IPL 2021, CSK vs PBKS LIVE UPDATES: Punjab wins by 7 wickets

PBKS wins it by seven wickets, with 42 balls to spare, as Rahul hits the winning runs off a six. Read the full match report here....

PBKS 139/4 (13). Batting: Rahul 98 (42), Henriques 3 (3).

Dominant performance from ! 💪 💪

Captain leads the charge with the bat as seal a clinical 6⃣-wicket win over . 👏 👏

Scorecard 👉 https://t.co/z3JT9U9tHZ pic.twitter.com/rBVh6CssHf

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL)

No further harm done, as Rahul and Markram continue with the same approach, smashing the CSK bowlers all-around. Nine needed off 48.

PBKS 126/3 (9). Batting: Rahul 88 (40), Markram 13 (7).

KL Rahul in full flow is a sight to behold! 🥰

Hope you didn't miss this innings! 😁 pic.twitter.com/9DufPw4nkT

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL)

Shahrukh is the latest to depart for eight to pacer Chahar. However, Rahul continues to attack from the other end, having scored his 27th IPL half-century. It still appears to be PBKS's game. 55 needed off 66.

OUT! Shahrukh c Bravo b Chahar 8 (10). PBKS 80/3 (9). Batting: Rahul 59 (29).

Leading run-scorer for us ✅
Gets the orange cap back ✅

Rahul on a rampage as he gets to his fifty off just 25 balls! 😍 pic.twitter.com/f9DdWT7WmD

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL)

A couple of wickets are down for PBKS, as Agarwal and Sarfraz have made their way back off Thakur. Can CSK strike back? 84 needed off 84.

OUT! lbw b Thakur 12 (12), Sarfaraz c du Plessis b Thakur 0 (3).PBKS 51/2 (6). Batting: Rahul 38 (18), Shahrukh 0 (3).

Double-wicket over from ! 👏 👏

The pacer gets Mayank Agarwal & Sarfaraz Khan out in his first over. 👍 👍

Follow the match 👉 https://t.co/z3JT9U9tHZ pic.twitter.com/OJgrxvUTx6

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL)

The PBKS openers are off to a steady start, as they look to get the job done as quickly as possible. Things not going CSK's way at the moment.

PBKS 27/0 (3). Batting: Rahul 19 (10), Agarwal 7 (8).

Impressive bowling effort, time to chase this down! 💪🏻 pic.twitter.com/RRPX38uxNG

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL)

Du Plessis departed in the final over to seamer Shami for 76, while he nearly steered CSK to 140, as the side has finished on 134/6. Won't be an easy chase for PBKS, considering CSK's strong bowling attack.

OUT! du Plessis c Rahul b Shami 76 (55). CSK 134/6 (20). Batting: Jadeja 15 (17), Bravo 4 (2).

No harm done in the following three overs, as du Plessis and Jadeja are looking to take the attack to the PBKs bowlers? Is 140 on the cards?

CSK 82/5 (15). Batting: du Plessis 37 (35), Jadeja 9 (9).

The art The artist pic.twitter.com/st93tJEUtq

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL)

Dhoni is the fifth wicket to fall, as Bishnoi forces him to play it on off a googly. It's still PBKS that's on top.

OUT! Dhoni b Bishnoi 12 (15). CSK 61/5 (12). Batting: du Plessis 26 (26).

A couple of more setbacks for CSK, as Uthappa and Rayudu are gone now. The PBKS bowlers are just ripping it apart right now.

OUT! Uthappa c Harpreet b Jordan 2 (6), Rayudu c Arshdeep b Jordan 4 (5). CSK 44/4 (9). Batting: du Plessis 21 (22), Dhoni 1 (1).

Another fine catch in the deep! 👌 👌 are doing a fine job in the field as completes a very good catch. 👍 👍

Second wicket for as he dismisses Ambati Rayudu. 👏 👏

Follow the match 👉 https://t.co/z3JT9U9tHZ pic.twitter.com/Sakpj9hhLo

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL)

CSK has suffered a couple of setbacks, with Gaikwad and Moeen gone, as the PBKS bowlers seem adamant in producing a top performance in this clash. Powerplay belongs to PBKS.

OUT! Moeen c Rahul b Arshdeep 0 (6). CSK 30/2 (6). Batting: du Plessis 15 (14), Uthappa 1 (2).

Bounces out Gaikwad with a 🔝 nut! 😍 pic.twitter.com/nziWt5YsZN

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL)

CSK openers are off to a slow and watchful start, while PBKs bowlers have bowled tight so far.

CSK 13/0 (3). Batting: Gaikwad 9 (11), du Plessis 2 (7).

Dial 1331 for a Perfect start! 🤝 🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/UWopfNaltU

— Chennai Super Kings - Mask P😷du Whistle P🥳du! (@ChennaiIPL)

Toss: PBKS opts to bowl.

KL Rahul: We will bowl first. One of the reasons we are bowling first is we can look at the permutations and combinations to look at. The middle-order has tried their best and hasn't delivered at times. They are all quality players and performed for their respective teams. Just one change, Jordan comes in for Pooran.

MS Dhoni: It is tough to maintain fitness. Whenever we came back for the second leg, we knew we would have back to back games. We had three games in five days. No, we are playing with the same XI. The heat is a factor. The wicket looks good. Well, you can see me in yellow next year. But whether I will be playing for CSK? There are a lot of uncertainties around it for the simple reason that we have two new teams coming up. We don't know the retention policy. We don't know how many foreigners, Indian players we can retain, the money cap that every player will be cutting from the kitty. So, there are a lot of uncertainties. Unless the rules are in place, you can't decide that. So, we will wait for it to happen and hopefully, it will be suitable for everyone.

🚨 Toss Update 🚨 have elected to bowl against .

Follow the match 👉 https://t.co/z3JT9U9tHZ pic.twitter.com/H94DPnktyv

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL)

Playing XI
CSK: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar and Josh Hazlewood.
PBKS: KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Aiden Markram, Sarfaraz Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Moises Henriques, Chris Jordan, Harpreet Brar, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep Singh.

Hello and welcome to Asianet Newsable's live coverage of Match 53 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 between former champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday. While CSK has sealed its playoffs berth, it is battling for the top spot, as PBKS would look to keep its playoffs hopes alive with a big win in this clash.

CSK is ranked second in the table, having won nine games from 13 and assembling 18 points. In contrast, PBKS is placed sixth, registering five victories from 13, compiling 16 points.

LIVE SCORECARD: IPL 2021 - CSK vs PBKS

The two sides have met each other on 25 occasions, with CSK holding a lead of 16-9, while in 24 IPL encounters, CSK is leading 15-9. Of the three United Arab Emirates (UAE) matches, CSK leads 2-1, while their only conflict in Dubai saw CSK winning it.

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The weather in Dubai is glowing and radiant, with a temperature of 37 degrees and 45% humidity. The track will be slow again, and chasing upon winning the toss would be ideal, considering the dew factor. Read the full match preview here....

Catch all IPL 2021 updates here

Probable XI
CSK: MS Dhoni (c), Faf Du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Robin Uthappa/N Jagdeeshan (wk), Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar and Josh Hazlewood.
PBKS: KL Rahul (c), Mayank Agarwal, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Sarfaraz Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Moises Henriques, Harpreet Brar, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep Singh.