What-a-match it was! In the first innings, it was SRH's phase of drought where their batsmen were not able to score runs freely. However, a cameo from Brathwaite saw them reach a decent total on the board.
In reply, CSK had a shaky start and were tottering, with half the side in the hut under 60 runs. However, it was Faf's calm and Thakur's heroics that helped them beat SRH eventually.
The CSK team is into the IPL Final 2018; seventh time so far! All is not lost for SRH too as they will now have to travel to Kolkata to play the Qualifier-2. We end out live coverage, here, tonight. Do join us tomorrow for more live updates between Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals.
Bhuvi to bowl, in order to defend 6 runs. Faf on strike.
The full delivery on the off stump is hit for a SIX! over the bowler's head. SRH team is distraught, whereas the CSK team is equally delighted. CSK have won the match with 5 balls to go.
Kaul to bowl now. Shardul Thakur welcomes him with two consecutive FOURs! One was an outside edge, the other was an inside edge; brings down the asking rate considerably. A single is followed by a WIDE BALL!
Another single and another two in the next two balls for CSK. Faf and Thakur in a mini-conference now. A full delivery is hit over the bowler's head for another FOUR! What-a-turn of events here! CSK Needs 6 runs off 6 balls.
Brathwaite to bowl. Harbhajan takes a single on the first ball; brings Faf on the strike.
4, 6, 4 on the next three balls as Faf push CSK closer on the mark of victory. With that SIX! Faf also completed his IPL FIFTY! Harbhajan Singh is RUN-OUT! trying to take the second. FOW: 113/8: Harbhajan Singh 2 (9).Shardul Thakur is the new man in.
Faf hits a FOUR! on the last ball of the over, to keep CSK fans' hope alive. CSK needs 23 runs required from 12 balls.
Sid Kaul returns. A single on the first ball is followed by a dot and a single on the next two balls. Harbhajan steals a LEG-BYE! run on the next ball.
Faf steps out of the crease looking for an exuberant drive but finds a fielder. A dot ball and a single to end the over.
Rashid Khan to bowl out his quota of overs. The first ball is rapped on the pads, and SRH successfully. Umpire gives OUT! before CSK decides to call the DRS! it, they have a reprieve. CSK still in the game.
A single taken on the next ball. Harbhajan plays out three consecutive dots. A lovely loopy leg-spin to which Bhajji misses it by a whisker. CSK needs 47 runs off 24 balls now.
Sandeep continues. Chahar reads the slower delivery and deposits it for a SIX! over the midwicket boundary. A single and a dot ball, next.
Faf hits an inside-out cover boundary for a FOUR!The crowd has come alive. Chahar looks to clear the ground, but mistimes the shot; the ball is caught by a diving Brathwaite at long-on boundary. Umpire calls for the Third Umpire. The replays suggest that it is OUT! Harbhajan is the new man in. FOW: 92/7: Deepak Chahar: 10(6).
CSK needs 48 runs off 30 balls now. Easily gettable in T20, but tough chance when you are 7-wicket-down!
Shakib Al-Hasan to bowl. Four singles, 4 runs on the first four balls of the over. Finally, a boundary for CSK, after a long drought. Faf sits back and pulls the short delivery towards the midwicket; the diving SRH player commits harakiri, and lets the ball spill over the boundary ropes for a FOUR! Another ball, another boundary, this time a SIX! over the long on boundary. SRH calls for a TIMEOUT!
Sandeep Sharma is back. Faf continues the ritual of taking a single on the first ball of the over. A dot ball next. The knuckle-ball gets Jadeja's wicket. A soft dismissal. A simple return catch to Sandeep Sharma. Deepak Chahar is the new man in. FOW: 62/6: R Jadeja: 3(5).
Chahar takes a single on the next ball. Faf plays it delicately to steal a two and a single as the over ends.
Rashid to bowl again. Faf dealing in singles on the first ball of the over, for the nth time tonight. Another wicket for SRH here.Rashid snaps Bravo this time. Bravo looks to cut the half-tracker, but the ball flies to the first slip, as he is CAUGHT OUT! Ravindra Jadeja is the new man in. FOW: 57/5: DJ Bravo: 7 (11).
CSK dealing in singles and two at the moment, as they score 4 runs in the next 3 balls. A dot ball to end the over.
Shakib to bowl his first over. Only 6 runs from the over, as CSK like SRH are unable to score freely here. SRH bowlers giving no room to score runs here.
Brathwaite to continue. A single on the first ball is followed by a couple of dot balls. A short delivery is dispatched over the deep midwicket boundary for a SIX! A single and a dot ball to end the over. TIMEOUT called.
Rashid Khan to bowl his first over. A couple of singles on the first three balls of the over. Rashid bowls him through the gates as DHONI is BOWLED OUT! The SRH camp is all smiles. DJ Bravo is the new man in. FOW: 39/4: MS Dhoni: 9 (18). A single and a dot ball to end the over.
Kaul is steaming in! Faf takes a single on the first ball again. Dhoni leaves the ball again (No runs off 8 balls he has faced so far. A first for Dhoni?).
A couple of runs on the next ball is followed by a pull-shot for a FOUR! on the next ball. Finally some runs for the CSK captain. A single and a dot ball to end the over. END OF POWERPLAY!
Bhuvi to continue. Faf takes a single on the first ball. Some unusual (happens quite usually with Dhoni) strategy adopted by Dhoni here, as he sees off Bhuvi's over. Mahi leaves the balls as no shots are offered on those deliveries. Only a single run scored.
Siddharth Kaul to bowl. A dot ball is followed by a FOUR! on the second by Raina. Sidhharth Kaul strikes two-in-two for SRH. CSK's boat is rocked.
Wkt 1: Kaul bowls a good-length delivery to which Raina walks too much across the stumps and is BOWLED OUT! behind the legs. Ambati Rayudu walks in.
Wkt 2: Kauls bowls a full-delivery, which dips into Rayudu as he misses the ball and eventually his off-stump. Rayudu is BOWLED OUT! as SRH scream at top of their lungs. MS Dhoni walks in.
A couple of dot balls to end the over for CSK. It is anybody's game from here on.
Bhuvi to continue. A couple of runs on the first ball is followed by a single on the next. Faf plays a couple of dot balls before he takes a single on the next ball. Bhuvi bowls a leg-side WIDE BALL! A single to end the over.
Sandeep Sharma to share the new ball. A hat-trick of FOURs! for Suresh Raina here. A much-needed impetus for CSK here! A couple of dot balls is followed by a single run on the last ball of the over.
Mumbai, May 22: After a tumultuous ride in the league stage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) find themselves on the top of the IPL Points Table. This means, that the two teams will clash against each other to play the first Qualifying match in IPL Playoffs 2018.
The match will be an interesting watch as both SRH and CSK have had stupendous run in their respective league stage matches. On one hand, the Kane Williamson-led side was billed as one the most balanced sides this IPL; has managed to live up to its billing and subsequently are table toppers.
On the other hand, MS Dhoni-led CSK team was cat-called and mocked for their squad’s average age. The team has defied every bit of critics and are on the second spot of the IPL points table with 18 points in their kitty.
The winner of the match will book their spot in the IPL Final 2018. However, the team which loses the match tonight will have another chance to qualify for the final, as they will then compete against the winner of Eliminator (between Kolkata Knight Riders & Rajasthan Royals) match.
Full Sunrisers Hyderabad Team for IPL 2018:
Kane Williamson (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Manish Pandey, Rashid Khan Arman, Shikhar Dhawan, Wriddhiman Saha, Siddarth Kaul, Deepak Hooda, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma, Carlos Brathwaite, Shakib Al-Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Shreevats Goswami, Mohammad Nabi, Chris Jordan, Basil Thampi, T Natarajan, Sachin Baby, Bipul Sharma, Syed Mehdi Hasan, Ricky Bhui, and Tanmay Agarwal.
Full Chennai Super Kings Team for IPL 2018:
MS Dhoni (c), Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Faf du Plessis, Harbhajan Singh, Dwayne Bravo, Shane Watson, Kedar Jadhav, Ambati Rayudu, Imran Tahir, Karn Sharma, Shardul Thakur, N Jagadeesan, Santner, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Kanishk Seth, Ngidi, Dhruv Shorey, M Vijay, Billings, Mark Wood, Kshitiz Sharma, Monu Kumar, and Chaitanya Bishnoi.
Come Friday, both SRH & CSK would be looking forward to cutting down their trip short and not travel to Kolkata to play the second Qualifier match of the IPL Playoffs 2018. You can catch the ball-by-ball commentary here and live updates of the SRH vs CSK IPL Playoffs' Qualifier Match here.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 22, 2018 06:49 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).