It's time for Kolkata Knight Riders' big boys to come to the party. With Andre Russell doubtful, Sunil Narine running hot and cold, a lot of emphasis will be on skipper Eoin Morgan and KKR's costliest recruit, Australian bowling allrounder, Pat Cummins. Kolkata Knight Riders are under pressure to win full points in their remaining two games to stay in the reckoning for a spot in the IPL playoffs. First up, KKR face Chennai Super Kings in Dubai today. CSK have no chance to qualify but can spoil KKR's party, like they did to Royal Challengers Bangalore. The first-leg clash between CSK and KKR ended in a win for the purple shirts. Chennai had made a mess of an easy chase and that could be reason enough for MS Dhoni's team to exact some revenge. (LIVE SCORES | POINTS TABLE | FULL SCHEDULE)
11:14 PM IST: "Our bowlers gave it everything, but the skills were a bit off. We'll have to move on quickly. I think the score was enough. I can't fault any bowlers. Nagarkoti probably didn't have enough runs to defend," Eoin Morgaan after the loss.
11:07 PM IST: CSK Win SIX!!!! Nagarkoti hits for over 98m for maximum; Chennai were out of the tournament but this win will make KKR's road to playoffs harder. Jadeja smacks SIX
CSK 178/4 Jadeja 31, Curran 13
11:00 PM IST: CSK need Big shots, Ferguson bowls 19th over; Jadeja drags the 4th ball for a FOUR!!! much need at this stage; Follows it with a full Toss, FREE HIT goes for a SIX!!!!; It's now game of nerves; Last Ball disappears for FOUR
CSK 163/4 Jadeja19, Curran 10, need 10 in 6
10:54 PM IST:CSK need 30 in 12 balls
10:51 PM IST: Cummins to bowl 18th; CSK need big shots; gets a WICKET!!!! Gaikwad gone clean bold for 72 (53b, 6x4, 2x6) CSK 140/4 (17.2); Curran 8
10:48 PM IST: Lockie Ferguson into the attack; Gaikwad gets the release shot a FOUR!!! of the 16.4 ball, Ferguson follows it up with a wide; Under pressure now needs to restrict the next ball to a single
CSK 139/3 (17) Gaikwad 72 (52b), Curran 7 (7b) Need 34 in 18
10:40 PM IST: Narine builds on pressure, keeps CSK quiet, Curran takes a single of the 4th ball, CSK need big shots, Gaikwad in the middle. This chase will test him and Curran. Curran finally finds FOUR of the last ball; 7 runs of the over
CSK 128/3 Curran 5, Gaikwad 64, Need 45 in 24 balls
10:28 PM IST: WICKET!!!! Chakravarthy clean bolds MS Dhoni CSK look in trouble; End of 15th over Chakravarthy drops Sam Curran could have been two wickets in an over
MS Dhoni b Chkravarthy 1 (4), CSK 121/3 (14.4) Gaikwad 62, need 52 in 30
10:28 PM IST: End of 14th Cummins gives away 11
CSK 120/2 (14) Dhoni 1, Gaikwad 61 need 53 in 36 balls
10:28 PM IST: 13.4: WICKET!!! Pat Cummins comes into the attack; KKR want wicket but Rayudu has other plans; Two consecutive FOURS!!!! KKR could see their dream of going 4th on the table slipping; BUT Cummins provides breakthrough Rayudu has played one shot too many caught by Narine
Rayudu c Narine b Cummins 38 (20b) CSK 118/2, need 55 in 38
10:16 PM IST: End of 13th: Chakravarthy into the attack KKR need a wicket. CSK take 9 runs of the over; Gaikwad is looking at yet another match winning contribution, while Rayudu is fluent
CSK 109/1 (13) Rayudu 30, Gaikwad 59, need 63 in 42
10:16 PM IST: End of 12th: 2nd IPL 50 for Ruturaj Gaikwad takes a double of the second ball. CSK are sailing in the chase. Rayudu at the other end is looking in a good form. Rayudu hits Nagarkoti for a SIX!!! of the 4th ball cuts the bowler over extra cover, Chennai are out but looks like will spoil KKR's party;
CSK 100/1 (12) Rayudu 27, Gaikwad 53 Need 73 in 48
10:09 PM IST: Ferguson has been taken for FOUR and a SIX !!! by Gaikwad as CSK take 14 runs of the over; CSK 88/1 (11) Rayudu 19, Gaikwad 49
10:09 PM IST: End of 10th; The ball was tossed to one of the star of the night Nitish Rana; Rayudu loves it, welcomes Rana with 3 consecutive FOURS!!! taste of his own medicine; Remember Rana hit three consecutive sixes in his whrilwind knock of 87; Dew making it difficult to grab the ball; 16 runs of the over
CSK 74/1 (10) Rayudu 17, Gaikwad 37, Need 99 in 60 balls
10:01 PM IST: End of 9th Narine bowls yet another good ball gives away 6 runs all singles; KKR will be happy with it, Gaikwad and Watson were threatening to take the game away from KKR. CSK 58/1 Rayudu 4, Gaikwad 35, Need 115 in 66
9:53 PM IST: End of 8th WICKET!!!!! Chakravarthy provides the breakthrough of the 3rd ball; Shane Watson c Rinku Singh b Chakravarthy 14 (19b) Gaikwad 31; CSK 52/1 (8)
9:53 PM IST: End of 7th CSK have reached 49/0 Narine has been given atmost respect by both Watson and Gaikwad, 5 runs of the over
CSK 49/0 Gaikwad 30, Watson 14
9:46 PM IST: End of 6th POWER PLAY GONE!!! Chakravarthy into the attack, 5.3 Gaikwad takes on the spinner lofts it over bowlers head for FOUR!!!
CSK 44/0 Watson 13 Gaikwad 26, Need 129 in 84
9:44 PM IST: End of 5th; Gaikwad now getting a move on scoring freely against Ferguson; 4.1 FOUR pulled over sqaure leg, 4.3 FOUR straight over bowlers head; Gaikwad is off to a promising start; 9 runs of the over; Varun Chakravarthy into the attack
CSK 37/0 (5) Watson 13, Gaikwad 19
9:40 PM IST: End of 4th; Narine bowls well conceding singles only; a good start 5 runs of the over; Lockie Ferguson into the attack
CSK 28/0 (4) Watson 13, Gaikwad 10
9:34 PM IST: End of 3rd Gaikwad has grown in confidence crunches length ball for a FOUR!!! of Cummins, Not happy Cummins tries a bouncer goes for a FOUR!!Watson finishes the over with yet another FOUR!!! CSK 14 runs of the over; Sunil Narine into the attack;
CSK 23/0 (3) Watson 11, Gaikwad 7
9:25 PM IST: 1.5 SIX!!!!! Nagarkoti's marginally short ball hammered for a maximum ;7 runs of the over
CSK 9/0 (2) Watson 7, Gaikwad 2
9:25 PM IST: End of 1st over by Pat Cummins CSK start watchfully, Cummins manages to keep things tight. Watson coming after missing out a few matches along with Ruturaj Gaikwad takes a few singles; 2 runs of the 1st over
CSK 2/0 (1)
9:20 PM IST: CSK to start the chase with Shane Watson and Ruturaj Gaikwad; Pat Cummins to start the attack for KKR
9:07PM IST KKR set a target of 173 Rana 87 was the best player for them by miles. Now over to KKR bowlers to defend and remain in hunt for playoff berth
KKR 172/5 (20) Karthik 21, Tripathi 3
9:01 PM IST: WICKET!!!! Ngidi gets his second wicket of the match; Morgan c Gaikwad b Ngidi 15, KKR 167/5 (19.2)
8:53 PM IST: End of 19th Sam Curran into his 3rd over; Morgan heaves one for a FOUR of the 1st ball, crushed through extra cover; Karthik gets into act hits FOUR through square leg; 12 runs of the over
KKR 163/4 (19) Karthik 20, Morgan 11
8:53 PM IST: End of 18th New man in Dinesh Karthik and skipper Eoin Morgan now need to show their all-round game. KKR need runs on the board; Karthik slaps 4th ball for a FOUR!!!!; Last ball of the over the fielder dives to take the catch but misses, The ball rolls over to FOUR
KKR 150/4 (18) Karthik 12, Morgan 6
8: 49 PM IST: WICKET!!! and it's a big one for CSK; Nitish Rana gone; Nigidi bowls a slower one, Rana looking to clear the park again only find Sam Curran at long-on; Curran catches a skyer; Rana c Curran b Ngidi 87 (61b)
KKR 137/4 Morgan 6
8:45 PM IST: End of 17th Chahar into the attack Rana weclomes him with a FOUR !!! as Kolkata now turning on the pressure; A ball later another one dispatched for FOUR!! inside out; Rana steals a single; 100 on the cards for Rana plenty of overs to go;
KKR 136/3 (17) Rana 87, Morgan 5
8:43 PM IST: End of 16th 3 SIXES!!!! 1st slog swept for maximum over midwicket; 2nd out of park over sqaure leg; 3rd straight; Rana has put Karan Sharma under pressure; 19 runs of the over a BIG ONE FOR KKR
KKRKKR 125/3 (16) Rana 77, Morgan 4
8:38 PM IST: End of 15th; CSK give away 9 runs, Jadeja gets hit for a FOUR by Rana who is now the senior partner with skipper Morgan at the other end; KKR need some quick runs
KKR 106/3 (15) Rana 58, Morgan 4
8:36 PM IST:End of 14th KKR take 4 runs of the Sharma's over; KKR 97/3 in (14) Rana 51, Morgan 2
8:33 PM IST: FIFTY !!! for Nitish Rana; flicks one to deep micwicket for a single
KKR 95/3 (13.4 ) Rana 50 (44b) Morgan 1
8:30 PM IST: 12.5 KKR Lose another one WICKET!!! Rinku Singh goes. He had hit the previous ball for a FOUR but Jadeja gets his man of the next ball. Rinku gets caught at deep square; Rinku Singh c Rayudu b Jadeja 11; KKR Skipper Eoin Morgan is the next man in
KKR 93/3 (13) Rana 49, Morgan 0
8:26 PM IST: End of 12th; Rana is now rotating the strike and also scoring at will but a good over for CSK, Karan Sharma manages to restrict KKR to singles. JUst 4 runs of the over
KKR 86/2 Rana 47, Rinku 6
8:22 PM IST: End of 11th KKR get into the act of scoring quickly. Rana leads the charge; Santner was in middle of a good over before Rana smashed two FOURS!!! of the last two balls;
KKR 82/2 Rana 45, Rinku 4
8:20 PM IST: End of 10th KKR are trying to settle again; Rana is now taking on the scoring mantle hits a slower bowl of Nigidi for a FOUR!! past point; KKR take 7 runs of the over
KKR 70/2 Rana 35, Rinku 2
8:12 PM IST: WICKET!!!!! End of Sunil Narine knock; tossed up by Santner; Narine goes for a big shot find Jadeja at the bouandary ; Rinku Singh comes in next; Santner has finshed the over with a wicket much to the delight of CSK; Narine c Jadeja b Santner 7;
KKR 63/2 (9) Rana 29; Rinku 1
8:10 PM IST: End of 8th; Sunil Narine has hit a SIX!!!!!!!!! of the third ball he has faced
KKR 60/1 (8)
8:02 PM IST: WICKET!!!! Karan Sharma provides a breakthrough, In form Shubman Gill clean bowled KKR 53/1 (7.2 overs) Gill b Sharma 26 (17b); Rana 27
8:02 PM IST: End of 7th, CSK Take Time out; Rana and Gill have give KKR obe of their best starts in Powerplay this season; Ravindra Jadeja bowling seveth manages a quiet over giving away 4 runs
KKR 52/0 (7) Gill 26, Rana 26
7:58 PM IST: End of 6th ; Mitchell Santner into the attack, Rana has suddenly found hos groove; Two FOURS!!! and a SIX!!!! End of Powerplay KKR take 15 runs of the over
KKR 48/0 (6) Gill 24, Rana 24
7:53 PM IST: End of 5th Lungi Nigidi into the attack bowls an economical over Just one FOUR of the last ball, Rana gets the first proper connection with the ball
KKR 33/0(5) Gill 23, Rana 10
7:48 PM IST: End of 4th; Sam Curran comes around the wicket to cramp Gill for room; Gill makes room moves down the leg side to crash it for FOUR!!!, Rana seems to be struggling at other end; beaten twice before he defends the last ball; 5 runs of the over
KKR 28/0 Gill 22, Rana 6
7:44 PM IST: End of 3rd over; Chahar to bowl his 2nd over. Gill is looking in good touch; short arm pulls the first ball for a FOUR!!!, KKR need more of this; Gill picks up a single of next ; Rana has been watchful and is taking his time to settle playing a sheet anchor role; 7 runs of the over; KKR 23/0 Gill 17, Rana 6
7:39 PM IST: End of 2nd over Sam Curran manages to keep things quiet, Rana who was first ball duck in the last match takes his time to settle; A single of the first and fifth ball as just 3 runs of the over
KKR 16/0 (2)
7:36 PM IST: End of 1st over: A positive start for KKR and an ideal one for KKR, FOUR !!! of the first ball, outside off Gill hammers it past extra cover; Chahar had his man the next ball, but inside edge misses stumps but gives Gill a FOUR!!. Rana has a shaky start, thick edge past a diving short third man; 13 runs from the over; Sam Curran to bowl the next
KKR 13/0 (1)
7:30 PM IST: Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana to start the proceedings for KKR; CSK in huddle, Dhoni leads the team on to the field; Deepak Chahar to bowl the first over
7:15 PM IST: CSK have won the toss and elected to bowl first
CSK make 3 changes Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Monu Kumar out, Karan Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Shane Watson in; For KKR: Rinku Singh replaces Prasidh Krishna
Teams
Kolkata Knight Riders: Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Eoin Morgan (c), Sunil Narine, Rinku Singh, Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c & wk), N Jagadeesan, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi
PREVIEW
KKR have been only a shade better than CSK in terms of performance in this edition of the IPL. With six wins and six defeats, KKR are fifth on the IPL table but they should consider themselves plain lucky to have won some games because their opponents made terrible mistakes. CSK threw away the first-leg match against Kolkata Knight Riders. Needing 69 runs from 48 balls with nine wickets in hand, CSK suffered a batting collapse to lose by 10 runs (target 168).
Sunil Narine and Andre Russell turned match-winners for KKR with spells that choked the CSK batsmen. KKR are sweating on Russell's availability. The burly West Indian all-rounder has been a major flop this season and is now nursing an injury. His withdrawal from the Lankan Premier League earlier this week is a clear signal that all is not well with Russell. If he plays, it will be Sunil Narine's 350th T20 game.
With nothing to lose, CSK can play spoilsport. And they have already hurt the formidable Royal Challengers Bangalore in their previous game. CSK beat RCB by eight wickets in Dubai on Sunday. After Sam Curran's 3 for 19 and Deepak Chahar's 2 for 31 wrecked RCB's strong batting line-up, young Ruturaj Gaikwad, who made his IPL debut this season, scored an unbeaten 65 to lead CSK's reply to RCB's 145 for six wickets. Ambati Rayudu (39 off 27 balls) and MS Dhoni (19 not out off 21 balls) then steered CSK to an easy win with eight balls to spare.
Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders have clashed 22 times in IPL. CSK have won 13 times and KKR eight. One match did not produce a result.
Stephen Fleming along with KKR skipper Eoin Morgan and coach Brendon McCullum before the match in Dubai on Thursday.
