CSK vs KXIP as it happened: Raina, Bravo lead CSK to 15-run win

Check out the detailed scorecard HERE . 1931 IST KXIP 171-6 after 20 overs. Stunning last over by Bravo. He was under some pressure but it didn’t show. 1922 IST KXIP 171-6 after 19.5 overs. Bravo likes these pressure situations. Third wicket in the over and it’s that yorker again. R Sathish trapped LBW. 1919 IST KXIP 166-5 after 19.2 overs. Slower ball, batsman into the shot already, easily caught by Hussey. Batsmen changed ends though, Miller on strike now. 1919 IST KXIP 166-4 after 19.1 overs. Bravo’s the man for the last over. He knocked Marsh’s leg stump out of the ground. Slight inside edge. But nice ball – the stump was snapped in half. Marsh made 73 off 51 balls. 1917 IST KXIP 168-3 after 19 overs. Two fours in the over but then Morris came back well. KXIP still have a chance though. 1909 IST KXIP 157-3 after 18 overs. Three singles off the first three balls. Great fielding by Raina kept the fourth ball from going for four, restricted it to two runs. Another single of the fifth ball. But it finished with a six. Super shot. They need 30 to win off 12 balls. Anything is possible. 1905 IST KXIP 145-3 after 17 overs. 12 runs off the over. 18 balls to go, 42 runs needed to win. Miller and Marsh are starting to hit the big shots now. This may go down to the wire. 1901 IST KXIP 133-3 after 16 overs. The 50-partnership between Marsh and Miller came in just 5 overs, RR: 10.60. Marsh 31, Miller 22. 11 runs off the over. 54 off 24 balls needed to win. 1857 IST KXIP 121-3 after 15 overs. 30 balls, 65 runs. That’s the equation for KXIP. Marsh and Miller need to hit some sixes now. Ashwin has finished his quota of four over 4-0-33-1 1853 IST KXIP 112-3 after 14 overs. 75 runs off 36 balls are needed. Not easy but not impossible either. KXIP are still in this match. One 20-run over and CSK will feel the heat. 1849 IST KXIP 103-3 after 13 overs. Miller and Marsh have to get going now. 42 balls, 83 runs. That is the equation. KXIP are 4 runs ahead of CSK at the same stage. 1844 IST KXIP 92-3 after 12 overs. Back to back sixes off the fourth and fifth balls off the over show that perhaps bringing Raina into the attack was not the best idea. Another four off the last ball saw the batting saviour conceded 19 runs in the over. Big over. Marsh was the one doing all the major damage. 1842 IST KXIP 73-3 after 10.3 overs. A six off the first ball that nearly saw him getting caught by Jadeja and a two of the second ball. But the third ball spelled disaster. Hussey found Bravo in the deep and had to walk back even as the West Indies treated the crowd to his version of the moon walk. 1836 IST KXIP 65-2 after 10 overs. CSK scored 131 in their last 11 overs. And that’s a mighty ask for any team. We are halfway though the innings. Raina showed that if a batsman can get set, then things just get a little easier. KXIP will want Hussey and Marsh to settle in well. 1831 IST KXIP 57-2 after 9 overs. CSK and KXIP are neck and neck at this stage. CSK were 55 after 9 overs. But then they had Raina, who do KXIP have? It’s not going to be an easy chase… it could be exciting though. 1828 IST KXIP 53-2 after 8 overs. For once, David Hussey has to take his team over the line. There is no other way they are going to win. Marsh won the Orange cap in the first season but hasn’t looked the same player since. 1825 IST KXIP 43-2 after 7 overs. The problem for KXIP is that they know what they are chasing. CSK, on the other hand, we not really worried about setting a target. They just wanted to bat. But soon, the pressure will start to tell. 1820 IST KXIP 36-2 after 6 overs. Another wicket for Mohit Sharma. Normal seam-up ball hit straight to Raina. Mandeep Singh c Raina b Sharma 15 (15b, 2x4) 1818 IST KXIP 27-1 after 5 overs. Steady stuff from CSK. But now, KXIP will have the do the same as CSK did. Build it up and then attack. 1810 IST KXIP 23-1 after 4 overs. A life for Mandeep Singh and he was dropped by Bravo no less. Marsh has stepped in and is looking good too. 1801 IST KXIP 13-1 after 2 overs. KXIP will probably be looking the make the most of the Power Play overs but if they lose too many wickets, it won’t cut it. Pomersbach’s stumps have been sent for a walk by Mohit Sharma. He just played all around it. Shaun Marsh is in next. L Pomersbach b Sharma 7 (9b, 1x4) 1756 IST KXIP 8-0 after 1 over. One nice four from Mandeep, a few singles, trouble with Morkel’s shoe laces. 1751 IST KXIP 0-0 after 0 overs. Pomersbach and Mandeep are opening the innings for KXIP. Albie Morkel bowling the first over. 1735 IST CSK 186-4 after 20 overs. Stunning ton for Raina. Just 53 balls, 6 sixes and 7 fours. 70 runs off the last 5 overs. The target is an imposing 187 runs – it won’t be easy for KXIP. The visitors began the innings well and kept CSK to just 36 after 6 overs. They even had things in control around the 15 over mark – CSK had just 116 on board. But then Raina cut loose and how. Hussey: “What a fantastic innings by Raina. It’s given us a lot of hope. It’s heartening to see other players step up, you can’t rely on one player all the time.” 1729 IST CSK 174-4 after 19 overs. Raina 89, Jadeja 4. There is just no let up but that’s T20. Awana bowled a decent over but still ended up conceding two boundaries. 1726 IST CSK 166-4 after 18.3 overs. Morkel’s gotta go. He went for the wild slog, looking to fetch it from outside the off-stump, cramped for room, got a top-edge, holes out to the fielder at long-on. A Morkel c Miller b Awana 23 (16b, 2x4, 1x6) 1722 IST CSK 161-3 after 18 overs. Stunning acceleration by CSK in the last few overs. A six to start the last over but Praveen Kumar came back well to restrict CSK to a 11-run over. It could have been much worse. Raina has 84 off 44 balls. Morkel has 19 off 14. 1718 IST CSK 150-3 after 17 overs. 18 runs off the last over, Raina is going nuts. He has 75 off 40 balls. Morkel, who was dropped earlier, has 18 off 13. Two fours and a six in the last over. The first fifty of the innings came off 50 balls, the second off 29, and the third of just 23. The right kind of progression for CSK. 1713 IST CSK 132-3 after 16 overs. Two sixes in the over and CSK have 16 off that over. Classic hitting by Raina – clean as a whistle… or is that #whistlepodu 1705 IST CSK 116-3 after 15 overs. 50 (32 balls) for Raina but the big let-off came for Morkel. He hit it high up but Mandeep Singh lost it in the sun. Not good. 1659 IST CSK 107-3 after 14 overs. Awana bowls a decent over. Dhoni’s wicket will have taken the pressure off KXIP for a bit but CSK have a lot of batsmen – can’t take their eyes off the ball. 1655 IST CSK 99-3 after 13 overs. Albie Morkel is in next and he can hit the big shots too. Raina is the key though, he needs to stay till the end. 1652 IST CSK 92-3 after 12.1 overs. RUN OUT! Dhoni has been run out by R Sathish. Super throw. CSK 92-3. Dhoni set off for a two straight away but Sathish chased the ball down, slid into it and then released it in one quick action. MS Dhoni run out 2 (2b) 1646 IST CSK 82-2 after 11.1 overs. Hussey was down the wicket and Chawla saw him. Pushed it wide and got the left-hander stumped. M Hussey st Gurkeerat Singh b Chawla 35 (29b, 3x4) 1644 IST CSK 82-1 after 11 overs. Here comes the charge. Hussey (35) and Raina (27) are slowly upping the pace now. KXIP need to be careful. 1637 IST CSK 69-1 after 10 overs. KXIP bowlers are bowling to their field. A lot of the shots played by Raina and Hussey have found the fielders. But then one bad ball is all it takes for CSK to change gears. The last ball was one such ball – it was pitched up and allowed Raina to get under it. SIX. 1633 IST CSK 55-1 after 9 overs. Good batting by CSK. They have set their sights lower. They have already decided that aiming too high is not the way to go on this pitch. Hussey has 21 (21) and Raina 14 (15). Slower balls and spinners are the need of the hour. 1626 IST CSK 44-1 after 7 overs. One superbly lofted four for Raina and four singles, CSK are making the most of their chances and that’s how it should be. Hussey 14, Raina 11. 1621 IST CSK 36-1 after 6 overs. That is the end of the Power Play overs. It’s a slow track and it’s not been easy to hit the big shots. Might make more sense to keep wickets in hand and then launch an all out assault on the KXIP bowling. 1618 IST CSK 32-1 after 5 overs. Another over from Hussey and it was a pretty decent one. A full toss that Raina hit for four, spoiled it a bit. 1613 IST CSK 27-1 after 3.5 overs. OUT! Awana sends Saha back. He tried to flick it but found the fielder at deep square-leg. Raina is in next. W Saha c Marsh b Awana 18 (18b, 1x4, 1x6) 1608 IST After 3 overs, CSK 22-0. Another decent over from Praveen Kumar but he needs support from the other end. Awana comes in to bowl. 1606 IST After 2 overs, CSK 10-0. Saha started the second over with a six and Chennai were up and away. Another four in the over and Kings XI were already under the gun. Why did David Hussey decide to bowl anyway? 1600 IST After 1 over, CSK 3-0. A steady over from Praveen. A couple of the first ball and a single off the last. good stuff. 1555 IST Openers are out in the middle. Saha and Hussey it is. Hussey has been splendid form – he is just 34 runs behind Chris Gayle in IPL 6… that’s how good he has been. Praveen Kumar to bowl the first over. 1547 IST A win will seal Chennai Super Kings position in the play offs. Toss CSK have won the toss and will bat first. It’s an early game and it’s just to keep their players off the field. Pomersbach and R Sathish are back in the team for Kings XI Punjab for Azhar Mahmood and Manan Vohra. No changes in the CSK team. KXIP XI: M Singh, S Marsh, L Pomersbach, D Hussey, D Miller, GM Singh, R Sathish, M Gony, P Chawla, P Kumar, P Awana. CSK XI: W Saha, M Hussey, S Raina, S Badrinath, MS Dhoni, R Jadeja, DJ Bravo, A Morkel, C Morris, R Ashwin, M Sharma. Pre-game Chennai Super Kings know a thing or two about winning games away from home – they have won all their four ‘away’ matches but in previous seasons, their home ground has been a bit of a fortress too and that makes them a very dangerous opponent no matter where the game is being played. The wins have come as a result of a certain sense of calm which eludes most teams in the IPL – they have won their last five matches and even though T20 can be a very unpredictable format one can’t help but expect them to win again. With eight wins and 16 points - four ahead of second-placed Royal Challengers Bangalores, Chennai are almost a shoe-in for a spot in the playoffs. But they wouldn’t like to take their foot off the pedal because finishing first or second in the league will afford them two opportunities to get into the final. And such chances can be crucial in T20. [caption id=“attachment_746245” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Dhoni’s CSK are a powerful outfit. BCCI[/caption] Kings XI Punjab, on the other hand, are still looking for consistency. On their day, they can prove to be tough, determined opponents. But then again, they have had quite a few off days this year. In their last five matches, the KXIP have a L-L-W-W-L record and that just shows why they are languishing at sixth place in the points trouble. Mohit Sharma has been great for the Chennai Super Kings but Kings XI have discovered their own star in David Miller. Of course, CSK always have the likes of Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Michael Hussey too. KXIP have a decision to make regarding Adam Gilchrist, he chose to rest himself in the last game, but will he come back into the team this time round?