IPL 2018: Dhoni's tactics help CSK beat KXIP by 5 wickets; RR in playoffs

CSK beat KXIP by 5 wickets to end the round robin matches of the IPL 2018. This ensures a berth for Rajasthan Royals as well. CSK face SRH in the first qualifier on Tuesday

In the 56th and the last league match of the VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018, Chennai Super Kings defeated Kings XI Punjab by 5 wickets and ended the latter's journey in this year's IPL, helping Rajasthan Royals to make it to the playoffs. Overall, after a dismal start with the batting, KXIP regained the ground through Tiwary and Miller's partnership and Nair's cameo, CSK too suffered early losses and Punjab's pace-battery wreaked havoc initially, CSK maintained a slow approach and made in road into the game. Things came under control for Chennai, the match was already gone for KXIP as they couldn't maintain the 53-run plus margin to make it to the playoffs, CSK smashed their hopes and slowly marched towards clinching the match, Raina made his half-century and took the team towards victory, in the end he gave the strike to Dhoni to finish it, the captain ended it in his trademark style-- hitting the winning run with a six-- sealing a meeting with SRH for the first playoff on Tuesday. On the VIVO IPL points table, SRH are on top followed by CSK, KKR and RR. All these teams make it to the playoffs. 

Earlier, Chennai Super Kings won the toss and decided to field against Kings XI Punjab. Gayle perished soon, Finch and Lokesh Rahul followed him. Manoj Tiwary and David Miller stabilised KXIP innings by adding a 50-run partnership. Jadeja dismissed Tiwary, Miller too fell. Wickets kept falling from the other end but Nair held one end and went on to make his fifty. After Nair's wicket, the innings ended soon. KXIP managed to score a decent total of 153 runs. CSK lost its opener Ambati Rayudu off Mohit Sharma's swinging delivery. An outswinger by Rajpoot proved lethal for du Plessis and the next ball removed Sam Billings on a golden duck. The pace battery had tightened the noose around CSK batting. Rajpoot finished his four overs, clinching 2 main wickets from it, KXIP was searching for a wicket but amidst all this, Ashwin struck on his first ball by removing Harbhajan. The batsmen were just on a run-a-ball spree and KXIP were in a hurry to clinch more wickets as they had very less time to pull a miracle. Ultimately, KXIP were handed a defeat and this ended their journey in IPL 2018.
 

IPL 2018 Match 56 CSK vs KXIP SCOREBOARD

Chennai Super Kings innings update: Over by over

CSK playing 11 for today's IPL match: Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Sam Billings, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Lungi Ngidi. Changes: Faf du Plesis in for Shane Watson

Over 1: Ankit Rajpoot to Ambati Rayudu, away swing took outside edge for one run. Play and miss outside off by Faf du Plessis. Two runs taken. Left outside off for no run. Faf du Plessis squared up by Ankit. Jaffa. CSK: 3/0

Over 2: Mohit Sharma to Ambati Rayudu, defensive shot for no run. Swinging delivery outside edge took the outside edge, Ambati Rayudu OUT. Suresh Raina played a defensive shot for no run. Wades away short ball for one run. Defensive shot by Faf du Plessis for no run. Outside chance of a catch, missed by the bowler, four runs. CSK: 8/1

Over 3: Ankit Rajpoot to Suresh Raina, big inswinger onto the pad, one run. Beaten outside off, DOT ball. Another DOT ball. Outside edge wide of 2nd slip went for four. Faf du Plessis left alone the 5th ball for no run. du Plessis hit a cover drive to end the over. CSK: 17/1

Over 4: Andrew Tye to Suresh Raina, no run. Defensive shot for no run. Rains cut the 3rd ball for four over backward point. Muscled the ball straight down the ground for four. Short ball, WIDE down the legside. Another WIDE ball. Raina left the ball for no run. Brilliant fielding by Manoj Tiwary, DOT ball. CSK: 27/1

Over 5: Ankit Rajpoot to Faf du Plessis, no run. DOT ball. Outside edge very low catch taken by Chris Gayle, Faf du Plessis OUT. Jaffa of delivery beaten outside ball hit top of off stump BOWLED, Billings OUT. DOT ball, Catch dropped Harbhajan survives. WICKET MAIDEN. CSK: 27/3

Over 6: Mohit Sharma to Suresh Raina, DOT ball. Another DOT ball. Quick single direct hit would have Harbhajan OUT. DOT ball. Bhajji throws his bat on the ball, four runs. Full toss yorker missed, one run taken to end the over. CSK: 33/3

Over 7: Ankit Rajpoot to Harbhajan Singh, ball went over leg stump, DOT ball, 2nd bouncer, NO BALL. FREE HIT.... Another swing and a miss. At last Harbhajan gets the connection and crunched the ball for six over cover boundary. DOT ball. Another DOT ball to end the over. CSK: 40/3

Over 8: Axar Patel to Suresh Rain, DOT ball. Raina dabs the 2nd ball in leg side for one run. DOT ball. Under edge went for four. DOT ball. Another swing and miss. CSK: 45/3

Over 9: Andrew Tye to Suresh Raina, dabs in the leg side for one run. Full toss, down the leg side WIDE called. Bhajji took a quick single. WIDE. Raina took a single off the 3rd ball. Another single taken by Bhajji. DOT ball. Raina glides the last ball to third-man region for a single to keep the strike. CSK: 52/3

Over 13: R Ashwin to Suresh Raina, one run taken. Deepak took a single off the 2nd ball. 3 consecutive DOT ball. Raina took a single to keep the strike. CSK: 75/4

Over 14: Axar Patel to Suresh Raina, 2 runs. one run taken. DOT ball. Heaved the leg side for 2 runs. DOT ball, one run taken. CSK: 81/4

Over 15: R Ashwin to Chahar, swept for six. Another six by Chahar. Wide. single taken. Raina took a single. 4 runs. 2 runs taken. CSK: 100/4

Over 16: Axar Patel to Suresh Raina, single taken. Chahar hit a six straight down the ground followed by a single. Another single taken by Raina. Single taken. Two runs taken. CSK: 114/4

Over 17: R Ashwin to Deepak Chahar, top edge Mohit completes the catch Chahar OUT. Raina took a single off the 2nd ball. Dhoni took a single off the 3rd ball. another single taken by Raina. Dhoni cut the 5th ball for 2 runs. Dhoni took a single to keep the strike. CSK: 120/5

Over 18: Mohit Sharma to Dhoni, one run taken. Short ball WIDE. Top edge Ankit put an effort 2 runs taken. One run taken by Raina. Yorker, Dhoni squeezed it for a single. Top edge for a single. Dhoni dispatched the last ball of the over for four. CSK: 131/5

Over 19: Andrew Tye to Suresh Raina, pulled the last ball for six followed by 2 runs. Raina heaved the 3rd ball for six just over long-on fielder. Raina hit the 4th ball for four. Short ball went for four. DOT ball to end the over. CSK: 153/5

Over 20: Mohit Sharma to Dhoni, short ball pulled for six. Dhoni finishes with style. CSK won the match by 5 wickets
 

Chennai Super Kings innings analysis after 20 overs

Faf du Plesis and Ambati Rayudu opened the batting for CSK, Ankit Rajpoot started the bowling for KXIP, just 3 runs came off the first over, including a double. Mohit Sharma took the next over and dismissed Rayudu on the second ball, the short length ball swung away from the bat and the edge went straight into keeper's gloves. Suresh Raina replaced Rayudu, a chance came for caught & bowled but Sharma missed the catch and the ball went for a boundary. Rajpoot continued in the third over, kept swinging the ball, the fourth ball edge past the batsmen and raced towards the boundary, the last ball went for a four. 

Andrew Tye came for the 4th over, Raina smashed back-to-back boundaries, Tye lost the line, bowling two wides, 10 runs came off the over. Ankit Rajpoot came for the 5th over, an outswinger on the 3rd ball lead to an edge past du Plessis' bat, Gayle picked a clean catch at slips, CSK suffered second loss. The next ball wrote the end of Sam Billings on a golden duck, the swinging delivery was out of the batsman's understanding. Mohit Sharma took the 6th over, Raina picked a single and Harbhajan was on the strike, smashed the 5th ball for a boundary from over the covers, 6 runs came off the over. After 6 overs, CSK were 33/3 . Faf du Plessis and Suresh Raina were at the crease. The run rate was 5.5 per over.

Ankit Rajpoot continued the attack, Harbhajan was on strike, despite efforts, the batsman could not pick the ball but then hit a six on the 4th ball towards deep extra cover, Axar Patel was deployed on the 8th over, Harbhajan got a lucky boundary on the 4th ball as the ball went past the keeper, Tye came for the 9th over, Raina picked up a single to give strike to Harbhajan who returned to the nón striker's end, singles kept coming for the batting side. After 9 overs, CSK were 52/3. Suresh Raina and Harbhajan Singh were at the crease. The run rate was 5.7 per over.

Axar Patel came for the 10th over, Raina and Harbhajan resorted to singles only. Ashwin came for the 11th over and dismissed Harbhajan on the first ball for LBW, Deepak Chahar replaced Harbhajan, the batsmen still stuck to singles only. Andrew Tye bowled the 12th over, 8 runs came off it, mostly in singles. After 12 overs, CSK were 72/4 . Suresh Raina and Deepak Chahar were at the crease. The run rate was 6 per over.

Ashwin took the 13th over, the batsmen continued thye singles-spree, just 3 runs came off it, Axar came for the 14th over, just 6 rusn came off it. Chahar smashed Ashwin for two big sixes in the 15th over. After 12 overs, CSK were 102/4 . Suresh Raina and Deepak Chahar were at the crease. The run rate was 6.8 per over.

Axar too faced the same treatment for Chahar who smashed him for a six oj the second ball, Ashwin dismissed him in the 17th over, Dhoni replaced him, the batting side still maintained singles and doubles, Mohit Sharma came for the 18th over and gave 11 runs off it, including a boundary by Dhoni. Andrew Tye came for the 19th over, Raina hit two sixes and a boundary, thus bringing the team closer to victory. meanwhile, Raina also made his fifty. Scores were levelled after Raina smashed a four, Dhoni got the strike in the last over to do the formality, just a run was needed, Dhoni smashed Mohit Sharma for a six on the first ball of the last over and sealed the victory for CSK.

Kings XI Punjab innings update: Over by over

KXIP playing 11 for today's IPL match: KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, David Miller, Karun Nair, Manoj Tiwary, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Andrew Tye, Mohit Sharma, Ankit Rajpoot. Changes: David Miller in for Marcus Stoinis

Over 1: K L Rahul and Chris Gayle to open for KXIP. Deepak Chahar to start it for CSK. Deepak Chahar to KL Rahul, no run. Rahul took a double off the 2nd ball. DOT ball. Another DOT ball. Rahul hit four of the 5th ball. WIDE ball. DOT ball to end the over. KXIP: 7-0

Over 2: Ngidi is in the attack, and Gayle is gone. He walked on his own. KXIP: 8-1

Over 3: Chahar continues, Four. Dot ball. FLicked by Rahul for a single. Finched has edged the outswinger and a brilliant catch by Raina. Manoj Tiwari is the new in. KXIP: 15-2

Over 4: Ngidi keeping it really tight. Three dots. Bowled, K L Rahul is clean bowled. 

Over 5: Chahar continues, Miller is the new man in. Glanced for four. One run added. KXIP: 23-3

Over 6: Ngidi continues, swing and a miss. Another single. Width on offer for Manoj, just one. Mis-field, just one. Quick single.

Over 7: Chahar to bowl his last, brilliant bowling. Dot ball. Swing and a miss. No ball as it is the second bouncer of the over. FREE HIT. Makes full use of it, SIX. KXIP: 39-3

Over 8: Harbhajan to bowl, Manoj hits him for a four. Dot ball. That is a six. KXIP: 52-3

Over 9: Shardul Thakur comes to the attack, Tiwary wacks it for four. Dot ball. What a comedy, a single and two runs on two overthrows. Single to finish the over. KXIP: 61-3

Over 10: Dwayne Bravo is the new bowler, width, double for Miller. Good straight drive for one. Singles. Top edge, four. KXIP: 71-3

Over 11: Thakur comes back, driven for one. Mishit for Miller, just one. 5 from the over. KXIP: 76-3

Over 12: Jadeja comes to the attack, Tiwary swings and gets the bottom edge of the bat, He is gone. karun Nair is the new man in. One run. KXIP: 80-4

Over 13: Bravo continues, perfect yorker, Miller is gone. Axar Patel comes in. Brilliant ball. Just two runs. KXIP: 82-5

Over 14: Jadeja continues, Cut for no run. Swept for six. Glanced, just one. Dot to finish the over. KXIP: 91-5

Over 15: Bravo continues. Nair hits him for a six. One run. Another single. 11 form the over. KXIP: 102-5

Over 16: Ravindra Jadeja to Karun Nair, one run taken. Axar Patel took a single off the 2nd ball. Another single taken by Nair. Axar Patel hit a maximum over the long-off. Another single taken by Axar. Karun Nair took a single to end the over. KXIP: 113/5

Over 17: Shardul Thakur to Karun Nair, one leg bye taken. Axal Patel took two runs of miss field. Axar OUT. Nair hit the 4th ball over extra cover for four, pulled the 5th ball for 6. WIDE. Outside edge went past Dhoni for four. KXIP: 131/6

Over 18: Lungi Ngidi to R Ashwin, WIDE ball. Ashwin OUT. DOT ball followed by Andrew Tye wicket. DOT ball. Mohit Sharma took a single off the 5th ball. Karun Nair took a single off the last over to end the over. KXIP: 134/6

Over 19: DJ Bravo to Karun Nair, DOT ball. Karun Nair hit a reverse scoop shot for four followed by a six. Karun Nair smacked the 4th ball for six to complete his fifty. Nair OUT. A single taken by Ankit Rajpoot to end the over. KXIP: 151/9

Over 20: Shardul Thakur to Ankit Rajpoot, swing and a miss. Another swing by Ankit for a single. One run taken by Mohit. Faf du Plessis completes the catch at long-on boundary as KXIP all out. CSK need 154 runs to end the over.

Over 10: Axar Patel to Suresh Raina, one run taken. Bhajji took a single off the 2nd ball. One run taken off each ball. CSK: 58/3

Over 11: R Ashwin to Harbhajan, big swing and miss, trapped in front of wicket, OUT. Deepak Chahar took a single. Raina took a single. Another single taken. One run taken by Raina. Two runs taken to end the over. CSK: 64/4

Over 12: Andrew Tye to Suresh Rain, down the legside WIDE. Short ball pulled cautiously for 1 run. Deepak Chahar took a single off the 2nd ball. Another single taken by Raina. One run was taken by Chahar. Single taken. Double taken by Chahar to end the over. CSK: 72/4
 

Kings XI Punjab innings analysis after 20 overs

Chris Gayle and Lokesh Rahul opened the batting for KXIP, Chahar took the first over, sis KXIP, seven runs came off the over including a boundary from Rahul, Lungi Ngidi took the second over and clinched the prized wicket of Chris Gayle on the second ball. Finch replaced Gayle, Chahar returned for the third over, an outswinger edged past Finch's bat and Suresh Raina grabbed the ball with both hands at slip. After 3 overs, KXIP were 15/2. the run rate was 5 per over. manoj Tiwary and L Rahul were at the crease.

Ngidi bowled the 4th over, managed three dot balls, an overthrow on the 4th ball gave a run to Tiwary, Punjab's ace batsman Lokesh Rahul too fell on the last ball in an attempt to leave the ball but it came inwards and hit the off stump. Chahar came for the 5th over, Miller replaced Rahul, hit a boundary on the 4th ball, 7 runs came off the over. Ngidi continued the attack in the 6th over, Tiwary picked two off the second ball, gave strike to Miller, singles followed,  After 6 overs, KXIP were 29/3. the run rate was 4.8 per over. Manoj Tiwary and David Miller were at the crease.

Chahar came for the 7th over, just two singles came off the first four balls, the last was called a no-ball by the umpire due to the ball being too high, Miller hit a six on the free-hit. Harbhajan came for the 8th over, Tiwary welcomed him with a boundary, the third ball was tossed for a six, Jadeja couldn't get his hands on the ball near the boundary rope. Shardul Thakur came for the 9th over, Tiwary hit the 2nd ball for a boundary, a double overthrow on the 5th ball gave 3 runs to Tiwary. After 9 overs, KXIP were 61/3. the run rate was 6.7 per over. Manoj Tiwary and David Miller were at the crease.

Bravo was asked to bowl the 10th over, a double came off the first ball by Miller, a confusion between the batsmen on the third ball but still, they got a run off it and a top edge off Tiwary's bat went for a boundary, 10 runs came off the over. Shardul came for the 11th over, the batsmen continued taking singles, a top edge came from Miller's bat but landed in no man's land, giving two runs. Jadeja came for the 12th over and dismissed Tiwary on the first ball, the batsmen tried picking the ball for a shot but the edge went straight into Dhoni's gloves. Karun Nair replaced Tiwary, 4 runs came off the over. After 12 overs, KXIP were 80/4. the run rate was 6.67 per over. Karun Nair and David Miller were at the crease.

Bravo removed Miller on the first ball of the 13th over, Axar Patel replaced him, the two new batsmen were taking their time to settle by just taking singles only, there was no room for any big shot as yet. Jadeja returned to bowl the 14th over, Nair swept the ball for a six towards fine leg. singles followed after that. Bravo took the 15th over, Nair smashed him for a six on the first ball, the batsmen then took five singles. After 15 overs, KXIP were 102/5. the run rate was 6.8 per over. Karun Nair and Axar Patel were at the crease.

Jadeja came for the 16th over, after 3 singles, Axar went for a six, two singles followed, 11 runs came off the over. Shardul Thakur struck on the third ball of the 17th over, Axar was caught by Sam Billings, R Ashwin replaced him, Nair continued his attack, hitting a boundary and a six, the last ball was hit for a boundary towards third man, 18 runs came off the over. Ngidi returned to bowl the 18th over, Ashwin fell on the first ball after Dhoni caught the edge from his bat. Tye came next, and was caught on the first ball, just 3 runs came off the over. Bravo came for the 19th over, Nair hit the first ball for a four on an unusual shot, he stepped out from the wicket on the second ball and swept the ball for a six, the next ball faced a similar treatment and the ball went past the fence for a six, he perished on the next ball but only after making his fifty, Ankit Rajpoot came next, 17 runs came off the over. Shardul Thakur came for the last over, after two singles, a wicket came as Rajpoot was caught on the 4th ball. KXIP put up 153 runs after 20 overs.

Here are a few things to know about the Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab (CSK vs KXIP) match to be played at Maharashtra Cricket Association in Pune, the two teams' players who could prove handy, and who has said what before the clash:
 
Chennai Super Kings players who might have an impact in today’s IPL match (CSK vs KXIP): Chennai Super Kings have an in-form batting line-up. There are only ten batsmen with an aggregate of 400 runs or more in IPL 2018 and three of those batsmen are from Chennai Super Kings. Suresh Raina has hit form recently (315 runs). MS Dhoni has been sensational in his role as finisher and the CSK skipper, who has predominantly batted at 4 or 5, has now been not out in the last five innings. Deepak Chahar has become an invaluable asset for CSK and the 25-year old has been sensational, particularly with the new ball. In three of the 8 matches he has played in, the pacer from Agra has finished with an economy rate under five. Dwayne Bravo’s expertise in the death overs is a huge asset for CSK.
 
Kings XI Punjab players who might have an impact in today’s IPL match (CSK vs KXIP): KL Rahul, who began the season smashing the fastest-ever half-century, has since shown he the temperament to bat long too and in three of his last five innings, Rahul has batted to the end twice and till the 19th over. While Chris Gayle – is the one other batsman capable of causing substantial damage with the bat and he did performed brilliantly in first few games but has gone off the boil in recent times. If KXIP are to make an improbable last minute dash to the playoffs, the two openers will have to come up with an extraordinary performance like they did against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. Andrew Tye, the Purple Cap holder, is KXIP’s best bowler. The Australian has been used sparingly in the early overs and is generally brought on late in the innings. Tye’s numbers in the death overs are outstanding; he has 13 wickets and an economy rate of 7.81 when bowling in the last five overs of the innings. Mujeeb ur Rahman – KXIP’s second-highest wicket-taker – is an invaluable asset; KXIP have missed him in the last couple of games after the young lad took a blow to his bowling hand. It will be a big boost for KXIP if the Afghanistan spinner has recovered – particularly given CSK’s struggles against spin.
 
Our middle-order hasn't fired as expected, admits KXIP coach Brad Hodge: Kings XI Punjab need a huge win to make it to the playoffs and their head coach Brad Hodge admitted that the team's middle order hasn't fired as expected and relied on only a couple of bowlers. Kings XI Punjab, led by Ravichandran Ashwin, had a great start to the tournament but slumped after that. They narrowly lost to Mumbai Indians by three runs at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday. They need a thumping win against the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings to make it to the last four and they are also dependent on other results. "I think this competition is extremely tough to win consistently over a long period of time. We are a new team with a new captain and we have learnt a lot from lessons of success and failure. "I think realistically, our middle order hasn't fired as much we would have expected and we are too reliant on a couple of bowlers who have kept us in the game," Hodge told reporters on the eve of the team's crucial clash against the Chennai Super Kings. Hodge also admitted that the team was not consistent in the cash-rich tournament.
 
What Suresh Raina said about aged team tag given to Chennai Super Kings (CSK): Suresh Raina has quashed talks about Chennai Super Kings (CSK) being an 'aged team' in Indian Premier League, as he on Thursday said experience is also an equally important characteristic and cited team's performance in the league, wherein they qualified for playoffs for the record ninth time on Tuesday. "People have been saying that our team is quite aged, but you need experience. All credit goes to Dhoni as you can see he is playing freely. In the IPL, he has shown that he can still play very well despite being 35-36," Raina told ANI. Currently, CSK has players like Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, Shane Watson, Imran Tahir and Harbhajan Singh, who all are over 34 years old. In fact, Tahir is touching 40. In regard to the tournament, wherein the CSK has qualified for the playoffs, Raina said the job is still half done as their main aim is to clinch the IPL trophy again. "Nobody remembers the runner-up. Everybody looks up to the winner. If we win this time, then the harsh memories of the finals that we lost in previous editions of IPL will go away," said Raina, who was here to launch a store of a sports shoe company. Out of the eight IPL editions, they have played, the yellow brigade has reached finals six times, but only twice they have managed to win the coveted trophy.
 
Ambati Rayudu can play both pacers and spinners equally well, says Dhoni: Chennai Super Kings captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni today heaped praise on Ambati Rayudu for helping his side beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL match with an unbeaten century, saying he's someone who can score runs equally well against both pacers and spinners. Opener Rayudu smashed his maiden IPL century, a 100 not out which he made from 62 balls with the help of seven fours and seven sixes as CSK chased down the target of 180 with one over to spare. "Even before IPL started I had to make space for Rayudu, because he is somebody I rate him very highly. He can play both the fast bowlers and spinners very well. Most teams look to exploit the opener with spin bowling. He is someone who doesn't look like a big hitter but almost clears the field every time he plays the big shot," Dhoni said after his side beat the Sunrisers by eight wickets. Dhoni was, however, surprised that ball did not swing much when his side batted. "I thought the ball will swing more in the second half than what it did for us. The swing was not there, that was a surprise. We got off to a good start. Watson and Rayudu hit boundaries whenever there was an opportunity. Otherwise, 180 against SRH would have been a tough chase," Dhoni said.
 
The team head to head ahead of today’s IPL match between Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab (CSK vs KXIP):
 
Overall:
Matches – 19, Chennai Super Kings won – 11, Kings XI Punjab won – 8