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Jadeja’s Heroics Give CSK IPL Glory

With this thrilling win, the MS Dhoni-led CSK has now equalled Mumbai Indians’ record for most (five) IPL titles…reports Asian Lite News

Star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja smashed a six and four in the last two balls and along with vital contributions from other batters helped Chennai Super Kings beat Gujarat Titans by five wickets (via DLS method) in the rain-affected rescheduled final of the 2023 season to clinch a record-equalling fifth Indian Premier League title at the Narendra Modi Stadium, here on Monday night.

With this thrilling win, the MS Dhoni-led CSK has now equalled Mumbai Indians’ record for most (five) IPL titles. The 41-year-old Dhoni also became the joint-most successful captain (titles in 2010, 2011, 2018, 2021, 2023) in tournament history along with Rohit Sharma (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022).

A sensational quick-fire fifty from Sai Sudharsan (96 off 41) along with Wriddhiman Saha’s vital half-century (54 off 39) powered Gujarat Titans to 214/4 in 20 overs.

Sudharsan looked flawless throughout his innings and played some breathtaking shots against an indisciplined bowling line-up. Apart from Sudharsan and Saha, the likes of Shubman Gill (39 off 20) and Hardik Pandya (21 off 12) also made vital contributions with the bat.

Chasing a mammoth target, CSK scored four runs in the first three balls of the innings with openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway at the crease before rain intervened and stopped the play. When the play resumed at 12:10 am after a long delay due to a wet outfield, the revised target for CSK was to chase 171 runs in 15 overs.

Both Conway and Gaikwad came with an attacking mindset and gave CSK a flying start. They played some beautiful shots and hammered Md Shami, Hardik Pandya and even Rashid Khan and took CSK to 52/0 in the revised four-over Power-play.

Gujarat Titans badly needed a wicket and left-armer spinner Noor Ahmed gave them the crucial breakthrough by removing Gaikwad (26 off 16). Not only Gaikwad, but the young Afghan spinner also got rid of the dangerous-looking Conway to put CSK on the back foot.

Two new batters — Impact Substitute Shivam Dube and Ajinkya Rahane — were at the crease and had a massive task ahead of them. As has been the case with Rahane this season, he once again showed his class and played some exquisite strokes to give the much-needed impetus to CSK innings.

Though Dube was struggling to get his timing right, Rahane was in fine touch and took CSK to 112 for 2 in 10 overs. Just when it looked like CSK were cruising towards the target, veteran Mohit Sharma bowled with a great change of pace to pile up the pressure of dots and singles to eventually lure Rahane (27 off 13 balls)

The see-saw battle continued as Dube finished off Rashid’s over with two successive sixes, leaving the four-time champions to chase 38 runs off the last 18 balls. Thereafter, Ambati Rayudu, who was playing his last IPL game, went on to hit 6, 4, 6 against Mohit to dwarf the target, but he got out of the next ball.

Dhoni walked in to bat with 22 needed off 14 and he had the chance to pull off the perfect ending but it wasn’t to be as the CSK skipper hit the ball straight to cover for a first-ball duck. Shami then bowled a fine penultimate over to leave Mohit to defend 13 in six balls as Dube and Jadeja were not able to find boundaries.

Ahmedabad, May 30 (ANI): Chennai Super Kings’ skipper MS Dhoni lifts Ravindra Jadeja in celebration after winning the final match of Indian Premier League 2023 as CSK beat Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets, at Narendra Modi Stadium, in Ahmedabad on Tuesday. (ANI Photo/ Digital Restriction)

Mohit Sharma bowled excellent yorkers and gave just three runs in the first four balls. But Jadeja had other plans and he hit a six and four in the last two balls to give CSK a thrilling five-wicket win and record fifth title.

Earlier, asked to bat first, openers Gill and Saha were a bit cautious in their approach in the first two overs against Deepak Chahar and Tushar Deshpande and were helped by some sloppy fielding as well.

In the second over of the innings bowled by Deshpande, CSK skipper M.S. Dhoni placed Deepak Chahar at backward square and Gill hit the ball exactly there but the pacer couldn’t catch it, which changed the momentum in Gujarat’s favour.

From there on, both Chahar and Deshpande were taken on by Gill and Saha. Even spinner Maheesh Theeksana, who came to bowl the sixth over, was treated severely as Gujarat Titans raced to 62/0 at the end of the Power-play.

It was Ravindra Jadeja who gave CSK their first breakthrough by removing the dangerous Gill, courtesy of a typically quick and incredible glovework from Dhoni. Gill dragged his back leg out and with the speed at which Dhoni operates, there was just no time for the batter to even consider getting back into the crease.

After Gill’s wicket, things slowed down a bit for the Gujarat batters — Saha and Sai Sudharsan. The CSK spinners, Jadeja and Theeksana, were getting some assistance from the pitch as the Titans reached 86/1 at the halfway mark.

With 10 overs to go and nine wickets in hand, Sai and Saha decided to up the ante, scoring 23 in the next two overs off Jadeja and Matheesha Pathirana, giving some impetus to Titans’s innings. Saha, who came to open the innings and looked confident from the beginning, hit a Jadeja delivery between short third and backward point to score his fifty off 36 balls.

Things were going quite well for Gujarat and Dhoni brought Deepak Chahar into the attack. The pacer, who didn’t have a great night in the field, got Saha to top-edge a pull and Dhoni took a simple catch, leaving Gujarat at 131/2 after 14 overs.

Sai Sudharsan was a touch slow through the lull in the middle overs but then decided to tee off. The left-handed batter had skipper Hardik Pandya at the other end but he took the mantle of scoring runs at a high pace. Some poor bowling from Theekshana and Pathirana also helped his cause as Sudharsan raced away to fifty off 32 balls.

After reaching his half-century, Sudharsan became even more aggressive and clobbered Deshpande for 20 runs in an over, with the help of one six and three fours. Gujarat were 173/2 in 17 overs and looked all set to get a big total on the board.

The next over bowled by Pathirana gave Gujarat just nine runs but Tushar Deshpande was taken to the cleaners by Pandya and Sai Sudharsan for 18 runs as nothing was going well for CSK bowlers against a formidable Titans batting line-up.

Pathirana came to bowl the last over and he was welcomed by sixes in the first two balls. However, the Sri Lankan pacer had the last laugh as he trapped Sudharsan in front of the wicket, ending the left-hander’s batting carnage and denying him the chance to score his maiden IPL century.

In the next three balls, Pathirana gave just two runs and also removed Rashid Khan as Gujarat Titans finished with 214/4 on the board.

Brief scores:

Gujarat Titans 214/4 in 20 overs (Sai Sudharsan 96, Wriddhiman Saha 54; Matheesha Pathirana 2-44) Chennai Super Kings 171/5 in 15 overs (revised target) (Devon Conway 47, Ajinkya Rahane 27, Shivam Dube 32 not out, Ravindra Jadeja 15 not out; Mohit Sharma 3-36, Noor Ahmad 2-17) by five wickets via DLS method.

ALSO READ: Rain pushes CSK vs GT final to reserve day

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Rain pushes CSK vs GT final to reserve day

It is the first time that an IPL final has moved into a reserve day…reports Asian Lite News

The final of the 2023 edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) between four-time winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Narendra Modi Stadium has been moved to the reserve day, which is Monday, May 29, after persistent heavy rain forced washout of proceedings on Sunday.

It is the first time that an IPL final has moved into a reserve day.

“The #Final of the #TATAIPL 2023 has been moved to the reserve day on 29th May – 7:30 PM IST at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad. Physical tickets for today will be valid tomorrow. We request you to keep the tickets safe & intact,” announced the IPL via its Twitter account.

Things turned for the worse at around 6:30 pm on Sunday, after dark clouds suddenly collected quickly over the stadium when both teams were preparing for the toss in 30 minutes. It began to rain incessantly which was also accompanied by thunder and lightning, forcing the fans to move quickly backwards to seek shelter and protection from the downpour.

The rain had stopped around 8:55 pm, with the super soppers swinging into action immediately to dry the ground and pitch area and ensure full overs were possible, while the players began to warm up in anticipation of the start of the match, considering the cut-off time was 9:35 pm.

Before that could materialise, the rain came back with even greater intensity. The covers were put on again and fans scrambled back to take shelter yet again as ponds of water started to take shape around the covers.

“12:06 AM is the latest time we can start and the groundsmen have sort of given us an hour to mop up the ground. So if it’s still raining at 11 o’clock, we are in a lot of trouble,” said on-field umpire Rod Tucker to the broadcasters.

As Tucker feared, the relentless rain stayed late into the night, forcing the match to be moved to reserve day. With the IPL playing conditions allowing the final to have the provision for a reserve day, it is expected that weather permitting (with rain forecasted for Monday too), cricket fans in the stadium and around the world will get to witness a full game on Monday.

The two finalists — Chennai and Gujarat — had also featured on the opening day of the tournament, as the two-month-long league comes full circle on Sunday, with fans wearing Chennai’s yellow jersey thronging the stadium in large numbers.

Chennai, led by M.S. Dhoni, are the second-most successful team in IPL history, having won the title four times in 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021, and are eyeing their fifth title. The final of IPL 2023 is also Dhoni’s 250th appearance in the tournament since being a part of it from the inaugural year in 2008 and will also be Ambati Rayudu’s last match as an IPL player after the right-handed batter announced on his Twitter account on Sunday.

On the other hand, Gujarat are the defending champions and seeking to win back-to-back IPL titles, becoming the third team to do so in the history of the competition. Interestingly, in nine out of 12 finals since 2011, when the playoffs system came into effect, the team that emerged victorious in Qualifier 1 has won the final too.

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Four times champions CSK vs Defending champions Titans

Interestingly both these sides had kicked off the season at the same venue, so IPL 2023 has come full circle….reports Asian Lite News

In a battle between mentor Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his protege Hardik Pandya, the four times champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will lock horns with defending champions Gujarat Titans in the all-important final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at Narendra Modi Stadium, here on Sunday.

Interestingly both these sides — CSK and GT — had kicked off the season at the same venue, so IPL 2023 has come full circle.

The Titans had beaten CSK in the opening game. However, earlier this week, CSK levelled the score with a comprehensive win in Qualifier 1 in Chennai. And now, it’s time for the final showdown between the two teams, which are built around the same philosophy.

If one observes closely, both these teams keep things simple, back their players, and create a relaxed team environment. Even Hardik Pandya has praised the CSK team environment recently but on the field, he will look to trump Dhoni.

Pandya has always said he has learnt a lot, not just about cricket but also life, from Dhoni and there is a brotherly relationship and mutual admiration between the two. After losing Qualifier 1 to CSK, Pandya lauded Dhoni’s captaincy.

“That’s the beauty about Dhoni. With his mind and the way he uses the bowlers, it fee’s like he’s adding 10 runs. We kept losing wickets, he kept changing the bowlers, credit to him. Would be nice to meet him on Sunday,” Pandya had said after the game.

Sunday’s game will be Dhoni’s 11th IPL final (his tenth with CSK) and no player has featured in more summit clashes. On the other hand, Pandya has been a part of five finals before 2023, with an amazing record of winning on all occasions (four with Mumbai Indians and one with Gujarat Titans)

Meanwhile, CSK will have a chance to equal the historic number (five) of titles with Mumbai Indians while Titans, who surprised everyone by emerging as champions in their debut season, will be keen to make it two in two.

As far as playing combinations are concerned, both teams are expected to be unchanged. The focus will be once again on Shubman Gill, who is in red-hot form and would love to continue that in the summit clash. For CSK, Deepak Chahar’s swing will be vital to counter Gill, who needs 123 runs to break Virat Kohli’s record for most runs (973) in an IPL season.

On the other hand, Titans pacer Mohammed Shami has a favourable match-up against Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad. He has dismissed Conway three times in three innings, with the Kiwi batter managing just five runs across 12 balls. Gaikwad has never fallen to Shami but has scored at a strike rate of just 69.69 (46 off 66 balls) against him.

There are many other interesting match-ups between the players of both sides and it will be interesting to see how it plays out on a high-scoring venue.

Overall this IPL, teams batting first have been more successful, winning 40 games and losing 32 so far. Given it’s the final, and dew is not expected to play a big role, both Titans and CSK may prefer having runs on the board.

Squads:

Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (c), Ravindra Jadeja, Tushar Deshpande, Matheesha Pathirana, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Subhranshu Senapati, Simarjeet Singh, Deepak Chahar, Akash Singh, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner.

Gujarat Titans: Mohammed Shami, Abhinav Sadarangani, Rahul Tewatia, Noor Ahmad, R Sai Kishore, Jayant Yadav, Hardik Pandya (c), Vijay Shankar, Darshan Nalkande, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph, Shubman Gill, Pradeep Sangwan, David Miller, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, B Sai Sudarshan.

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Chennai march into their 10th IPL final

In reply, Rashid Khan’s 30-run cameo did give GT a glimmer of hope but CSK bowlers were at their best and bowled out the Titans for 157 in 20 overs to book the ticket to finale…reports Asian Lite News

Ruturaj Gaikwad’s 60 off 44 followed by a commanding display by the bowlers guided Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to their 10th final with a 15-run win over defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 Qualifier 1 at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, here on Tuesday.

Opener Devon Conway was struggling for rhythm but his partner Gaikwad was fluent as usual and stroked to his fourth fifty of the season. GT pulled things back nicely during the middle overs and seemed to have control of the proceedings. Towards the end, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali chipped in with cameos as CSK managed to reach 172/7 in their 20 overs.

In reply, GT couldn’t manage to build up any significant partnerships as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Rashid Khan’s 30-run cameo did give GT a glimmer of hope but CSK bowlers were at their best and bowled out the Titans for 157 in 20 overs to book the ticket to finale.

Chasing 173, the Titans had a shaky start, losing two wickets in the Power-play. Deepak Chahar drew the first blood by dismissing Wriddhiman Saha. Then Maheesh Theekshana struck in the sixth over and got the big wicket of skipper Hardik Pandya. Shubman Gill’s couple of lovely shots took GT to 41 for the loss of two wickets at the end of Power-Play.

The spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Theekshana kept things tight in the next three overs before Shanaka hit a back-to-back boundary and a maximum in the 10th over, taking GT to 72/2.

Chennai, May 23 (ANI): Chennai Super Kings’ MS Dhoni sets the field during the 1st qualifier match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 against Gujarat Titans, at MA Chidambaram Stadium, in Chennai on Tuesday. (ANI Photo/ Digital Restriction)

In the next over, Jadeja removed Dasun Shanaka, who looked to reverse sweep over the point fielder but didn’t get it off the middle of the bat. Theekshana at short third man moved to his right and took a fine catch.

After Matheesha Pathirana’s 10-ball over, Jadeja struck again in the 13th over and cleaned up David Miller, finishing his spell with 2-18. In the next over, Deepak Chahar got the big fish Gill for 42, making the chase tougher as Titans were reduced GT to 88/5 and the asking run rate was over 12 runs per over.

Theekshana bowled the carrom ball and Rahul Tewatia was caught flat-footed deep inside the crease and was unable to tuck it away. The ball beat the bat and crashed into the stumps and, Gujarat lost their sixth wicket and 71 was needed in the next 30 balls.

Then, Rashid Khan and Vijay Shankar went for a few big hits and collected 19 runs in the 17th over to shift some momentum. But momentum again turned in CSK’s favour with two successive wickets. First Pathirana dismissed Shankar on the third ball of the 18th over, then Subhranshu Senapati’s direct hit sent Darshan Nalkande back to the hut.

With 35 needing in 12 balls, Rashid Khan smashed a boundary on the first ball of the penultimate over but, a moment later, Tushar Deshpande dismissed GT’s only hope, Rashid.

When 27 needed off 6, Pathirana conceded a boundary and picked up a wicket of Shami as GT was bowled out for 157 and CSK walked away with 15 runs.

Earlier, batting first, Chennai had a steady yet dramatic start as Gaikwad got caught at mid-wicket in the second over but was lucky to survive as Darshan Nalkande overstepped and the hooter went up. He then smoked over long-on for a six on a free hit and hit a boundary on the next ball.

With some cracking shots from Gaikwad and Conway, CSK reached 49 for no loss at the end of the Power-play. Soon, Gaikwad completed his fifty off 36 balls as CSK reached 85 for no loss at the halfway mark.

When the Titans were looking for a breakthrough, Mohit Sharma struck gold for Gujarat the next over and sent Gaikwad back, ending the 87-run opening stand.

After Gaikwad’s dismissal, the boundaries dried up for Chennai but Conway broke the shackles as he got an outside edge for a four. Then, Ajinkya Rahane whipped one over deep mid-wicket for a six but fell on the next ball.

Piling further miseries, Shami came back on and picked up a wicket right away, dismissing the set batter Conway for 40. Then, Rayudu used the depth of the crease and pulled it a long way over the mid-wicket fence for a maximum before falling on the last ball of the 18th over.

M.S. Dhoni came on to bat to a huge roar from the Chennai crowd. Ravindra Jadeja lofted it over cover for a boundary on the fourth ball of the penultimate over. The next delivery there was a deafening silence inside the ground as Dhoni walked back to the hut.

Jadeja got a boundary in the final before falling on the penultimate ball of the innings as Chennai racked up 172/7 in 20 overs.

Brief scores:

Chennai Super Kings 172/7 in 20 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 60, Devon Conway 40; Mohd Shami 2-28, Mohit Sharma 2-31) beat Gujarat Titans (Shubman Gill 42, Rashid Khan 30; Ravindra Jadeja 2-18, Maheesh Theekshana 2-28) by 15 runs

ALSO READ: IPL 2023: Stage set for 1st Qualifier

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Kohli’s ton in vain as Gujarat oust RCB

The result means that Bangalore crashed out of the race to the playoffs, with five-time champions Mumbai Indians sealing the last remaining spot in the last four stage…reports Asian Lite News

After a long wait of 55 minutes for Sunday’s game between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans to start due to rain, the crowd at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium was treated to spectacular one-man show from Virat Kohli, who coasted to his second consecutive century through an unbeaten 61-ball 101.

Kohli’s efforts of carrying his bat through the innings with 13 fours and a six at a strike-rate of 165.57 meant Bangalore posted a competitive 197/5, giving hopes to their die-hard fans in the stadium about reaching the playoffs and keeping the quest for the elusive trophy alive.

But Shubman Gill, the heir apparent of Kohli in the Indian batting line-up, sizzled with an unbeaten 104 off 52 balls, also his second straight IPL century, laced with hitting five fours and eight sixes at a strike-rate of 200 to break countless Bangalore-supporting hearts in the stadium and steal Kohli’s thunder.

He also shared a crucial 123-run partnership off 71 balls for the second wicket with Vijay Shankar, who scored a quick 53, to help Gujarat chase down 198 with five balls to spare, in what felt like passing of the Indian batting baton from one generation to another.

The result means that Bangalore crashed out of the race to the playoffs, with five-time champions Mumbai Indians sealing the last remaining spot in the last four stage and will face Lucknow Super Giants in the eliminator on May 24 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Chasing 198, Wriddhiman Saha and Gill hit two fours each in the first three overs, before the former fell in the third over off Mohammed Siraj when Wayne Parnell at cover jumped to take the catch with his outstretched left hand for a stunning one-handed take.

Shankar got couple of outside edges off Parnell for fours, followed by lofting a six over long-on as Gujarat ended power-play at 56/1. While Shankar struggled to get his timing against spinners, Gill smacked Vyshak Vijaykumar down the ground for a clean six, followed by a lucky edge going for four and swiping Himanshu Sharma for six over deep mid-wicket.

A change of bat saw Shankar cut Harshal Patel for four, followed by slog-sweeping between long-on and deep mid-wicket off Himanshu for another boundary. Gill ended the 11th over by dancing down the pitch to drive Himanshu through extra cover, followed by getting his fifty in 29 balls.

Bengaluru, May 21 (ANI): Gujarat Titans’ Shubhman Gill and Vijay Shankar during their 100runs partnership in a match against Royal Challengers Bangalore of Indian Premier League 2023, at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru on Sunday. (ANI Photo/Digital Restriction)

Gill then tore into Michael Bracewell’s off-spin, picking up a delivery on pads over long leg for six and clobbered one over deep mid-wicket for another maximum. Gujarat’s luck continued when Shankar got a four off an outside edge against Siraj. He then ramped and lofted Vyshak for two fours, before slogging him for six to get his fifty in 34 balls.

In a bid to get another six, Shankar holed out to deep mid-wicket on the very next ball, followed by Dasun Shanaka holing out in the same region in quick succession. After a no-boundary 17th over, Gill eased pressure with a short-arm pull off Siraj for six, though the pacer bounced back by having David Miller slicing to deep point.

Gill then nailed a pull off Siraj over deep mid-wicket for six to bring the equation to 19 off 12 balls. He again brought out the nonchalant short-arm pull against Harshal for six, before finishing off the chase in style with a maximum over long-on bringing up his second IPL century in as many games.

Earlier, Kohli mesmerised everyone with his magical bottom-handed shots, controlled footwork and usage of wrists to take Bangalore to a big total despite wickets falling around him, and went off the field to a rousing standing ovation from the crowd.

Pushed into batting first, Faf du Plessis went after Mohammed Shami, hitting four boundaries in the third over. Kohli joined the boundary-hitting party by flicking and pulling twice for three well-timed boundaries, before du Plessis ended the over by lofting over mid-off for four to end fourth over by taking 17 runs.

Kohli took a four each off Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad to end power-play at 62/0. Gujarat fought back in the eighth over when du Plessis went for loft off Noor, only for the bottom edge to go past the keeper and lobbed up to slip for an easy catch. Glenn Maxwell began powerfully with a six and four off the left-arm spinner, but was castled by a Rashid googly while trying to drive off him.

Noor stuck again when he enticed Mahipal Lomror to come out for a flick. But the ball went past him down leg and Saha moved swiftly to stump the batter. Kohli smashed a drive past long-off, before reaching his fifty in 35 balls. He found support from Bracewell, who began with three crisp boundaries through the off-side.

Kohli slammed Mohit over extra cover for four, before Bracewell capitalised on his slower deliveries to pick consecutive boundaries in a 15-run 13th over. Bracewell’s handy knock came to an end when the top-edge on a miscue was caught by Shami off his own bowling and Dinesh Karthik fell for a golden duck off Dayal when the bouncer took a glove edge behind.

Kohli led Bangalore’s recovery by cutting wide of cover and square-driving with perfection off Mohit for a brace of fours in the 16th over. He welcomed Dayal by swivelling hard over deep mid-wicket for six, before clipping him for four. Kohli flicked sweetly and pulled off Shami for two fours, before reaching his century off 60 balls in the final over. But it wasn’t sufficient enough to avoid being stunned by Gill.

Brief Scores: Royal Challengers Bangalore 197/5 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 101 not out; Noor Ahmad 2/39) lost to Gujarat Titans 198/4 in 19.1 overs (Shubman Gill 104 not out, Vijay Shankar 53; Mohammed Siraj 2/32) by six wickets

ALSO READ: Chennai sink Delhi, storm into playoff

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Rajasthan not ready to give up yet

The Royals thus put themselves in contention for the Playoffs spots as they moved to fifth on the table with this four-wicket win…reports Asian Lite News

Half-centuries from Yashwasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal followed by Shimron Hetmyers’ stunning 46-run knock powered Rajasthan Royals to a 4-wicket win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a do-or-die match in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, here on Friday.

The Royals thus put themselves in contention for the Playoffs spots as they moved to fifth on the table with this four-wicket win while Punjab Kings are officially out of the race.

After a shaky start, Sam Curran’s unbeaten 49 off 31 and Shahrukh Khan’s quickfire 41 not out off 28 balls along with Jitesh Sharma’s 31-ball 44 guided Punjab Kings to 187/5 in 20 overs.

In reply, half-centuries from Padikkal (51 off 30) and Jaiswal (50 off 36) and Hetmyer’s remarkable knock of 46 in just 28 deliveries and got them close to the finish line. Then Dhruv Jurel sealed the deal with a six helping his side to seal a win with two remaining.

Chasing 188, after an expensive opening over, the Royals lost Jos Buttler in the next over. Then, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal hit the paddle to take the Power-play to 57-1 with eight boundaries and two maximums.

PBKS managed to keep the duo quiet in three overs before Padikkal pulled over deep mid-wicket for a six and completed his fifty with a single. But Arshdeep Singh was quick to dismiss him on the next ball, ending a 73-run second wicket stand and Royals were reeling at 86/2 in 10 overs.

In the next over, Rahul Chahar trapped the big fish, skipper Sanju Samson, who looked to flick over the ropes on the leg side but did not get much elevation. The ball flew straight down the throat of Rishi Dhawan at deep square leg who took an easy catch.

Afterwards, Jaiswal and Shimron Hetmyer started punishing PBKS bowlers with their well-timed hits. Soon the former brought up his fifty in 35 balls but fell to Nathan Ellis on the next ball.

With 47 needed in 30 balls, the Royals managed to get just two fours in the next two overs. Sam Curran almost got Hetmyer in the next over but the batter immediately reviewed the decision. A flat-line on the ultra edge and Hetmyer stayed on with 33 needing in 18 balls.

Kagiso Rabada started the 18th over with a no-ball and Riyan Parag smacked it over deep mid-wicket for a six on free-hit and followed that up with another maximum. Rabada avenged it quickly he dismissed Parag on the last ball of the over.

Hetmyer smashed two boundaries off Curran but departed on the next ball after playing a brilliant knock and 9 was needed in the final over to win.

After three singles came in the first three balls, Dhruv Jurel smoked it down the ground over long-on for a maximum to seal the win for the Royals.

Earlier, batting first, Prabhsimran Singh fell to Kagiso Rabada on the second ball of the innings. But Punjab regrouped quickly with the help of Shikhar Dhawan and Atharva Taide’s strokeplay before Saini sent back Taide for a quickfire 19.

An over later, Adam Zampa came into the attack and removed PBKS skipper Dhawan, trapping him lbw as they were reduced to 48/3 at the end of the Power-play.

Soon, Saini claimed his second as he cleaned up the dangerous batter Liam Livingstone in the seventh over to get the Royals right on top in the innings.

The Royals continued to dominate the innings as no boundary came in the last four overs but Jitesh Sharma broke the shackles hitting Sandeep Sharma with two massive sixes as PBKS reached 78/4 in 10 overs.

Jitesh Sharma took Saini to the cleaners, hitting four, six and four on three successive deliveries but the pacer has the last laugh as he removed the dangerous-looking batter on the next ball. Half of the PBKS line-up was back in the pavilion as Punjab were reeling at 117/5 in 15 overs.

Then, the duo of Shahrukh and Curran took the bowlers to the cleaners as he added 46 runs off the last two overs to take Punjab to 187/5 in 20 overs.

Brief scores:

Punjab Kings 187/5 in 20 overs (Sam Curran 49, Shahrukh Khan 41 not out; Navdeep Saini 3-40) lost to Rajasthan Royals 189/6 in 19.4 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 50, Devdutt Padikkal 51, Shimron Hetmyer 46; Kagiso Rabada 2-40) by four wickets.

ALSO READ: Delhi hurt Punjab’ playoff hopes

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Virat show boosts RCB’s playoff hopes

Hyderabad, May 18 (ANI): Royal Challengers Bangalore's Virat Kohli celebrates his century during the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, in Hyderabad on Thursday. (ANI Photo/ Digital Restriction)

With the clinical win over Sunrisers, RCB jumped to the fourth position in the table having 14 points in 13 matches and boosted their Playoff chances…reports Asian Lite News

Virat Kohli’s excellent century (100 off 63) and Faf du Plessis’ fine fifty (71 off 47) outclassed Heinrich Klaasen’s hundred and led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to a thumping eight-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Match No. 65 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, here on Thursday.

With this win, RCB jumped to the fourth position in the table having 14 points in 13 matches and boosted their Playoff chances. On the other hand, SRH remained at the bottom of the table with just four wins in 13 games.

South African wicket-keeper batter Klaasen’s maiden IPL century (104 off 51) propelled Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) to 186/5 in 20 overs. After Klaasen, Harry Brook (27 off 19) was the second-best scorer for SRH. Both Klaasen and Brook stitched a quickfire stand of 74 runs for the fourth wicket. On the other hand, Michael Bracewell was the most successful bowler for RCB with his superb 2-13.

Chasing 187 to win, openers Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis gave RCB a flying start, scoring 64/0 after 6 overs. It was Kohli, who started the show for RCB, hitting four boundaries in the first two overs bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Abhishek Sharma.

Natarajan bowled a decent over to concede just 7 runs. However, both Du Plessis and Kohli went after Kartik Tyagi, hammering the young pacer for four boundaries in an over. During the process, Faf miscued his shot but Glenn Philips couldn’t get a hold of the ball.

Hyderabad, May 18 (ANI): Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Virat Kohli celebrates his century during the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023, at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, in Hyderabad on Thursday. (ANI Photo/ Digital Restriction)

Both Kohli and Faf pierced the gaps with surgical precision and kept on picking boundaries at their will as RCB were moving strongly in the run chase. With runs flowing from both ends, SRH skipper Markram was forced to make frequent bowling changes. Against debutant Nitish Kumar, spinner Mayank Dagar, openers were a bit cautious but they kept the score-board ticking to take RCB to 95/0 after 10 overs.

Philips came to bowl the 12th over and both Kohli and Faf completed their respective fifties in that over and RCB were cruising towards the title. It seemed like RCB brought their clinical best to the business end of the tournament courtesy Kohli and Du Plessis, who continued their batting carnage as the chasing team were 150/0 after 15 overs.

Nothing was going in SRH’s favour as Virat brought his fantastic century after a long wait of four years. It was Kohli’s sixth hundred in the IPL, drawing level with Chris Gayle and he stitched a massive opening partnership of 172 runs with Faf du Plessis.

In the very next delivery after his century, Kohli got out to Bhuvneshwar in the fifth ball of the 18th over but he had done more than enough for his side. Though Du Plessis was dismissed by Natarajan in the next over, the likes of Glenn Maxwell (5 not out) and Michael Bracewell (4 not out) took RCB over the victory line with four balls to spare.

Earlier, put in to bat first, Sunrisers Hyderabad were off to a slow start as RCB pacers Mohammed Siraj and Wayne Parnell kept the openers — Abhishek Sharma and Rahul Tripathi — on a tight leash.

SRH got some momentum in Parnell’s second over with the openers hitting the pacer for 16 runs. However, New Zealand spinner Bracewell dismissed both openers in his first over to put a halt to the scoring rate.

Abhishek (11) got out while playing a cut shot while Tripathi (15) could only loft his shot to short fine-leg for a catch, leaving SRH at 28/2 after 4.3 overs. The in-form Heinrich Klaasen then came to the party and hammered Shahbaz Ahmed for 16 off his first over, as SRH ended the Power-play with 49-2.

The decision from SRH management to send the in-form batter Klaasen up the order paid dividends as he continued his aggressive approach which resulted in a flurry of fours and sixes.

On the other hand, skipper Aiden Markram was enjoying the show from the other end and happily playing the second fiddle as SRH raced to 81/2 after 10 overs.

In the very next over, Klaasen hit leg-spinner Karn Sharma for a six and took a few singles to complete his half-century in just 24 balls. RCB desperately needed a wicket and it was Shahbaz Ahmed, who broke the 76-run stand by removing Markram.

Despite taking Markram’s wicket, RCB didn’t get any respite and new batter Harry Brook also looked in fine touch from the very first ball, which he faced. Brook, who made a comeback to the side after missing a few games, played some classy shots to get sixes and boundaries. On the other hand, Klaasen was in no mood to stop and took the RCB bowlers to the cleaners with SRH reaching 133/3 after 15 overs.

The decision to bring Shahbaz in the 17th over by captain Faf Du Plessis backfired as both Klaasen and Brook clobbered him for 19 runs. Parnell gave big relief to RCB by conceding just 7 runs in his over.

Klaasen eventually smashed a poor delivery by Harshal for a straight six and got his ton off 49 balls. However, Harshal had the last laugh as he bowled a dipping yorker to dismiss Klaasen. Siraj, who was playing on his home ground, then bowled an excellent over, giving just 4 runs and taking the wicket of Glenn Phillips, to keep Sunrisers to 186-5 in 20 overs.

Brief scores:

Sunrisers Hyderabad 186/5 in 20 Overs (Heinrich Klaasen 104, Harry Brook 27; M Bracewell 2-13) lost to Royal Challengers Bangalore 187/2 in 19.2 overs (Virat Kohli 100, Faf du Plessis 71; T. Natarajan 1-34) by eight wickets.

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Lucknow solidify playoff spot

Lucknow jumped to the third spot in the points table with 15 points and edged closer to sealing their plat-offs berth with one league match to go…reports Asian Lite News

Marcus Stoinis’ unbeaten 89 off 47 balls and Mohsin Khan’s brilliant bowling display in the final over helped Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) register a thrilling 5-run win over Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the Ekana Stadium, here on Tuesday.

With this win, Lucknow jumped to the third spot in the points table with 15 points and edged closer to sealing their plat-offs berth with one league match to go.

Riding on Marcus Stoinis’ unbeaten 89 off 47 along with skipper Krunal Pandya’s 49 off 42 LSG put up a good total of 177 runs on the board.

In response, MI were off to a flying start. Skipper Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan were scoring runs at a brisk pace on a slow track and set a solid platform with their 92-run opening stand. Then, LSG turned the tables in the middle overs and MI struggled in the second half of their chase.

Tim David tried his best to get them over the line, but could not get the job done as Mohsin successfully defended 10 runs in the final over to hand his side two crucial points.

Chasing 178, Ishan and Rohit provided a strong start to MI, hitting four maximums and three boundaries as MI scored 58/0 in the Power-play.

When Ishan was continuing with his strokeplay, Ravi Bishnoi and Krunal Pandya brilliantly kept MI’s run rate in check and LSG came back in the match in 10-15 overs.

In the 10th over, Rohit picked up Bishnoi’s quicker googly and paddle-scooped it over a short fine with supreme ease for four. The spinner quickly bounced back and removed the MI skipper to break the 90-run opening stand and also completed his 50 IPL wickets.

Soon Ishan brought up his fifty with a boundary and followed that up with another four. But Bishnoi didn’t let him stay longer at the crease and trapped him with a googly. Ishan went for the pull shot. It flew off the edge and went to deep square leg where Naveen-ul-Haq settled under it and took a sharp catch.

After a few silent overs, Yash Thakur cleaned up the in-form Suryakumar Yadav cheaply for seven. Then, David and Nehal Wadhera collected two boundaries and MI were reeling at 125/3 in 15 overs and 53 needed in 30 balls to win.

A couple of overs later, Mohsin piled up further miseries with the wicket of Wadhera on the first ball of the 17th over and the equation read 39 off 18 balls. The next over, Yash overstepped and Tim David got a free hit. After one run coming off the free hit. Thakur removed Vishnu Vinod on a short ball.

David almost turned the tables in the penultimate over, hitting Naveen-ul-haq for two sixes and a four as the equation came down to 11 runs from the final over.

Then, Mohsin held his nerves and defended 11 runs with his well-executed Yorkers, giving just 5 runs off the over as LSG wrapped the win by 5 runs.

Earlier, batting first, LSH had a torrid start as Jason Behrendorff’s double strike in the second over sent the opener Deepak Hooda and Prerak Mankad on two successive deliveries to reduce LSH to 12/2. With Quinton de Kock’s couple of sixes and Krunal Pandya’s boundary, LSG were 35/2 at the end of the Power-play.

Piyush came into the attack on the next over and picked up a wicket on the first ball of his spell. While the MI bowlers dominated the proceedings, Stoinis and Krunal steadied the innings with their 82-run stand.

Krunal was experiencing cramps while running and retired himself in the 16th over, falling one short of his half-century. Then, Stoinis took MI Bowlers to cleaner, taking 54 runs off the last 3 overs to take LSG to 177/3 in 20 overs.

Brief scores:

Lucknow Super Giants 177/3 in 20 overs (Marcus Stoinis 89, Krunal Pandya 49; Jason Behrendorff 2-30) beat Mumbai Indians 156/5 in 20 overs(Ishan Kishan 59, Rohit Sharma 37, Tim David 32 not out; Ravi Bishnoi 2-26, Yash Thakur 2-40) by 5 runs

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Kolkata beat Chennai to keep playoffs hope alive

Pushed into bowling first, Sunil Narine and local boy Varun Chakaravarthy bowled well to take two wickets each and keep Chennai to 144/6, their lowest total of IPL 2023…reports Asian Lite News

Captain Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh slammed critical fifties and dominated spinners with immaculate ease to help Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) stay alive in the race for Playoffs in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 with a clinical six-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.

Pushed into bowling first, Sunil Narine and local boy Varun Chakaravarthy bowled well to take two wickets each and keep Chennai to 144/6, their lowest total of IPL 2023. Chennai had a chance to seal their place in the Playoffs at home by taking three wickets in power-play.

But Rana and Rinku had other ideas by stitching a 99-run partnership off 76 balls for the fourth wicket to take Kolkata home in a chase of 145 with nine balls to spare. While Rana was unbeaten on 57 off 44 balls, Rinku was impressive in scoring 54 off 43 balls as the duo also achieved the distinction of stitching the highest-ever stand for the fourth wicket partnership against Chennai at Chepauk.

Chennai struck in the opening over of Kolkata’s chase when Deepak Chahar had Rahmanullah Gurbaz slicing a drive on a full and wide ball to deep backward point running to his right.

The pacer again struck in the third over when Venkatesh Iyer nicked straight to the short third man, after being hit for two fours and in the fifth over, added Jason Roy’s scalp by getting an outside edge on an attempt to drive off a knuckleball to short third man.

Rinku got off the mark by driving Chahar through extra cover for four and ended the Power-play by launching Tushar Deshpande over long-off for six. He proceeded to drive Moeen Ali through extra cover and got an edge past slip to collect back-to-back fours in the ninth over.

Rana further relieved the pressure by reverse-sweeping Moeen for four at the start of the 11th over and immediately got a reprieve on 18 when Matheesha Pathirana dropped a tough chance after sprinting in from deep backward square leg.

When Ravindra Jadeja was introduced in the 12th over, Rinku was quick to smash a six over the bowler’s head. Rana continued to toy with the field by creating room to go inside-out over extra cover twice for fours off Moeen.

Rinku went big again when he got low and slog-swept Jadeja for six in the 14th over, followed by Rana cutting and driving down the ground off Theekshana for back-to-back fours.

Rinku got his fifty in 39 balls when he clipped along the ground off Pathirana on the last ball of the 16th over, followed by Rana getting his half-century off 38 balls in the next over. Though Rinku was run-out by a direct hit from Moeen in the 18th over, Rana finished off the chase in style with a four driven off Deshpande through third man to keep their playoffs hopes alive.

Earlier, Narine and Chakaravarthy got plenty of help from a challenging pitch to restrict Chennai to six runs below 150. After Ruturaj Gaikwad swept Varun Chakaravarthy for four, the leg-spinner bounced back when he found a turn on leg-break which the right-handed batter tried to slog and top-edge flew to short third man.

After Devon Conway brought out a cover drive off Chakaravarthy for four, Ajinkya Rahane used Rana’s pace to late dab past the third man for four and followed it up with an effortless loft over mid-on for six as Chennai signed off from power-play with 52/1.

Conway got to change an lbw decision off Chakaravarthy when on 25 in the eighth over as replays showed the ball bouncing above stumps, but Rahane wasn’t lucky as he holed out to long-on in the same over.

Chennai plunged into trouble when Conway got a top edge on the pull off Shardul Thakur and was caught by deep square leg in the tenth over. In the next over, an off-break from Sunil Narine went past Ambati Rayudu’s sweep and crashed into the stumps, while his carrom ball beat Moeen Ali’s inside edge to leave the stumps in a mess.

Dube ended a 41-ball no-boundary spree by launching an overpitched delivery from Suyash Sharma over extra cover for six and began to attack by pulling Thakur for four. He and Ravindra Jadeja smashed a six each on short balls from Suyash on either side of a no-ball, to amass 16 runs from the 17th over, before Dube smacked Chakaravarthy for six over mid-wicket.

But Thakur pulled things back admirably by conceding only five runs, including a wide, in the 19th over. After Jadeja ramped a bouncer straight to short third man off Vaibhav Arora in the final over, Kolkata conceded only four runs on the last two balls, including a wide and no-ball, as Chennai picked only 14 runs off the last two overs.

Brief scores:

Chennai Super Kings 144/6 in 20 overs (Shivam Dube 48 not out, Devon Conway 30; Sunil Narine 2-15, Varun Chakaravarthy 2-36) lost to Kolkata Knight Riders 147/4 in 18.3 overs (Nitish Rana 57 not out; Rinku Singh 54; Deepak Chahar 3-27) by six wickets

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Prabhsimran, spinners lead Punjab Kings to 31-run win over Delhi Capitals

New Delhi : PBKS' batsman Prabhsimran Singh celebrates his century during the IPL 2023 match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals at Arun Jaitley Stadium, in New Delhi, on Saturday, May 13, 2023. (Photo:Biplab Banerjee/IANS)

Chasing a fighting total, Delhi Capitals were off to a flying start, scoring 65/0 after 6 overs courtesy of Warner’s attacking approach. Warner came out all guns blazing hitting Rishi Dhawan for back-to-back boundaries in the very first over…reports Asian Lite News

Prabhsimran Singh’s brilliant maiden century, followed by spin domination of Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar led Punjab Kings to a convincing 31-run win over Delhi Capitals in Match No. 59 of IPL 2023 at Arun Jaitley Stadium, here on Saturday.

Opener Prabhsimran’s maiden IPL century (103 off 65) guided Punjab Kings to a competitive 167/7 in 20 overs. Punjab were struggling at 45/3 but Prabhsimran stitched a vital stand of 72 runs off 54 balls for the fourth wicket with Sam Curran to get them out of trouble. On the other hand, Ishant Sharma was the most successful bowler for Delhi Capitals with his 2-27.

In reply, despite having solid Power-play, Delhi Capitals struggled against spin choke, implemented by Harpreet (4-30) and Chahar (2-16) and suffered another loss in the season.

With this win, Punjab moved up to the sixth position in the points table with six victories in 12 matches and kept their playoffs hopes alive, On the other hand, Delhi remained at the bottom of the points table with just 4 wins in 12 matches as they are now out of the race for the playoffs by their own merit.

Chasing a fighting total, Delhi Capitals were off to a flying start, scoring 65/0 after 6 overs courtesy of Warner’s attacking approach. Warner came out all guns blazing hitting Rishi Dhawan for back-to-back boundaries in the very first over.

The Australian didn’t spare anything whether it was the pace of Nathan Elis, Sam Curran, Arshdeep Singh and the spin of Harpreet Brar, hitting the new ball to all parts of the ground and making the target of 168 look like a cakewalk. On the other hand, Philip Salt also found occasional boundaries as Delhi were cruising towards the target quite comfortably.

It was Brar, who eventually gave Punjab their first breakthrough in the 7th over by removing Salt (21). However, Warner continued his aggressive intent and reached his 60th fifty in the IPL off 23 balls.

Though Warner was going strong, he didn’t get support from the other end with Mitchell Marsh and Rilee Rossouw getting out cheaply against Punjab spinners. Eventually, Warner (54 off 27) also got to Harpreet Brar in the 9th over, which started Delhi Capitals downslide in the run-chase.

The likes of Axar Patel and Manish Pandey also didn’t grab the opportunity to shine, getting out without showing any fight and leaving Delhi Capitals to 88-6 after 10.1 overs.

Lower down the order, the likes of Aman Hakim Khan (16), Praveen Dubey (16) and Kuldeep Yadav (10 not out) showed some resistance but their efforts were not enough as Delhi Capitals were eventually restricted to 136/8 in 20 overs.

Earlier, put in to bat first, Punjab Kings got off to a disastrous start as they lost three key wickets — Shikhar Dhawan (7), Liam Livingstone (4) and Jitesh Sharma (5) — inside the Power-play.

Dhawan, who looked in fine touch and smashed a six as well, was the first one to depart, getting out to Ishant Sharma in the second over of the innings. Continuing his impressive swing bowling, Ishant then rattled the stumps of Livingstone, who went for a big heave but missed the ball completely.

Wickets were falling at the other end but Prabhsimran Singh was able to find a few boundaries in between. The right-handed opener hit Axar for a six to deep backward-square in the first ball of the last over of the Power-play but the Indian spinner bowled Jitesh in the same over to leave Punjab Kings 45/3 after 5.2 overs.

From there on, Prabhsimran, who carried his bat through the Power-play and new batter Sam Curran had the responsibility to lead Punjab’s recovery. However, the likes of Kuldeep Yadav, Axar and Praveen Dubey bowled the next few overs with tight line and length to keep Punjab Kings to 66/3 after 10 overs.

With runs not coming easily, Prabhsimran finally decided to free his arms and smashed Mitchell Marsh for two sixes and one four as 21 runs came from that over. After Marsh went for runs, Delhi skipper Warner brought spinners Kuldeep and Axar into the attack and they bowled decent overs to check the flow of boundaries.

However, there were enough opportunities for Prabhsimran to take singles and doubles as he got off to his second IPL fifty in 42 balls. On the other hand, Curran was playing the second fiddle quite well as his stand with Prabhsimran kept the scoreboard ticking for Punjab.

Delhi desperately needed a wicket and it was Praveen Dubey, who brought a much-needed breakthrough for them by getting rid of Curran (20 overs) in the 15th over. Harpreet Brar, who came to bat next, couldn’t do much as he got out to Kuldeep Yadav, leaving Punjab at 129-5 after 16.1 overs.

Despite losing partners from the other end, Prabhsimran continued his attacking approach and took Delhi bowlers to the cleaners. The opener slammed Khaleel Ahmed for back-to-back boundaries to get his maiden IPL hundred off 61 balls in the 18th over.

Punjab were dependent on Prabhsimran for a strong finish but Mukesh Kumar dismissed the batter soon after his century and bowled an excellent over to give just three runs. Khaleel too bowled a decent last over to keep Punjab Kings to 167/7 in 20 overs, which was too much for Delhi in the end.

Brief scores:

Punjab Kings 167/7 in 20 overs (Prabhsimran 103, Sam Curran 20; Ishant 2-27) beat Delhi Capitals 136/8 in 20 Overs (David Warner 54, Philip Salt 21; Harpreet Brar 4-30, Rahul Chahar 2-16) by 31 runs.

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