IPL 2021 Highlights, KKR vs CSK: Chennai Super Kings survive Pat Cummins scare to beat Kolkata Knight Riders

OUT! Chahar strikes again as Rana top edges to Dhoni. KKR 2 down for 17 in the third over. He is making the ball talk. Rana tried to flick the ball but closed the face of his bat a little early. Found nowhere near the middle of his bat as the ball went high. MS Dhoni took it upon himself to complete the catch. Not the kind of start KKR wanted.

A streaky outside off the first ball goes for a four, but the next one, Rana looked a lot more in control of. He swings the ball into his pads and Rana flicks the ball for a four towards fine leg. Curran mixing up his speeds well, rolling his fingers to alter the pace. KKR 14/1 after 2 overs.

The fidgety player that he is, Rahul Tripathi does not waste time and just off the second ball, goes down the wicket to Deepak Chahar to crash him for a cover drive for a four. First boundary for KKR.

OUT! Early blow for Kolkata as Chahar removes Gill for duck. Short ball and wide and Gill just threw his bat at it. Did not try to keep it down and the ball goes straight to Lungi Ngidi at third man, who bends down to collect the catch rather cleanly in the end KKR 5/1 after 1 over.

What a start from Chahar and CSK. Shape on the ball as it comes back it nicely onto Nitish Rana, who looked to be setting up for the cut shot. Almost had the batsman in a tangle.

KKR don't have much time to recover from CSK's onslaught. Well, at least their openers Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana don't. CSK are out on the ground already, presently in a huddle. They want to rush things up already, while Gill still adjusts his gloves. Out walk the openers and Deepak Chahar is practicing his run-up.

"(Enjoyed it) Very much. First three games I did not get a good start and thankfully I got a start today. When you have such experienced players in the dressing room, it makes your job easy. To be honest nothing much, they just kept backing me and even that small innings in the last game they found some positives. They knew there were 1-2 good deliveries, the confidence was always there and when other players came up to have a chat, it feels really good. This is the same attitude and same intensity (I carry in every game). I think it was holding up initially for the spinners and even now, this will be a very good score to defend."

Faf du Plessis remains not out on 95 as CSK finish on a strong total of 220/3. What brilliant hitting this has been. The top order fired, and there were cameos Moeen Ali and MS Dhoni in the middle. The last ball of the innings could have been a wicket, but instead resulted in a six after Ravindra Jadeja's catch was dropped by Nitish Rana and the ball popped out of his hands to land on the other side of the boundary. KKR need 221 to win and although the pitch is proving to be a belter so far, you cannot count them out.

Two sixes off the first four balls of the over, the final over of the innings. du Plessis is on 94. Two balls left. Can he become IPL 2021's first centurion?

Just when we were enjoying seeing Dhoni bat, KKR skipper Morgan has taken a splendid catch to end the CSK captain's innings for 17 off 8 balls. Full ball and Dhoni, reaching for the ball, absolutely crunched the ball. However, he could not keep the ball down and Morgan takes a freakish catch at covers.

He has been there since the very first over but Faf du Plessis has the energy left to hit three consecutive fours. Two behind square and one down the ground. The third one should have been a not more than a double but Shubman Gill makes a mess of it at long on. This assault has taken a toll on KKR and its's visible on their body language. Andre Russell not impressed.

Wow! The timing is back and so are the results. A four and a six from Dhoni to end Prasidh's forgettable evening. He goes for 49 from his four overs. Not the greatest of connections in the four as Dhoni gets a leading edge that goes behind for four, but there were no half-measures off the next ball. In the slot and Dhoni smokes his first six of the innings.

Well, if the first few balls are any hint, MS Dhoni is lining himself for the big ones. Four out of the five balls, Dhoni has brought out the big backlift and swung the bat hard in the air. A big one is around the corner. It's coming. The Dhoni smash is approaching.

MS Dhoni off the mark with a four. For 64 balls, Dhoni had failed to hit a single four off the bowling of Narine. But that has now changed. Narine oversteps and gives Dhoni the license to go for it. Goes for the big hoick but manages to get the outside edge as the ball goes behind for four. The jinx has ended. CSK 172/2, with three overs left.

OUT! Narine gets his man as Moeen Ali is out stumped for 25. CSK 165/2 in 16.3 overs.

10 runs to begin the 17th over. A four and a six that came right off the middle. He jaywalks down the wicket and absolutely smokes it into the upper tied at deep mid wicket.

What happened there? du Plessis looks perplexed, as does Prasidh. It was a ball bowled at 145 clicks but a full toss pretty playable none the less. Not a no-ball. The next ball however, du Plessis scoops for a four. Almost like he's reading what Prasidh was going to bowl. The fast bowler has gone for 35 in three overs. CSK 155/1 in 16 overs

And he is welcomes with a huge six. Brilliant sound as the bat connects the ball. In the slot, a slower delivery and Moeen is just in that kind of form. The slower ones are not working for Prasidh. Not getting to pitch them in the right place.

Pat Cummins bowls his heart out with that bounder. But gets a bit too much behind it. The balls beats everyone - the batsman and the keeper - and goes into the boundary. Easily above head high. Gift for CSK. Cummins has gone for 37 runs off 15 balls. Not the best of outings for the Australian quick.

Incredible. No words to describe that shot. Slower ball and du Plessis opens the face of this bat, and edges it behind. The ball beats a diving Dinesh Karthik and the former KKR captain slams the ground in anger. Should have been stopped. CSK in cruise-control mode.

Pat Cummins puts in the dive in the deep. It's just one run saved but that's the kind of commitment that should lift KKR with six overs left. Moeen Ali has hit his first boundary. Not the greatest of timings but enough to clear the fielder at cover. CSK 130/1 after 14.

13 overs gone and the score is 121. Moeen Ali, we all know, what he can do and has done in the past. He's come in at No. 3 and du Plessis is set as well. Certainly, CSK would be disappointed if they don't get to 200 from here on on this wonderful batting track.

Harsha Bogle aptly puts it on air: "Fifty for the evergreen Faf du Plessis." Don't forget, Gaikwad may be doing the hitting but it was du Plessis who began the attack in the first place. He gets there off 35 balls as CSK reach 121/1 after 13 overs.

Chakravarthy provides the breakthrough as Gaikwad departs for 65. CSK 115/1 in 12.2 overs. Plays the slog sweep but can't clear the ropes and holes out to Pat Cummins at deep midwicket.

The fast bowler is all over the place. Twice steps over the line but gets away with the free hit on both occasions. Lucky? Not really. Drops a short ball and Gaikwad smokes it for another six. Expensive over as CSK take 17 off it. The score: 115/0 after 12 overs.