cricket great has likened Prithvi Shaw, who has made a terrific impact in the chances that he has got so far in the tournament, to Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar. Click here to read the full story.

Gaurav Joshi takes a look at what Rajasthan Royals got wrong in their clash against Delhi Daredevils, in which they failed to chase down a revised target of 151 off 12 overs to slip to seventh in the points table. With a focus on their one-dimensional bowling, here is the full piece.

Delhi Daredevils’ narrow four-run victory over Rajasthan Royals in the 32nd match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 was largely due to the contributions from the bats of Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Prithvi Shaw, the three of whom helped the home side post a massive total in a rain-curtailed game. Here’s the full piece by Amit Banerjee on what Delhi Daredevils got right in their third victory in nine games.

With half the tournament already gone, it’s time for the teams to start focusing their attention towards the qualification for the playoffs, and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will certainly aim to keep their campaign on track, even if they are up against table-toppers Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who are notching up one win after another.

Welcome to Firstpost’s live coverage of the 33rd match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018, with KKR hosting CSK at the Eden Gardens.