Chennai have won the toss and they will bat first.
This is Suresh Raina's 100th IPL game. That's right, a hundred games.
CSK have Faf Du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo, McCullum and Dwayne Smith as the overseas players.
KXIP have an in-form Mitchell Johnson! The contest should be exciting.
CSK are favourites to win, but Punjab are not far behind. Chennai have Ben Hifenhaus, but Punjab have Johnson.
Chennai's favourite tag is purely based on their IPL record and an 8-3 record against Punjab. Punjab have Virender Sehwag. One burst of form from him can bury any opposition.
CSK also have a tendency to start slow. Punajb on the other hand, have been lost in the crowd over the last four seasons. No one seems to give them a good chance.
This year however, they seem to have a team blessed with a balance of attacking and moderate batsmen. The likes of Glenn Maxwell and Sehwag are attacking players, while Shaun Marsh and CK Pujara can play the anchor roles well.
Dwayne Smith will open the batting for CSK along with Brendon McCullum. This is a good batting track and their approach will be interesting.
The two teams come out into the ground
One boundary and a quick single to end the 1st over. CSK 9/0
Parvinder Awana will share the new ball
Well driven by Smith, good fielding in the covers.
Down the track and biffed away for four by McCullum! That nearly went for six.
Four. He swings again and this time the ball flies off the top edge behind the keeper for four.
McCullum has decided to take on the bowling, every ball.
Wide ball. The bowler got scared of McCullum and lost his line.
Short ball again and tried to clear the off side, but couldnt.
Edged for a single. CSK 19/0 after 2 overs.
Mitchell Johnson comes into the attack
Slower delivery, McCullum scooped it up on the off side and it almost carried to cover!
Good length ball outside off, driven for four by Smith
Shot ball outside leg, spooned away to fine leg. Off the gloves.
Very short outside off,McCullum rocks back and smashes it for six over the off side.
CSK 33/0
L Balaji into the attack. They are rotating the bowlers around.
Four. Smith pulls it away for four.
KXIP have bowled poorly so far.
Wide ball
Down the track but he could not connect well
Leg bye for one. CSK 41/0
Two boundaries off the first two balls of the fifth over. Smith is also on fire. 18 off 9.
Good length ball tucked away for one. 50 up in 4.3 overs
That was VERY WIDE.
McCullum has 4999 runs in T20 cricket.
Dropped! That was smashed straight back, it was a half slog, a hard catch for mid on which dived but could not hold on.
Rubbing salt onto the wounds. Six. He advanced down the track and smashed it for six over long on.
CSK 55/0 after 5 overs.
Another boundary. Now Johnson is also bowling badly. Bludgeoned for four.
Down the track and a swing and a miss
Pulled away for six over mid wicket.
Yorker, McCullum hit it straight at the opposite stumps, but Johnson could not get a hand to it.
CSK 70/0 in the powerplay
Spinner starts off with a wide ball
Another wide ball
Huge appeal for LBW and dismissed by the umpire
CSK 76/0 after 7 overs
How does CSK manage to get such a good team every time?
SIx. Short ball and pulled for six. McCullum 48 from 28.
Another short ball, hit away to sweeper cover for one.
Four. Wide and short and slapped away for four through point. Fifty up for McCullum.
Now Rishi Dhawan is getting hammered. No bowler has been able to bowl well today.
CSK 89/0 after 8 overs.Time for the strategic time out. Punjab really need it.
Flat batted for four down the ground. Nothing changes for Punjab or CSK.
Ball spinning away from the right hand, tucked away behind leg
CSK 96/0 after 9 overs
Biffed away to long on for one
Balaji is back into the attack.
Slow, loopy, wide ball, skied to sweeper cover for one
Hundred partnership up in 9.3 overs
CSK 102/0 after 10 overs. That was a good over.
Glenn Maxwell into the attack, but to no avail. The first ball is scooped for six over long on.
Smith missed a slong and the keeper took off the bails, but Smith's leg was well inside the crease.
Short ball and smashed to sweeper cover for one
CSK 112/0 after 11 overs
Out. McCullum falls for 67 off 45 balls. What an innings.
CSK 123/1 after 12.4 overs
Swept away for four. CSK 128/1 after 13 overs
Rishi Dhawan into the attack. Tries to bowl the yorker, half volley stroked to long on
Dropped. Slower ball, Raina tried to give himself room and then edged it. The keeper dropped it.
Smith mistimes a biff to long on, one run
The pace of the innings has slowed down slightly, CSK 131/1 after 14 overs.
200 is still very much on the cards.
Reverse sweep for four. Dwayne Smith reaches his fifty.
Maxwell keeps getting thrashed. Poor half volley smashed down the ground for six.
CSK 145/1 after 15 overs
Mitchell Johnson comes on. He has not been used well. Near-yorker gets dug out straight for one.
Slower half volley gets biffed down the ground for....six. It hit the advertising hoarding.
Slogged down the ground for one
Slower ball again,Raina slogs it to deep midwicket for four. Didn't time it well but it was in the slot.
Johnson bowling a slower ball on this pitch makes no sense. It just comes out as a well paced delivery.
NO BALL. Free Hit.
Slower low full toss, Raina could not take advantage of it.
CSK 160/1 after 16 overs
Balaji comes back. Slower ball, but WIDE.
Balaji is adopting the tactic of bowling wide and full.
Full toss. Smith tried to smash it into next week. Hit the top edge and a simple catch at short mid off.
Dwayne Smith 66 off 45 balls.
Captain MS Dhoni comes out to the middle
That was very wide, Dhoni tried very hard to get his bat onto it and succeeded, it got edged away behind the wicket for four.
Full toss, and an overthrow. 2 runs
Four. Similar delivery very wide outside off. Similar edge for four.
A good over from Balaji has been spoilt by those edged boundaries.
CSK 172/2 after 17 overs
Johnson in his fourth over. Has already been taken for 41 off his 3 overs.
Good length ball slogged to deep midwicket for 2
Good over from Johnson so far, no boundary
Full toss, swinging into Dhoni, hit to midoff for 1
One to end the over. Just 8 from it. CSK 180/2
Outside off stump, hit away to deep cover for two
Fast, wide ball outside off. Again hit out to sweeper cover for one. Good bowling
Two more off a short ball
OUT. Raina gets out to a short ball again. It came fast onto him,.he tried to scoop it behind the keeper. Very premeditated shot and Raina was caught.
Short ball but no room, just a single. Bravo is the new batsman.
Wide,full ball for one run
CSK 187/2 after 19 overs
Six. Full ball outside off from Balaji, smashed straight down the ground for six
Biffed to deep square leg for one
High full toss outside off, Bravo hits it for six over the cover boundary. 200 up for CSK.
Low full toss gets hit to long on for one
Four. Dhoni advanced down the track, Balaji bowled short and Dhoni slapped it over midwicket for four. The fielder in the deep dived spectacularly to no avail.
Full toss again, tries to clear the ground but the ball ends up in the hands of long off.
CSK finish at 205/4 after 20 overs
Punjab will soon begin a mammoth chase. Will Virender Sehwag click today?
Punjab 3/0 after 1 over
Sehwag plays a beautiful cover drive for four
Scooped in the air, dropped by the fielder at mid on. That was a tough catch. KXIP 14/0 after 2 overs
Beautiful shot from Pujara. Flicked away through wide mid on for four. That was a test match shot.
Shot ball on middle and leg, now pulled away for four.
Quick single to mid on
Four more. Short outside off from Nehra,smashed over the off side for four. Sehwag is back.
Nehra is getting a hiding here
Another four, half volley outside off and lifted over cover for four.
4 boundaries off the over so far
Bowled. The shot was on, but Sehwag just slogged at a ball on middle stump and lost it. Sehwag 19 off 13 balls. KXIP 31/1 after 3 overs
Glenn Maxwell comes in
Ashwin comes into the attack. Good move by Dhoni.
That's the most astonishing cover drive...err..reverse sweep. Ball was wide outside leg and Maxwell reverse swept it through cover for four
Similar delivery, Maxwell feigned a similar shot but pulled out. Called a wide.
OUT. Pujara tries to sweep and is trapped in front of the wicket. LBW.
KXIP 38/2
Akshar Patel walks in. Misses a good length ball and there is an appeal.
KXIP 40/2 after 4 overs. Ashwin makes an immediate impact
Mohit Sharma into the attack
Very good drive through the covers, just eased into it. Bravo at mid off could not cut it off
Good stop by McCullum
Slower ball outside off, Maxwell slogged hard but could not connect
Four. Maxwell goes down the track and lofts Mohit over long on for four
Four again. Maxwell gave himself room and Mohit followed him. Maxwell merely swung it over midwicket for four.
KXIP 52/2 after 5 overs
OUT. Another wicket for Ashwin and this is becoming a familiar pattern. Akshar Patel never looked confident, his right leg fell across again and the ball hit him on the pads. He was out LBW.
Single to mid on. David Miller is the new batsman
Again a reverse sweep from outside leg by Maxwell. Another boundary, this time through point
Four more. Gave himself room and biffed it over cover for four.
Very wide ball outside leg
One more wide
Tries to sweep but can't get it away
Now a quick single. KXIP 63/3 after 6 overs
Spin from both ends now. A single to wide long on
Lucky! Down the track and Maxwell scooped it just behind mid off for two.
Down the track comes Miller and gets a leading edge, they still run a single
Hit to the on side and they take a couple
KXIP 72/3 after 7 overs
Ravindra Jadeja into the attack
Short and wide and Miller just eased it through the off side for four
Hit down the ground for a single
Good shot. Maxwell missed the previous ball. But this time he scoops a leg side delivery to fine leg for four.
KXIP 83/3 after 8 overs
Miller comes down the track and hits Ashwin straight for six
Three dot balls follow the six
Last ball gets thrashed down to long off for one
KXIP 90/3 after 9 overs. Strategic timeout.
Dropped. Another reverse sweep. Ashish Nehra spoons an easy catch.
Dropped again. Full-blooded shot to cover. This time the catch was difficult and the diving fielder could not get to it.
KXIP 94/3 after 10 overs
R Ashwin comes back
Down the track comes Miller and inside-edges it for one
Maxwell keeps advancing down the track to hit Ashwin but fails to get a boundary.
But this time he gets it. Down the track again and lifted to deep extra cover. Bravo dived there but could not either hold on to it or take the catch.
KXIP 104/3 after 11 overs
Dwayne Bravo has injured his shoulder while diving and is being led off the field.
Jadeja into the attack
Good length ball on middle and leg gets swept away for four over long leg
Maxwell gets his fifty
KXiP 116/3 after 12 overs
Huge Six. He could not clear the boundary the previous ball, but this was a huge slog over midwicket for six.
Four. Similar shot, boundary this time
Wide. Tries for his favourite revers sweep, misses and its a wide.
Four. Beautifully cover driven for four
This over could change the game
Edged to long off for one
Now Miller drives into the covers for two
22 runs off the over, KXIP 138/3 after 13 overs
KXIP just need 68 from 7 overs with 7 wickets in hand. They are slight favourites now.
Dwayne Smith into the attack, driven for one
Single to long on
Big full toss, another reverse sweep from Maxwell. Over short third man for four
Dropped again! Maxwell pulled it to deep square leg where Bravo dropped a difficult catch
KXIP 147/3 after 14 overs
Ashwin back into the attack, bowls outside leg, Maxwell down the track and lofts him for four.
100 run partnership up as Maxwell dabs two to the on side
Maxwell is 84 off just 37 balls.
Another wide down the leg side
Pulled away to deep square leg for one
Miller down the track and edges a full ball to deep midwicket
Maxwell goes for his favourite reverse sweep, but doesn't connect well this time.
KXIP 156/3 after 15 overs
Dwayne Smith hit into the stands by Maxwell. Moves into the 90s. What a six.
This time he swivel-pulls Smith behind square for four
What a delivery! Perfect yorker and Maxwell could not keep it out. Bowled.
Maxwell 95 off 43 balls. Great innings. Punjab are close to a big victory.
George Bailey, the captain is the new batsman.
Single on the off side
Four. Tapped away fine for four
KXIP 172/4 after 16 overs
Ravindra Jadeja comes into the attack
Short ball on middle and leg, swiveled behind the keeper for two
Six. Now Miller is taking over where Maxwell left off. Down the track and Jadeja gets lofted into the stands
Six more. This was almost out. He tries the same shot, but on the off side. It nearly carried to the deep long off fielder, but just into the boundary.
Miller gets his fifty off just 32 balls
Punjab 190/4 after 17 overs
Now all Punjab need to do is take singles and rotate strike
Three singles off the first three balls. Just 14 needed off 15
Good over from Nehra, just 4 off it. KXIP 194/4 after 18 overs
Mohit Sharma is back
Slower, shortish, back of the hand delivery, biffed out to long on for one
Full toss outside off, edged to third man for one
Slower ball, slogged away to mid wicket for two
Lofted over long on for four, that was almost six
Short ball, pulled away for four by Bailey over mid wicket, and Kings XI Punjab have won in style!
Punjab had to chase a mammoth 206 but they have done it in style, losing just 4 wickets and with 7 balls remaining.