IPL 2018: Raina, Dhoni guide CSK to 5-wicket win vs KXIP, RR confirmed a playoff spot

Pune: Kings XI Punjab were knocked out of IPL 2018 after failing to bundle out CSK for 100 runs or less, meaning that Rajasthan Royals advanced to the playoffs instead.

Ajinkya Rahane’s men, as a result, joined Sunrisers Hyderabad, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders.

Having posted a total of 153-9 from 20 overs, KXIP needed to win this match comprehensively by 53 runs or more.

The visitors dismissed Ambati Rayudu (1), Faf du Plessis (14) and Sam Billings (0) within the first five overs. Harbhajan Singh, however, came in to bat at number five and contributed 19 runs.

What followed was a 56-run stand between Suresh Raina and Deepak Chahar (39), after which the latter departed.

However, that dismissal came in too late as the hosts had already gone past 100.

In the end, it was a typical Dhoni six that sealed the match in the first ball of the final over. Suresh Raina (61 not out) got to his 34^th IPL fifty, whereas MS Dhoni remained unbeaten on 16.

Here are the confirmed playoff fixtures:

Qualifier 1: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Chennai Super Kings (Mumbai), May 22 (Tuesday)

Eliminator, Kolkata Knight Riders vs Rajasthan Royals (Kolkata), May 23.

Qualifier 2, Loser of Qualifier 1 vs Winner of Eliminator (Kolkata), May 25.

Final at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on May 27, Sunday.

CSK 114-5 from 16.1 overs

WICKET! KXIP get some consolation, as Ashwin strikes to remove Deepak Chahar for 39. This wicket has come too late for the visitors though.

CSK 102-4 from 15 overs

KXIP's IPL is all but over, as they have failed to bundle out CSK to 100 or below. With this result, Rajasthan Royals join CSK, KKR and SRH in the playoffs

CSK 58-4 from 10.1 overs

WICKET! Captain Ravichandran Ashwin strikes as he removes Harvhajan Singh for 19 runs.

CSK 27-3 from 5 overs

KXIP have got the start that they wanted. Needing to bundle CSK out for 100 in order to qualify for playoffs, the visitors have already dismissed Ambati Rayudu (1 run), Faf du Plessis (14) and Sam Billings (0). While Ankit Rajpoot has got two wickets, Mohit Sharma has got one wicket.

KXIP innings

Kings XI Punjab struggled their way to a total of 153 in their match against Chennai Super Kings here on Sunday.

Having lost the toss, the visitors got to the worst possible start, losing Chris Gayle (0 runs), Aaron Finch (4 and KL Rahul (7) in the first four overs.

However, Manoj Tiwary (35) and David Miller (24) put up a 50-run partnership, soon after which both of them were dismissed.

While wickets were collapsing at the other end, Karun Nair fought bravely and confidently as he ended up with 54 runs.

For CSK, Lungi Ngidi was the star who stole the show, as he finished with a fantastic spell of 4-10 from four overs.

KXIP 116-6 from 16.3 overs

WHAT A CATCH! That was a catch that looked easy by Sam Billings at deep mid-wicket to dismiss Axar Patel for 14. Shardul Thakur celebrates his first wicket in style.

KXIP 80-5 from 12.1 overs

CLEAN BOWLED! Dwayne Bravo ensures that the bails are broken as he removes David Miller for 24 runs. Kings XI are in real trouble now.

KXIP 76-4 from 11.1 overs

WICKET! A 50-run partnership between Manoj Tiwary and David Miller comes to an end as the former is dismissed for 35 by Ravindra Jadeja. The ball edges and goes to the hands of MS Dhon, as the visitors lose another precious wicket.

KXIP 16-3 from 4 overs

WICKET! Another crucial wicket for CSK as KL Rahul is bowled for seven runs by Lungi Ngidi. The South African, meanwhile, gets his second victim.

KXIP 14-2 from 2.5 overs

WICKET! Aaron Finch is caught at first slip by Suresh Raina as Deepak Chahar gets his first wicket.

KXIP 7-1 after 1.2 overs

WICKET! Lungi Ngidi strikes early as he gets the crucial wicket of Chris Gayle, who departs for a duck.

Toss update

Chennai Super Kings have won the toss and elected to bowl in tonight's second encounter.

Here is how the teams lineup:

Preview

A win will certainly be the aim for Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) when they take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a ‘Battle of Kings’ here on Sunday.

Ravichandran Ashwin’s men are currently lying seventh on the table, and will have to win their final league match by a huge margin whatsoever.

The visitors, though, will hope that Delhi Daredevils (DD) beat Mumbai Indians (MI), and will also hope to beat Dhoni’s men by a huge margin.

KXIP should hope that MI do not beat DD, because if they do, then MI would go ahead based on Net Run Rate.

In fact, KXIP failed to cross the line in their last IPL match against MI, losing to the defending champions by three runs at Wankhede Stadium recently. That loss, though, would have proved to be costly and could have avoided a last-minute tension had it not been for the loss.

For CSK, this match will be a dress rehearsal for the playoffs. The Men in Yellow were confirmed a playoff spot soon after they beat Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by eight wickets. However, a place in the top two could have been confirmed had they beaten Delhi Daredevils on Friday.

Matches between the two sides have been very closely-contested. CSK, however, hold a 10-8 head-to-head record against KXIP and will look to spoil KXIP’s chances to advance to the playoffs.

Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni(Captain), Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina Sam Billings, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Harbhajan Singh, Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi, Faf du Plessis, Murali Vijay, Imran Tahir, Karn Sharma, David Willey, KM Asif, Kanishk Seth, Dhruv Shorey, Kshitiz Sharma, Monu Kumar, Chaitanya Bishnoi, , N Jagadeesan.

Kings XI Punjab: Ravichandran Ashwin (Captain), Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, Yuvraj Singh, , N Jagadeesan, Manoj Tiwary, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Andrew Tye, Mohit Sharma, Ankit Rajpoot, Karun Nair, David Miller, Mayank Agarwal, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Barinder Sran, Akshdeep Nath, Ben Dwarshuis, Pardeep Sahu, Mayank Dagar, Manzoor Dar.

When is the match?

The match is scheduled to start at 8 P.M. IST on Sunday, May 20th.

Where is the match?

The match will take place at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune.

Live telecast and timings:

With Star India now acquiring the media rights from Sony Pictures Network India for the upcoming season, the matches will be telecast on various Star Sports channels.

Live streaming:

The matches can be viewed live on Hotstar.com or on the Hotstar app.