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Kolkata Knight Riders looks unstoppable at the moment, as it looks to be a strong contender for IPL 2021 playoffs. It would face off against an unstable Punjab Kings while we present the match updates.
PBKS pulls off a thriller, and some luck did go its way, as it was a fumbled catch in the end that resulted in a six and handed a five-wicket win, with Shahrukh hitting the winning runs, while Rahul departed for 67. Read full match report here....
OUT! Rahul c Mavi b Iyer 67 (55). PBKS 151/4 (18). Batting: Shahrukh 22 (9), Allen 0 (0).
A couple of more wickets have fallen, as Markram and Hooda have departed. However, PBKS has nearly pulled it through, with some close calls going their way. 15 needed off 12.
OUT! Markram c Gill b Narine 18 (16), Hooda c Tripathi b Mavi 3 (4). PBKS 151/4 (18). Batting: Rahul 57 (49), Shahrukh 14 (6).
It is turning out to be an interesting chase, as Rahul has brought up his 26th IPL half-century. 45 needed off 30.
PBKS 121/2 (15). Batting: Rahul 53 (44), Markram 12 (13).
The second wicket is down, as Pooran falls for 12 to the same man. Can Chakravarthy be KKR's saviour here? 74 needed off 48. Meanwhile, Rahul has regained the Orange Cap.
OUT! Pooran c Mavi b Chakravarthy 12 (7). PBKS 92/2 (12). Batting: Rahul 34 (35), Markram 3 (4).
The first breakthrough is here, as Mayank is the man to depart to spinner Chakravarthy. And, guess who caught it. It's the skipper, Morgan, who had earlier dropped him. But, is it too late, as the openers have cruised so far. 95 needed off 66.
OUT! Mayank c Morgan b Chakaravarthy 40 (27). PBKS 71/1 (9). Batting: Rahul 27 (27), Pooran 1 (1).
No harm done to PBKS so far, as the openers are taking it slow and steady. Spin hasn't done any damage either so far. But, how would the PBKs batters play the post-PP session? 120 needed off 84.
PBKS 45/0 (6). Batting: Rahul 14 (16), Agarwal 31 (20).
Steady start by the PBKS openers, while a dropped catch by Morgan has given a lifeline to Mayank. Can KKR strike back soon?
PBKS 25/0 (3). Batting: Rahul 7 (8), Agarwal 17 (10).
A couple of more wickets have fallen, as KKR has managed 165/7. While it could be 10-15 runs short, PBKS will not have an easy chase.
OUT! Seifert run out (Shami) 2 (4), Karthik b Arshdeep 11 (11). KKR 165/7 (20). Batting: Narine 3 (3).
It's Arshdeep's turn now, as he sends back Rana for 31, while Morgan had departed for a mere couple to seamer Shami. However, KKR is still cruising. Can PBKS restrict it below 170?
OUT! Morgan lbw b Shami 2 (2), Rana c Mayank b Arshdeep 31 (18). KKR 151/5 (18). Batting: Seifert 1 (1), Karthik 5 (5).
Bishnoi gets his second and third for PBKS, as it's the dangerous Iyer who falls for 67. However, runs just keep coming for KKR.
OUT! Iyer c Hooda b Bishnoi 67 (49). KKR 122/3 (15). Batting: Rana 10 (8), Morgan 0 (0).
The second wicket is down and it's spinner Bishnoi who gets the breakthrough, getting rid of Tripathi. As it brings Rana in the middle, PBKs still has some job to do.
OUT! Tripathi c Hooda b Bishnoi 34 (26). KKR 93/2 (12). Batting: Iyer 49 (38), Rana 1 (1).
No further harm done, as Iyer and Tripathi are still at it. PBKS is working hard, but no further success so far, especially for the spinners.
KKR 73/1 (9). Batting: Iyer 42 (30), Tripathi 22 (17).
Iyer and Tripathi have seemingly consolidated right now, with the former looking in good touch as usual. A decent Powerplay by KKr so far.
KKR 48/1 (6). Batting: Iyer 27 (19), Tripathi 10 (9).
KKR is off to a shaky start, losing Gill to pacer Rashdeep, who cleans him up. However, there is hardly anything to panic about for KKR, while the PBKS pacers have been somewhat decent so far.
OUT! Gill b Arshdeep 7 (7). KKR 23/1 (3). Batting: Iyer 10 (7), Tripathi 4 (4).
Toss: PBKS opts to bowl.
KL Rahul: We will bowl first. The wicket has been quite tricky. Some days it's 180, some other days it's 150. So, it could be tough to bat first, better for the opposition to set the target. Our bowling group has done well, but the batting hasn't fired, but it's another opportunity for us. Chris Gayle has left the bubble. Fabian Allen is in. Mayank replaces Mandeep, and Shahrukh Khan is in.
Eoin Morgan: It will be a challenge, but there's no advantage chasing. The teams that play well have deserved the points. Two changes for us - one forced, Seifert is in for Lockie, Shivam Mavi replaces Sandeep Warrier. Both Lockie and Russell have been monitored, and we'll take a call on them. The wicket doesn't look too bad. We'll have to adapt to these conditions and play well.
Playing XI
KKR: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Tim Seifert, Sunil Narine, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee, Varun Chakravarthy.
PBKS: KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Shahrukh Khan, Deepak Hooda, Fabian Allen, Nathan Ellis, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep Singh.
Hello and welcome to Asianet Newsable' live coverage of Match 44 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 between former champions SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Sharjah Cricket Ground on Thursday. SRH is virtually out of the playoffs race, while a defeat here would officially end its pursuit. On the other hand, a win for CSK would seal its playoffs berth.
CSK is currently at the top of the table, with eight wins from ten matches and 16 points. SRH, on the other hand, is at rock bottom, registering just a couple of wins from ten and has collected only four points. Therefore, this match has ideally termed the clash of two poles, despite the two sides belonging to the same geographical pole.
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LIVE SCORECARD: IPL 2021 - SRH vs CSK
The two teams have met each other on 16 moments, with CSK having a lead of 12-4, while in 15 matches in the tournament to date, CSK has an authority of 11-4. Of the three games in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), CSK has a lead of 2-1, while they have met once in Sharjah, with CSK emerging victorious.
The Sharjah weather is sultry, with a temperature of 38 degrees and 50% humidity. The track would be slow and has been the trend this season. However, a shorter ground could somewhat assist the batters. Winning the toss and batting first is ideal, but it won't be a bad toss to lose either. Read the match preview here....
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Catch all IPL 2021 updates here
Probable XI
SRH: Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul and Sandeep Sharma.
CSK: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c and wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran/Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar and Josh Hazlewood.