Venue: Kolkata
Start Time: 8 pm IST
This should be a cracker of a match. Kolkata Knight Riders, after a poor start to the IPL, have managed to win four games in a row and are firmly perched at number 4. Chennai Super Kings have been as good as ever in this tournament, notching up 8 wins in 11 games, and sitting at number 2 just behind the rampaging Punjab.
For Kolkata, this is a very crucial game. 6 wins out of 11 means that a loss would push them into a situation in which they have to win both their remaining games and then hope for net run rates to go their way.
For Chennai, a loss will not be disastrous but a win will take them closer to finishing in the top 2, thus averting the Eliminators.
Kolkata have been very good chasing after that shock collapse five games ago. Gautam Gambhir has regained form and Utthappa is in hot form as well. The middle order however, is a bit shaky. Yusuf Pathan in particular had been out of touch and has just regained some of it in the last game. Manish Pandey is struggling, slowing down the scoring rate.
Kolkata have been saved because their bowlers restricted the opposition to under 150 in three successive games. The top order has already done much and now it is upto the middle order to show their potential.
Chennai do not have many problems, but they might struggle if tied down by Sunil Narine and Co. They tend to struggle on slower wickets, just as they did in the last game.
Kolkata might opt to chase if they win the toss, and Chennai might want to bat first, so it's a win-win situation. This takes the toss out of the equation for both teams.
Kolkata Knight Riders have won the toss and predictably, they will bowl first
Dwayne Smith and BB McCullum open the innings
Chennai 5/0 after the first over
OUT! Pat Cummins gets Dwayne Smith, he has been bowled
Suresh Raina comes in
That's a wicket maiden from Cummins. Chennai 5/1 after 2 overs
Sorry for the outage, Chennai are 44/1 after 7.3 overs
Chennai have reached 50 in 8 overs
Time Out
CSK 55/1 (9) Raina 23*- McCullum 26*
Chennai have been put on to bat first, lost Smith early on, since then Raina and McCullum have steadied the innings, Shakib and Umesh Yadav have bowled 3 overs each, Cummins 2 and Narine 1
Raina's strike rate against Sunil Narine is 210
#KKR doing excellent bowling...But we need to take wickets too...#KKRvsCSK
— ✿SanjuRepliedMe✿ (@i_am_charu) May 20, 2014
Piyush Chawla to bowl now
no run, googly from Chawla
at halfway stage Chennai are 59/1, Raina and McCullum have steadied the innings but their scorinf rate is below 6 runs per over, they need to take it on from here , anything around 150-160 will be a good score on this track, which has lot to offer for bowlers
CSK's average score in 10 overs in this years IPL is 75
Narine into his second over
OUT, NARINE'S THE MAN ! carrom ball from Narine, going the other way, McCullum looks to hit that one staright over bowler's head, gets a leading edge, ball goes up miles into the orbit before being caught by Yadav at long on, out for 28
Du Plesis is the new man
McCullum goes.. The magician strikes.. Good catch by Yadav. #PepsiIPL #KKRVsCSK
— Kashmiri Chohra (@ImDeKashmiri) May 20, 2014
Am i watching a test match, KKR using a slip and a silly mid-off for Chawla, how often you get to see this field in T-20 game
SIX, flighted, Raina using his feet and smashing that one over midwicket, that went 5 rows back, 86 metres
CSK 71/2 (12) Raina 34*- Du Plesis 3* Run rate: 5.91
Pat Cummins is back
Oh boy, he's is hitting the deck really hard here, he's been expressive tonight, touching 150 k's per hour
cheering CSK bcauze want to see RCB in semis Sorry KKR :-( :-( :-( #PepsiIPL #KKRvsCSK
— Smit Anam (@SmitAnam) May 20, 2014
KKR is doing a really good job by restricting CSK to only singles, boundaries are hard to find, they are just going at around 6 runs per over, to achieve a good total they need to score atleast 10 runs per over from here now
FOUR, slower one onto the leg side, Faf uses his hands and softly guides that one to the fine leg boundary
Time Out
Hopefully, I get to be proved wrong... This #CSK innings may never take off! #comeonCSK #whistlepodu #KKRvsCSK
— Vijesh Jayaraman (@vijeshjayaraman) May 20, 2014
Chawla to continue
SIX, RAINA BREAKS THE SHACKLE ! flighted on the middle, Raina using his feet hits that one right over the bowler's head
SIX, same length from Chawal, Raina this goes towards the midwicket boundary, he mistimes his shot but still it has enough power to cross the rope
FOUR, this time quicker around off stump, and Raina gently guides it between point and short third man fielder, Raina gets to his half century
19 runs from that over, this has been the most expensive 14th over in this year's IPL
Raina has been a consistent performer for CSK
CSK 99/2 (14) Raina 52*- Faf 13*
Narine bowls
Full on middle, pushed down to long on for a single, 100 comes up for CSK
Well played Raina! 50! You're the Naina (Father) of CSK's batting! @ChennaiIPL #PepsiIPL #whistlepodu #KKRvsCSK
— Mohan Vel (Michael) (@Mohan_Velu) May 20, 2014
Shakib into his last over
FOUR, Faf skips down the track and hits it straight down the ground, this partnership has now crossed 50 runs
SIX, Mishit from Raina but still it has enough power to clear the ropes, straight down the ground, Pandey at long off tries to catch, gets a hand to it, but fails to catch and lands inside the boundary
CSK 120/2 (16) Raina 63*- Faf 22* Run rate: 7.50
Run Out, Faf is gone, plays towards midwicket and tries to take on Chawla, who has enough time and shies directly at the stumps, gone for 23
Dhoni is the new man in
In comes Dhoni. Lets see what impact he can make. #KKRvsCSK
— AnindyaBhattacharyya (@anindyatweets) May 20, 2014
Chawla now
FOUR, half tracker from Chawla, gets the treatement from Dhoni, that went like a tracer bullet towards long leg
OUT, Chawla gets Raina, quicker from Raina, who looks to carve him on the on side, doesn't quite time it, gets the height and not the distance, finds Doeschate at deep midwicket, a very good innings from rain a comes to an end 65 from 52
Sir Jadeja is the new man
@SirJadeja comes out to bat..!!! Bas bhagwaan ji sir jadeja ji se bacha lo kkr ko.. :p :p #CSKvsKKR #KKRvsCSK
— LaKshay Jain (@iam_LKJ) May 20, 2014
CSK 134/4 (18) Dhoni 11*- Jadeja 0*
Narine to bowl his last over
SIX, full on middle, Jadeja slogs and sends it towering towards the midwicket boundary, that went a long way
The crowd is chanting Dhoni Dhoni Dhoni ...so much support for him in Kolkata
Umesh Yadav to bowl the final over
SIX, HAMMERED ! short on the body, Dhoni pulls that one towards deep sqaure leg, it went like a flash
that's 150 for Chennai
Good comeback from Yadav, peach of a yorker, swinging in
NO-BALL- Height , full toss above waist height, MSD tries to hit that one, gets an edge and it caught at third man
Its not a free hit
12 runs off the over
CSK 154/4 in 20 overs, Dhoni 21*- Jadeja 9*
It seems a good batting track...155 is not a too big total..c'mon boys chase it down #KKRvsCSK
— Annna (@iapundir) May 20, 2014
155 is a Chasing target nd its not so easy..we need to fight hard against Csk..lets see..go #KKR #KKRvsCSK
— ChitrU(சிற்றரசு) (@ChitruGangster) May 20, 2014
154, though it isn't a big score but it is not one of those typical IPL pitches, it's difficult to chase this one, Raina achored the innings with a brilliant innings, at one stage they were looking to score around 175 when Raina went on, but Kolkata did well in containing them.
KKR have previosly chased well in previous 4 innings, can they do it tonight, all eyes will be on Robin Uthappa once again
Join us in a few mins
Uthappa and Gauti to open the innings, Hilfenhaus with the new ball
FOUR, that's the short from the man in form, outside off stump, just pushes it towards the cover, Uthappa is class
DROPPED, edge and straight to Ashwin at slip, where he has put down a sitter, he is livid
FOUR, swinging in, Uthappa clips it over midwicket
Ishwar Pandey
FOUR, offers width, Uthappa punches that down to extra cover
FOUR, Uthappa is htiitng it here, played with soft hands towards third man for four, jsut using the pace of the bowler
Uthappa has seven 40+ score in this year's IPL, most by any batsman
Lovely face off by Uthappa. Brilliant opener #RobinHood #KorboLorboJeetbo #PepsiIPL #KKRvsCSK
— Joshua D'souza (@TheJoshuaDsouza) May 20, 2014
KKR 21/0 (2) Uthappa 20*- Gambhir 0* Required rate: 7.44
Mohit Sharma comes into the attack
FOUR, superb from Uthappa, he's middling it here, four on the offside
FOUR, edged it this time, travels between the slip and the wicket keeper for four
FOUR, Gauti this time, off the mark with a beautiful flashy drive thorough the covers
Go #KKR ! Boundaries galore! Korbo Lorbo jeetbo! #KKRvsCSK
— Shreyanka Mazumdar (@ShreyankaM) May 20, 2014
Ishwar Pandey
very good over from him just 2 runs from it
Uthappa's strike rate 1st innings : 112.84 his strike rate in 2nd innings: 130.01 (since 2011 IPL)
KKR 36/0 (4) Uthappa 30*- Gauti 5* Required rate 7.43
Hilfenhaus back ino the attack
CSK's success rate is 57% when defending 150 par totals in IPL, the best for any team
Uthappa dances dwon the track looking to swing hard, misses, being too ambitious it seems
FOUR, this is good shot, on the pads, Uthappa just glances through the midwicket, runs away for four
Spin for CSK, Ashwin comes to bowl inside powerplay, his overs will be very crucial
FOUR, Robin is at the top of his game, round the wicket, on to pads, Uthappa sweeps it to fine leg boundary, 50 up for KKR
KKR 52/0 (6) Uthappa 41*- Gauti 10*
103 runs required from 14 overs
Pandey continues
FOUR, width offer and Gauti accepts it, crunching cover drive from the skipper
Gambhir's average against pace: 24.21 against spin: 55.90 (since 2011 IPL)
FOUR, round the wicket, short outside off, Gambhir sqaure cuts it amazingly to the boundary, no chance for the third man fielder to stop that one
Robin 'SIXAPPA' 's 7th consecutive 40+ Score in IPL! Only Player in IPL History to do so!!! And they say he is not consistent! #KKRvsCSK
— Robin 'SIXAPPA' (@karthik_jammy) May 20, 2014
OUT, change of angle for Ishwar Pandey, length delivery, Gambhir looks to heave that one over onside, gets an inside egde and onto the stumps, gone for 21
Manish Pandey comes at no. 3
@KKRiders @iamsrk And Guys.. Your MOM can only sacrifice her serials for you to watch IPL. Your WIFE cannot... ;) #MaaKaPyar #KKRvsCSK #IPL7
— Anup Kumar Singh (@Ajiboogarib) May 20, 2014
KKR 69/1 (8) Uthappa 45*- Pandey 1*
86 runs required from 72 balls
Jadeja comes now
FOUR, Uthappa guides it past the keeper using the pace, that 50 for Uthappa
Time out
SIX, Pandey slogs that one high and over the fielder, for a maximum
KKR 88/1 (10) Uthappa 54*- Pandey 9*
67 required from 60 balls
Well robin play the same way till the end. Sure you need a spot in Indian cricket team @IPL #KKRvsCSK #PepsiIPL
— Ashif Ali (@ashufreaky) May 20, 2014
Well its all too easy for KKR now, Chennai needs wickets, quick wickets ath this moment, unless there's no chance of them coming back into the game,KKR is cruising
Ishwar Pandey into his last over
FOUR, around middle and leg, Uthappa shuffles and whips it across midwicket, sheer class
Jadeja now
OUT, Uthappa looks to go inside out, finds long off, what an incredible innings from him comes to an end, 61 off 37 balls
Chennai finds the breakthrough, but still KKR in a commanding position, they need a few more
Shakib al Hasan comes out to bat
KKR 99/2 (12) Shakib 1*- Pandey 6*
56 required from 48 balls
Jadeja relishes bowling against KKR, his economy rate is 6.14 against them (since 2011 IPL)
SIX, Shakib loves playing this shot, on middle, picks it up and slogs it towards the long leg into the crowd
KKR 112/2 (14) Shakib 11*- Pandey 9*
43 required from 36 balls
Eden gardens.. Truly the mecca of Indian cricket.. More then 85000 people in the house tonight! Welcome home @KKRiders #PepsiIPL #KKRvsCSK
— Siddharth Dey (@siddharth115) May 20, 2014
Ashiwn into his last over
FOUR, cheeky, lap sweep from Shakib, cleverly done there, plays it fine to the fine leg fence
36 runs required from 30 balls
Raina inserted into the attack
FOUR, slowish, Shakib using his feet nicely and plays straight over the bowlers head, as straight as you like
DROPPED ! short, hit hard from Pandey, McCullum at midwicket drops that one, you gotta take those
KKR 128/2 (16) Shakib 22*- Pandey 14*
27 required from 24 balls
Time Out
Shakib needs to make a statement here why he is touted as one of the best all-rounders in the world/ #KKRvsCSK
— Vamsy K (@MrVamsy) May 20, 2014
Hilfenhaus brought back into the attack
SIX, slower ball and he does a ABD, shuffles and flicks it to fine leg
FOUR, slower ball and this time Shakib hits it towards sqaure leg, poor effort from the fielder
FOUR, fuller this time on off, Shakib has pummled tha one towards covers, he is in a hurry
10 required from 18 balls
Mohit Sharma now
FOUR, using the angle, and hammering it towards fine leg, what an innings he is playing here tonight
Shakib is so good. One of our most consistent players since he joined @KKRiders #IPL2014 #KKRvsCSK
— Raza (@RazK28) May 20, 2014
Indeed, Mr. Raza !
FOUR, and this seals for KKR, Shakib has powered KKR to a victory, staright down the ground
What an innings Shakib has played 46 off just 21 balls
Kolkata 156/2 in 18 overs, win the match by eight wickets (Shakib 46*, Pandey 18*)
That's 5 wins in a row for KKR, they are cruising in the IPL
Shakib u little beauty ... #KKRvsCSK
— Ali (@aliis4u) May 20, 2014
shakib you little beauty! uthappa sets it and shakib comes in for a bash at the end class from the KKR boys today #PepsiIPL #KKRvsCSK
— Joshua Scott (@Joshuwaa94) May 20, 2014
Shakib proved why he is considered as one of the best all rounder in contemperary cricket #KKRvsCSK
— Annna (@iapundir) May 20, 2014
Eden Gardens painted purple.. Its all purple colour at the Eden.Five in Five games for #KKR.Thoroughly professional..#KKRvsCSK
— Rakhil Raveendran (@RakhilSachinist) May 20, 2014
What an incredible innings from Shakib al Hasan late down the order as Kolkata register a maginifecent victory over Chennai. KKR came out to bat and 155 was never a tough target for them, and the Man in form Uthappa gave them another prolific start they Kolkata required, and then contributions from Gambhir and Manish Pandey steered them easily. Chennai have to be blamed themsleves, they were poor in the field, dropped a few catches, misfields and their bowlers failed to provide the breakthroughs.
Robin Uthappa is the Man of the Match
Final Score: Kolkata Knight Riders 156/2 in 18 overs (Robin Uthappa 67- I. Pandey 1/31) beat Chennai Super Kings 154/4 in 20 overs (Suresh Raina 65- Sunil Narine 1/24) by eight wickets