Hello and welcome our coverage of Match 18 of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2019) from the MA Chidambaram Stadium where Chennai Super Kings (CSK) host Kings XI Punjab (KXIP).
Chennai Super Kings innings:
7th over: Murugan Ashwin, the legspinner, comes into the attack. CSK have managed their most solid start of the season.
Strategic timeout!
A 50-run partnership between @ShaneRWatson33 & @faf1307 ???????? pic.twitter.com/1328lHWKf8
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 6, 2019
6th over: Sam Curran into his second over and another excellent over, just the 7 runs off it. CSK 54/0 (Du Plessis 27, Watson 26)
Three local boys from Chennai including a coach and captain. How could they decide on missing out Mujeeb Ur Rahman on this kind of a track. #CSKvKXIP #VIVOIPL
— Pragyan Prayas Ojha (@pragyanojha) April 6, 2019
5th over: ANOTHER BOWLING CHANGE: Andrew Tye introduced into the attack and he’s welcomed with a boundary and a massive SIX over long-off. Now, Watson’s on the move. Du Plessis also gets into the act and whacks a huge hit, a smoking one, into cow corner. 18 from this over. CSK 47/0 (Du Plessis 25, Watson 21)
Wait For It…#ThrowWell @StarSportsIndia #SelectDugout @MayantiLanger_B pic.twitter.com/2h6f0Xv9Of
— Kevin Pietersen???? (@KP24) April 6, 2019
4th over: BOWLING CHANGE: Sam, the left-arm pacer, comes into the attack. The young Englishman has bowled a good first over, just the 3 runs off it. CSK 29/0 (Du Plessis 18, Watson 10)
3rd over: Shami to continue and this time, it’s Du Plessis, who gets going, smashing the Indian for back-to-back boundaries after outfoxing Shami coming down the pitch and caps it off with a towering SIX. 16 runs in this over. CSK 26/0 (Du Plessis 17, Watson 8)
All the way! Cheeky but Fafulous! Scoops it over fine-leg! #WhistlePodu #Yellove #CSKvKXIP ????????
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 6, 2019
This is good batting from Faf who has just come into the side.
Though Shami went for runs, but let's keep faith – he'll bounce back just like he did the other night! ????
CSK 26/0 (3)#SaddaPunjab #CSKvKXIP #KXIP #VIVOIPL
— Kings XI Punjab (@lionsdenkxip) April 6, 2019
2nd over: Ravichandran Ashwin has brought himself early on into the attack, but Shane Watson isn’t going to hold on and smashed the KXIP for the first boundary through square leg. Six runs come off Ashwin’s first over. CSK 10/2 (Watson 7, Du Plessis 2)
1st over: Mohammed Shami opened the attack for KXIP with Shane Watson on strike. At the other end was Faf du Plessis, with Ambati Rayudu pushed down the order. Other than a very spraying it down for a wide in the first delivery, Shami was on target and has gone for just 4 runs. CSK 4/0 (Watson 2, Du Plessis 1)
4.58 pm: Here are some initial reactions:
Good call from #CSK to give Ambati Rayudu his slot in the middle again. But it means Dhoni is carrying fewer bowling options into the middle, something he doesn't normally do. There spinners and an untested quick. Will want a slowish track that turns a bit.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 6, 2019
#KXIP have gone back to playing only 5 bowlers…that includes three seamers. #CSK have three frontline spin options…and two more in Raina and Kedar. Reading pitch differently?? #CSKvKXIP #IPL
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) April 6, 2019
THE UNIVERSE BOSS IS BACK! ????????
Two changes in our playing XI from the previous game. ????#SaddaPunjab #CSKvKXIP #KXIP #VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/P93ncprS56
— Kings XI Punjab (@lionsdenkxip) April 6, 2019
3.52 pm: Here’s what both captains had to say at the toss:
MS Dhoni: We will bat first. The wicket looks good to bat on initially, it’s hard on the top. The wickets that we played on mostly were on the slower side. It’s important to keep backing your strengths, irrespective of how many runs you’re putting on the board. Lots of changes for us. Mohit, Shardul and Bravo are out. Scott Kuggeleijn, Harbhajan and Faf come into the XI.
.@msdhoni wins the toss and puts his team @ChennaiIPL in to bat first on a hot afternoon in Chennai. ????#CSKvKXIP pic.twitter.com/Hy7vW3www3
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 6, 2019
Ravichandran Ashwin: “We were looking to bat first as well. It looks really hard and hope it remains the same throughout the 40 overs. It’s quite emotional to be honest. I am very happy to be back playing here in Chennai and looking forward to it. I’m looking for the crowd to back us, which I guess is not going to happen. Chris (Gayle) is back into the XI, Hardus is out. Mujeeb sits out as well and Andrew Tye comes in.”
PLAYING XIs
KXIP: KL Rahul (wk), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Sarfaraz Khan, David Miller, Mandeep Singh, Sam Curran, Ravichandran Ashwin (captain), Andrew Tye, Murugan Ashwin, Mohammed Shami
Changes galore for both teams!
Here are the playing XIs for #CSKvKXIP pic.twitter.com/PdVxcNoMjH
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 6, 2019
CSK: Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni(wk/captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Scott Kuggeleijn, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir
TEAM CHANGES
Punjab: Chris Gayle is back, replacing Hardus Viljoen and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman makes way for Andrew Tye.
Chennai: Three changes for the home team. Mohit Sharma, Shardul Thakur and Dwayne Bravo are out. Scott Kuggeleijn, Harbhajan Singh and Faf du Plessis enter the Playing XI.
.@msdhoni makes his 150th #VIVOIPL appearance for @ChennaiIPL ???? #CSKvKXIP pic.twitter.com/oMrW2BrOub
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 6, 2019
3:30 pm TOSS: Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni wins the coin toss, opts to bat first against Kings XI Punjab
The battle lines are drawn and the lions are super ready for the kings' clash! #WhistlePodu #Yellove #CSKvKXIP ???????? pic.twitter.com/tPXbaxTbgd
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 6, 2019
3.28 pm: Stephen Fleming: “We are happy to get three wins. We have some challenges as some of our players are injured. We try to read conditions and guess conditions but it keeps changing. And that is a challenge. The first game was a surprise, second game pitch was god but outfield was bad. We are excited. Kings have a similar kind of a set-up, good spinners and top-heavy batting.”
The #Yellove alai Kadal at the #AnbuDen! #WhistlePodu ???????? pic.twitter.com/zpTTeIpRVS
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 6, 2019
3:25 pm: PITCH REPORT: “Hot conditions, very warm out here. This wicket looks like a new-ball one. Spinners will have their work cut-out. There are plenty of runs on offer,” says Brett Lee in his pitch report.
3.03 pm: So, where do both these teams stand on the points table? Interestingly, Punjab and Chennai are both with same points, but it’s the lions who are are just a rung above at No. 3 with a better run-rate. All the latest from the points table and team standings, right here (ALSO READ: IPL 2019 Latest Points Table: Russell pushes Kolkata Knight Riders to second spot)
Did @DJBravo47 finally find the Dum? Watch to find out. #GulfDumAndar @harbhajan_singh @ShaneRWatson33 @imjadeja @msdhoni @GulfOilIndia pic.twitter.com/VSRExickdE
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 6, 2019
2.53 pm: After losing their previous match against Mumbai Indians, defending champions CSK are eyeing redemption at home. Punjab, who won their last match against Delhi Capitals, will want to carry on with the momentum at their captain R Ashwin‘s hometown. Cracker of a contest coming up, the first of Super Saturday. What a way to begin the weekend!
It's the #Yellove portion of the pie that glows during the clash of the Kings so far! Woot Woot whistles! #WhistlePodu #Yellove #CSKvKXIP ???????? pic.twitter.com/Calb6h5kwm
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 6, 2019
Hey, experts! ????????
Help our captain select the playing XI for 'CLASH OF THE KINGS' ????????#SaddaPunjab #CSKvKXIP #KXIP #VIVOIPL @CoachHesson @ashwinravi99 pic.twitter.com/ggWABaP2m3
— Kings XI Punjab (@lionsdenkxip) April 6, 2019
8 players, 4 spots. ????
Who do you think will play today? ????#SaddaPunjab #CSKvKXIP #KXIP #VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/fau3Hx8ttE
— Kings XI Punjab (@lionsdenkxip) April 6, 2019
Home or away, the preparation is always on point.????
We caught up with @klrahul11 on the eve of #CSKvKXIP where he shared his insights about the conditions in Chepauk. ????#SaddaPunjab #KXIP #VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/ToRosQShR9
— Kings XI Punjab (@lionsdenkxip) April 6, 2019
After suffering their first defeat in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) return to their fortress as they take on Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in the 18th match on Saturday in Chennai.
The super stuff by the boundary line from last night's #AnbuDen session! #WhistlePodu #Yellove #CSKvKXIP ???????? pic.twitter.com/iVHoCDt80j
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 6, 2019
Jr. Watto – Today's super mascot for the lions as they head to the #AnbuDen! #WhistlePodu #Yellove #CSKvKXIP ???????? pic.twitter.com/8mkaHZlm0H
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 6, 2019
While the MS Dhoni-led unit is coming into this game on the back of a loss against was the Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians (MI), KXIP, led by Ravichandran Ashwin, a former CSK player, will be fresh from their stunning win against Delhi Capitals (DC). The Punjab unit were almost down and out before Mohammed Shami and Sam Curran turned the tables on Shreyas Iyer and Co. to snatch a win from the jaws of defeat.
Although both the teams have played four matches each and won three each, KXIP are ahead of CSK in the points, courtesy a better net run-rate. A win in this game will take either of them at the top of the points table with 4 wins and 8 points against their name.
