IPL 2018: Sam Billings' 50, Jadeja's nerve help CSK beat KKR by 5 wickets

Chennai Super Kings pulled off another thriller while chasing IPL 2018 highest total against Kolkata Knight Riders, after CSK defeated Mumbai Indians in IPL 2018 opener on Bravo heroics

Sam Billings played a little gem as Chennai Super Kings once again pulled off a thrilling chase beating Kolkata Knight Riders by five wickets in an IPL encounter at Chepauk Stadium in Chennai. Chasing a stiff target of 203, CSK won the match with a ball to spare as Ravindra Jadeja deposited military medium stuff from R Vinay Kumar into stands.

End of innings for Chennai Super Kings

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni disappointed big time as he could not score much and consumed too many deliveries. He made 25 from 28 balls. Sam Billing played out of his skin and scored a quick fifty before falling for 56 off 23 balls. Dwayne Bravo joined Ravindra Jadeja in the 19th over. CSK needed 17 runs off last 6 balls. Bravo hit Vinay Kumar for a huge six over fine leg off the first ball of last over. Vinay bowled a wide ball, reducing it to 6 from 4. Couple of singles and the equation was 4 from 2. Jadeja wacked Vinjay Kumar's penultimate ball for a huge six sealing the match for CSK. CSk win by 5 wickets. 


Chennai Super Kings from 10-15 overs

Raina got injured and soon after got dismissed for 14. Sam Billings joined Dhoni. The asking rate kept going up as Dhoni struggled. A few boundaries here and there just didn't seem to be enough. Dhoni did hit a huge six but the required run rate was above 12.5 per over. Sam Billings freed his arms in the 15th over to hit two clean sixes. After 15 overs, CSK was at 145-3.

Chennai Super Kings from 7-10 overs

After Shane Watson was dismissed, Suresh Raina joined Anbati Raydu. However, the run rate fell, as a set batsman was dismissed and powerplay too was over. Andre Russell did not leak runs and CSK scored only eight runs in 7th and 8th over. Raydu rotated the strike but succumbed to the pressure of falling run rate and was dismissed by Kuldeep Yadav. Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni came to the crease. However, both Dhoni and Raina seemed to struggle to score quickly as the required run rate jumped to 11 per over. CSK was at 91-2 after 10 overs.

Chennai Super Kings after the powerplay

Despite getting a huge target of 203 to chase, KKR openers Amabti Raydu and Shane Watson ripped through the bowling of KKR. Both of them hit confident shots and hit the ball over the fence very convincingly. Piyush Chawla was hit for 31 runs in his first two overs. Vinay Kumar too leaked runs. Star of the previous innings, Andre Russell, was able to contain the flow of runs. Some sloppy fielding too added to the woes of KKR. Not only did the CSK opener hit classic boundaries, they rotated the strike efficiently. Both Watson and Raydu were striking above 200. Shane Watson was dismissed for 42 by Tom Curran. He hit three fours and three sixes. At the end of the powerplay, CSK was at  75-1.


Chennai Super Kings started off their mammoth 203-run chase in top gear, as Opener Shane Watson hit huge sixes and fours. After 2 overs, CSK was 30-0. 

 

Kolkata Knight Riders from 16-20 overs
 

After playing sensibly in the beginning, Russell unleashed himself onto Chennai bowlers as he hit 11 sixes and helped KKR to score 113 runs off final ten overs. From 89 for 5 in first 10 overs, the 76 runs partnership between Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik helped KKR to set a gigantic target for MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings. 

In the 18th over, Russell hit 3 sixes of Bravo's first three balls of his 3rd over. Russell hit two sixes over midwicket while one over Long-on. After the end of 19th over Russell was playing at 77 off 33 balls with 9 gigantic sixes.

Russell played some terrific shots against Chennai bowlers as he hit 5 sixes in while scoring his fifty at the end of 17th over. In the Bravo's 2nd over, Russell hit gigantic six measuring 105 meters (biggest six of IPL 2018) over square leg. Dinesh Karthik joined the party as they 19 runs in the 17th over.

Kolkata Knight Riders from 11-15 overs

Trying to rebuild the after losing 4 quick wickets, Andre Russell and Dinesh Karthik were playing sensibly. Russell did the bulk of the scoring while Karthik playing anchor's role. Russell also taking some risks so that run rate should not drop below 8 runs per over. In the 14th over of the innings, Russell sent Bravo delivery on the Long-on boundary, scoring 10 runs off it. After the end of 15 overs, Dinesh Karthik and Andre Russell were at the crease with a score of 123 for 5.

Kolkata Knight Riders from 7-10 overs

After getting a flying start thanks to Chris Lynn (22 runs off 16 balls) and Sunil Narine (12 runs off 4 balls) and after Narine wickets, it's Robin Uthappa who joined the party. But Kolkata Knight Riders lost the initial advantage as they lost Robin Uthappa ( 29 runs off 16 balls), Nitis Rana (16 runs off 14 balls) and Rinku Singh (2 runs off 4 balls) in the span of 4 overs. After the end of the 10 overs, KKR scored 89 runs with a loss of 5 wickets. Andre Russell and captain Dinesh Karthik were on the crease and trying to rebuild the innings. 

Kolkata Knight Riders in first six overs of Powerplay

Put into the bat first, Chris Lynn gave KKR the perfect start even though Narine got out off Harbhajan Singh's bowling in the second over. Robin Uthappa gave Lynn ample support, but Chris Lynn got out off Ravindra Jadeja in the 6th over the innings. 

Chris Lynn scored 22 runs off 16 balls with a strike rate of 137.50 hitting 4 fours. Uthappa took the responsibility and hit 2 sixes off the 5th and 6th ball of the last over of powerplay  At the end of the 6 overs Nitish Rana and Robin Uthappa were at the crease.

Put into bat first, KKR's two most destructive openers — Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine — scored 18 runs in the first over. Lynn hit Chahar's second ball of the over, while Narine hit two sixes to end the first over. Dhoni handed the ball to veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh in the second over and he took Narine's wicket on the second ball of the over. After the end of three overs KKR was 33/1

Here are few developments that occurred during the Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders Match in IPL 2018:

Shoes hurled at Chennai Super King's Jadeja, Du Plessis, two arrested: In an unsavoury incident, a couple of miscreants were today detained by the police for hurling a shoe at India international Ravindra Jadeja during an IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders. The incident happened in the eighth over of the KKR innings. The unidentified protestors hurled shoes at Jadeja, who was stationed at long-on. The footwear missed the player fell near the boundary rope as Du Plessis and Lungi Ngidi were taking a stroll. The match was preceded by massive protests from various groups and activists due to Cauvery water dispute prompting IPL governing council chairman Rajeev Shukla to seek government intervention.

IPL Chairman Rajeev Shukla meets Home Secy for smooth conduct of IPL 2018 matches in Chennai: Amid threats of suspending Twenty20 League in Chennai over the Cauvery water dispute, Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Rajeev Shukla on Tuesday met Union Home Secretary Rajeev Gauba and demanded enhanced security arrangements during the IPL matches in Chennai. "Today I meet with the home security and discussed the security concerns with him. He spoke to the director general of police and given instructions for security to the spectators and players to avoid any untoward incident," Shukla told ANI. The IPL chairman added that the plan is to conduct all matches in Chennai and it is on the police to handle protests. He said, "We are trying that those matches should take place in Chennai itself. There is no plan to move the matches to other states. Tamil Nadu government has assured that full-fledged security will be provided during the matches."