IPL 2018, MI vs KKR: Mumbai threat looms large as Kolkata up against odds

In today's IPL 2018 match, KKR have an onerous task as they need to defy history against MI, who have won 17 of the 21 matches against Kolkata Knight Riders across 11 seasons. Catch IPL latest updates

In the 41st match of Vivo Indian Premier League (IPL 2018) Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians (MI) will take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) led by Dinesh Karthik at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Back in the mix riding consecutive victories, a buoyant Mumbai Indians will cross swords with an erratic Kolkata Knight Riders for a second time in a space of three days in IPL today’s match. Recovering from a slow start, defending champions MI recorded back-to-back wins against Kings XI Punjab and KKR to jump to fifth spot (8 points from 10 games) in the Vivo IPL points table. KKR, meanwhile, have blown hot and cold, winning five and losing an equal number of matches.

KKR have an onerous task at hand as they need to defy history against Mumbai Indians, who have won 17 of the 21 matches against the Kolkata Knight Riders across 11 seasons -- the most wins for an IPL team against any opponent. Their 13-run defeat at the Wankhede on May 6 stretched their losing streak to seven matches and 1125 days -- KKR's last win over Mumbai Indians was way back on April 8, 2015. While the Dinesh Karthik-led KKR have not managed to string together consistent performances, MI led by India's limited-over Vice Captain Rohit Sharma have looked like a team on a mission to turn the tide in their favour at the end of the IPL 2018.

Mumbai Indians were on the verge of falling by the wayside after losing most of the starting matches in the last over before they managed to pull through in the previous two games. While against Kings XI Punjab it was a Rohit and Krunal Pandya blitz that kept them alive in the competition, a challenging 181/4 coupled with well-directed short balls during KKR's chase helped MI stay afloat and stake a claim for a playoffs berth. KKR looked like getting away with the points at various junctures of the match but planned short deliveries from the likes of Mitchell McClenaghan at the start and Hardik Pandya towards the end helped MI pick up wickets at regular intervals as well as break crucial partnerships. Given the role of an opening batsman, Suryakumar Yadav has been a revelation for MI and will to continue the same in IPL today’s match, scoring as many as four half centuries in 10 matches. The 27-year-old former KKR player is MI's highest run-getter amassing 399 at 39.90. One concern for Rohit would be MI's middle order which continued to struggle against KKR and had it not been for Hardik's innovative shots at the end, they would have not managed to post 181 despite getting off to an explosive start. MI also lack depth in bowling and Robin Uthappa almost exposed that in the previous match of IPL 2018.

IPL 2018: Kolkata beat RCB by 6 wickets; Chirs Lynn scores match-winning 68

In 29th match of Vivo IPL 2018 Kolkata Knight Riders won it by 6 wickets against Royal Challengers Banglore. Chris Lynn made match-winning 62

In the 29th match of Vivo Indian Premier League (IPL 2018) Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 6 wickets at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. KKR pulled up a great show with the bat and chased the target of 176 runs on the last over. RCB bowlers could not get an early breakthrough and dropping Chris Lynn on 7 runs cost RCB the match as he went on for a match-winning knock. There was a little contest in the last few overs as wickets fell, but overall it looked like a one-sided match as RCB bowlers and fielders failed to perform. After winning today's match Kolkata Knight Riders consolidated their position in Vivo IPL points table with 8 points.

Kolkata Knight Riders innings update: Over by over

Over 1: Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine to open for KKR. Tim Southee to start off for RCB. Single to Lynn. Chance, Kohli just couldn't reach it. KKR: 5-0

Over 2: Umesh Yadav is into the attack. SIX, FOUR. what an over. KKR: 18-0

Over 3: Southee continues, two fours. Brilliant stuff. In the air, safe again. KKR 29-0

Over 4: Yuzvendra Chahal is into the attack. Swept for four by Lynn. Lynn hits it in the air, M Ashwin puts it down. KKR: 36-0

Over 5: Umesh is back, four to Lynn. Dot ball. And another one. SIX, down the ground. Cracking shot, stopped. Just one. Dot ball. KKR: 47-0

Over 6: Chahal continues, almost took the off stump. Missed again. Lynn gives himself room and wacks it four. Missed again, almost hit the wicket. KKR: 51-0

Over 7: Siraj is into the attack, bouncer, wide. Single to Sunil. Single again. Dot ball. Cracking shot for four. Lynn is on fire. KKR: 59-0

Over 8: Murugab Ashwin is into the attack. Sunil Narine hits it to the long-off and he is gone. Brilliant start for Ashwin. Uthappa is the new man in, one run. Swept for one. In the air, almost gone, but goes for six. What turn. KKR: 67-1

Over 9: Siraj is back, bouncer, given wide. One run to Lynn. Dot ball. Single to Lynn. Flicked off the pads for four. Single, that was risky. Dot to finish. KKR: 74-1

Over 10: Ashwin continues, Four, brilliant timing. Reverse swept for four. Single. Swept for four now. Single taken. 14 came from it. KKR: 88-1

Over 11: Chahal continues, just one. Uthappa, wacks it for six. Easy singles. Runs coming very easily. Dot ball. Single taken. KKR 98-1

Over 12: Umesh is back. Dot to start off with. Cut for one. Bouncer. Flicked for four. KKR: 106-1

Over 13: Aswhin back in the attack, Uthappa hits it in the air, taken on the ropes. He goes for 36. Chirs Lynn trying to hit it hard. Six runs from the over. KKR 112-2

On display in IPL 2018: The brutal beauty of Mahendra Singh Dhoni

The CSK skipper's knock against KXIP on Sunday night wasn't about answering the brickbats; it was about him and his fans

There are things in sports that genuinely cheer you up. One such is the sight of Mahendra Singh Dhoni swinging through the arc, head down, knees slightly bent, kinetic energy from those baseball-bat-sized arms powering through the ball, and the crowd exploding. It is a thing of brutal beauty. There were many around the world who woke up on Monday morning with that very image still fresh in their minds. The bowler missing, Dhoni pouncing. The ball soaring, the stadium erupting.

In Mohali on Sunday night, a Colosseum-like crowd found itself paying obeisance to a gladiator whose time many thought had come. The willingness to carry on, as admirable as it was, was proving to be too stifling. The performance was no longer backing the obduracy. That still may hold true, but we will leave that for another day.

Instead, this was about celebrating the gifts of a man whose show we have feasted on for 15 years and still cannot seem to feel content. This was about him and his fanatical band of followers, the kind who still look up to him like an eternal demigod. This was about him telling us why he still remains indispensable. This was about him showing us what we have been terribly missing. This, in a boxing sense, was like a seasoned heavyweight fighter absorbing the early blows and then unleashing a savage combination of jabs and hooks to leave his opponent sprawled on the canvas. Well, almost.

The critics have made their peace with Dhoni’s scrappiness. Dhoni is justified in believing that he doesn’t have anything to prove to them, and they don’t bother too much with arraigning him, either. Anyway, this wasn’t about answering the brickbats — Dhoni just doesn’t play his cricket that way. For long, the Indian public has lionised him for his capacity to put on a show, for his mastery that allows him to elevate his game to a whole new level when the chips are down. The performance against Kings XI Punjab was just about the Indian cricket fan. It was Dhoni’s way of thanking thousands of them for sticking by him so loyally, despite his very apparent decline. After all, this is what fandom often triggers; a belief that your heroes can never be spent forces. Acceptance isn’t something that is part of the fan lexicon. And Dhoni on Sunday night competently displayed why it mustn’t be.

This wasn’t so much about Dhoni rolling back the years as it was about him exhibiting what he can do when he’s afforded time at the crease. Dhoni is no longer the furious sprinter of his youth, he is now the canny middle-distance runner who knows exactly when to make his move. He perhaps left it too late in Mohali, but he was clearly hampered — in addition to a back problem — by Ravindra Jadeja’s sluggishness at the other end. Even then, this was a calculated assault that would have culminated in an unlikely win on another day. (more)

IPL 2018: Kolkata Knight Riders hand Daredevils crushing 71-run defeat

Delhi Daredevils miserable show continues at Eden Gardens as they lost the 7th match in Kolkata against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Chasing 201, Delhi Daredevils led by Gautam Gambhir failed miserably and were all out for mere 129 in 14.2 overs in match 13 of IPL 2018. Kolkata Knight Riders won by 71 runs. No Delhi Daredevils batsman could take the pressure of the huge total and face the menacing bowling of Kolkata Knight Riders let by spin trio of Sunil Narine, Kuldeep Yadav, and Piyush Chawla. Rishab Pant and Glenn Maxwell tried hard to challenge the KKR bowling but their efforts could not do much as both got out of the short ball while trying to hit Yadav out of the park. This is the second win for Kolkata Knight Riders in four matches. Dinesh Karthik-led KKR had lost the previous two matches against Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Delhi Daredevils' wickets kept tumbling at regular intervals and DD never looked to chase the mammoth target. Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav took three wickets each for KKR. This win over Delhi Daredevils moved Kolkata Knight Riders to the second spot in Vivo IPL points table with 4 points.

ALSO READ: IPL 2018: Delhi Daredevils perfecting the nuances of losing back-to-back matches

Delhi Daredevils were in deep trouble as they lost three wickets in three overs. Opener Jason Roy was dismissed in the first over. He was followed by Shreyas Iyer in the second over. Captain Gautam Gambhir was played on in the third over. DD was 38-3.

Earlier, powered by Nitish Rana and Andre Russell, Kolkata Knight Riders posted a huge score of 200 in their 20 overs in the match against Delhi Daredevils. While a few wickets did fell quickly, Nitish Rana made sure that the scoring rate did not fall. He did not stop playing shots and kept the scoreboard ticking. Russell played a fantastic cameo of 41 from 12 balls. He smashed Chris Lynn and Mohd Shami all over the park. Delhi Daredevils will now need 201 runs to win.

ALSO READ: IPL 2018: Why Gambhir failed to turn things around for Delhi Daredevils

Delhi Daredevils innings update: Over by over

Delhi Daredevils Playing XI: Jason Roy, Gautam Gambhir(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Glenn Maxwell, Shreyas Iyer, Vijay Shankar, Chris Morris, Rahul Tewatia, Shahbaz Nadeem, Mohammed Shami, Trent Boult

Over 1: Piyush Chawla to open the bowling. He strikes in the first over.

Over 2: Shreyas Iyer departs. DD: 15-2

Over 3: Shivam Mavi into the attack. Rishab Pant joins Gautam Gambhir. Four to Pant. good shot. DD 24-2.

Over 4: Russell comes to the attack. Maxwell hammers him. DD: 38-3

Over 5: DD: 45-3

Over 6: Rishab Pant trying to make the most of the powerplay. 11 runs from the over. DD 56-3

Over 7: Here is the onslaught by Rishab Pant, six, four, single. DD: 69-3

Over 8: Curran smashed for a six and a four. These two are taking it to KKR bowlers. DD 81-3.

Over 9: Kuldeep Yadav comes to the attack. Maxwell reverse sweeps him for four. Rishab Pant is out, Delhi in deep trouble. Pant put for 86-4. Rahul Tewatia comes in. End of over. DD 90-4

IPL 2018: Amid Cauvery protest, CSK seek perfect return to Chepauk vs KKR

Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders win their respective first encounter against Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

In the fifth match of the 11th season of Indian Premier League (IPL 2018), when M S Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) play at their home ground of Chepauk in Chennai to take on Dinesh Karthik’s Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), they will do so with some amount of confidence – especially after having beaten defending champions Mumbai Indians on their own turf by 1 wicket in a thrilling contest on Saturday.

However, they will also try to look at and correct their flaws in the opening game of the tournament which necessitated some last-minute heroics by Dwayne Bravo to seal the match for them in a nail-biter finish. Besides, there is one setback that CSK have suffered due to the injury sustained by Kedar Jadhav – the all-rounder has been ruled out of the rest of IPL 2018 due to a hamstring injury.

For their part, KKR also won their opening match on Sunday against Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bengal at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, by 4 wickets on Sunday.

ALSO READ: IPL 2018: To wear or not to wear black bands? Cauvery shadow over CSK match

Today’s CSK vs KKR match – a homecoming like no other as the 'Men in Yellow' play at M A Chidambaram Stadium for the first time since May 2015 – promises a treat to the legion of CSK fans. Ahead of their favourite team’s match, many loyal supporters turned up in huge numbers even to watch them train.

Meanwhile, it is pertinent to note that the CSK vs KKR match is being played in the shadow of some off-field issues and threats of disruption. Some political groups have been opposing IPL matches being played in Chennai against the backdrop of the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka Cauvery water sharing dispute. They are demanding that a Cauvery Management Board should be set up immediately and protesting the Narendra Modi-led central government’s failure to do so. They have threatened to disrupt any IPL proceedings.

With several fringe elements threatening to protest the IPL 2018 matches in Chennai over the Cauvery issue, security arrangements have been beefed up to prevent any untoward incident, according to the police. CSK CEO K S Viswanathan, however, said the team's home matches would go on according to schedule. The city police had been informed about the schedule and they would handle the situation accordingly, he added.

A few day's earlier, superstar of Tamil films-turned-politician Rajinikanth had urged CSK players to wear black badges while playing their match against KKR to protest the Centre's apathy to the Cauvery issue. (more)

Photos : Amy Jackson performs at IPL 2017 opening ceremony

Photos : Amy Jackson performs at IPL 2017 opening ceremony

Amy Jackson rocked the place with her dance performance just before the first IPL 2017 match between the finalists of IPL 9,

The tenth edition of the Indian Premier League kicked off with a glittering opening ceremony at Hyderabad

Amy Jackson performs during the opening ceremony of 10th edition of the IPL

Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman who were part of the first edition of the IPL in 2008, were felicitated during the ceremony

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