Conditions apply: Chennai Super Kings make full use of Chepauk pitch to enter 10th IPL final

PTI

Chennai, May 23

Chennai Super Kings tamed a tenacious Gujarat Titans by 15 runs on a sticky surface to enter their 10th IPL final here today and extend their remarkable consistency in the tournament.

Chennai did well to reach 172/7 on a slow pitch in the Qualifier 1 after Hardik Pandya opted to bowl.

The last 3-4 games in Chennai have been different. They’ve gotten slightly slower, slightly sticky. So I had to adapt my batsmanship. This was one of my days where I was going well. Ruturaj Gaikwad, player of the match

4 Gujarat, a team that likes batting second, lost for only the fourth time in 18 chases

Considering the conditions, it turned out to be much more than a competitive total as Gujarat had a rare off day to end with 157 all out in 20 overs. Rashid Khan made the Chennai fans nervous with a 16-ball 30 towards the end but it was not enough for Gujarat.

However, the defending champions will get another shot to make a second successive final in Qualifier 2 on Friday.

Chennai’s master tactician MS Dhoni made the best use of home advantage to take the four-time champions to a 10th final in 14 editions. CSK did not take part in 2016 and 2017 editions.

Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (4-0-18-2) did the star turn for Chennai with a brilliant spell during which he strangled the opposition batters to avenge the defeat suffered in the tournament opener. Matheesha Pathirana, Maheesh Theekshana and Deepak Chahar also finished with two wickets each.

Earlier, Chennai’s batters had a tough time on a slow pitch as they were not able to force the pace. For the home team, Ruturaj Gaikwad was the best batter, scoring a superb 60 off 44.

Brief scores: CSK: 172/7 (Gaikwad 60; Shami 2/28); GT: 157 all out (Gill 42; Jadeja 2/18, Chahar 2/29). — PTI

LSG stand in MI’s way

Chennai: Their batting unit finally clicking and having made a rather dramatic entry into the IPL playoffs, Mumbai Indians will be brimming with confidence when they meet Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator here tomorrow.

18 Of Piyush Chawla’s 20 wickets have come in the middle overs, the most by any bowler in this phase. His economy of 7.8 is the joint-best among spinners this season

511 Suryakumar now has 511 runs so far, with his strike-rate of 185.14 the second-best among batters who have faced at least 50 deliveries

Mumbai have come a long way from their last year’s woeful performance when they finished last. After Gujarat Titans did them a big favour by defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday, the Rohit Sharma-led side would like to make the most of the lifeline provided to them and go all the way.

Lucknow, who were eliminated at the same stage last year by Bangalore, after being one of the most dominating sides, will also look to go the distance.

They have appeared to be cohesive side despite the absence of regular skipper KL Rahul. The way Krunal Pandya has tactfully marshalled his men has been the key, and it would again be crucial as they meet a Mumbai side that seems to have found its mojo at the fag end of the tournament.

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