IPL 2014 Highlights, Qualifier 2 CSK vs KXIP: Centurion Virender Sehwag Fires Kings XI Punjab to Maiden Final

Kings XI Punjab defeated Chennai Super Kings in the Qualifier 2 at Wankhede Stadium to book their first IPL final berth. Follow highlights of the match here: (Scorecard | Text Commentary)

That's the end of this game. KXIP vs KKR in the final in Bangalore on Sunday.

 

Kings XI Punjab win by 24 runs and qualify for the final. Chennai Super Kings made a spirited chase thanks to a breathtaking 25-ball 87 by Suresh Raina but once he was run out, KXIP turned it around. They took regular wickets and dried up the runs as the two-time champions lost their way, failing to make it to the IPL final for only the second time since the tournament's inception.

 

23:38 IST: KXIP have bounced back brilliantly and now it looks like it's all over for the Super Kings. Punjab have taken wickets and dried up the runs and Dhoni has not been able to connect. CSK need 54 from the last two overs.

 

23:10 IST: WICKET! Another one for Awana; his second wicket in the over as David Hussey perishes with CSK on 142/6 off 12.5 overs.

 

23:02 IST: CSK under the pump as McCullum and Raina perish in quick succession as CSK falter in their chase of 227. They are 140/5 off 12.1 overs.

 

22:43 IST: WICKET! What a breakthrough for KXIP. Brendon McCullum hesitated at the striker's end and George Bailey's direct throw claimed Raina for 87 off 25 balls. CSK 100/3 off 6.1 overs.

 

22:38 IST: Suresh Raina smashed Parvinder Awana for 33 runs as CSK reached 100/2 off six overs.

 

22:27 IST: WICKET! Good comeback by Sandeep Sharma as he castles Dwayne Smith for seven but Raina is breathing fire at the other end.

 

22:28 IST: Suresh Raina smashed Sandeep Sharma for a SIX to bring up his fifty; it his 23rd and the second fastest in the history of the IPL. Chennai Super Kings are in it alright; 64/1 off 4.2 overs.

 

22:24 IST: Raina is answering Sehwag's knock here; hammers Johnson for two sixes and a four as CSK reach 56/1 off 4 overs. Raina has scored 47 of those. What an evening this is turning out to be.

 

22:18 IST: Raina smashes Parvinder Awana for two straight boundaries as CSK race off to 36/1 off three overs. This will be a fantastic chase by the looks of it.

 

22:14 IST: Suresh Raina made his intentions clear as he took Sandeep Sharma on; hammered him for SIX and took three sweetly timed boundaries. CSK are going for it from ball one; 27/1 after 2 overs.

 

22:05 IST: WICKET! First blow for the Super Kings as they lose Faf du Plessis to Mitchell Johnson in the second ball of the innings; du Plessis tried to clobber the first ball he faced but held out to Bailey. CSK 1/1 off 0.2 over.

 

Virender Sehwag says: My son's friends were teasing him because I was not scoring runs. I told my son to wait for one innings; I sad I'd score runs and you will be proud of me. Thanks to KXIP for keeping faith in me.

 

Kings XI Punjab score 226/6 off 20 overs. It was a one-man show as Virender Sehwag blasted 122 off 58 balls and sent the Chennai Super Kings on a wild leather chase. Manan Vohra started well, Glenn Maxwell failed and David Miller played a nice cameo at the end but it was Sehwag who hit sixes and fours at will to dominate a strong CSK attack. The discarded India opener slammed 12 fours and eight sixes in the course of his knock, paving the way for KXIP's massive score.

 

21:36 IST: WICKET! That's the end of Sehwag as he perishes to Nehra for 122 off 58 balls. That was a brilliant knock and the whole ground stood up as one to applaud. Sehwag turned back the years in the course of his innings.

 

21:20 IST: Sensational innings from Sehwag as he brings up his second IPL 100 off just 50 balls. He cracked 10 4s and six 6s to answer his critics in only the style he knows. What a knock in a must-win game. KXIP are 176/2 off 16 overs.

 

21:08 IST: WICKET! Success at last for Ashwin, who has been under the hammer tonight; the off spinner removed Glenn Maxwell, who had smashed 95 and 90 in the two previous games against the Super Kings this year. KXIP 148/2 with seven overs to go.

 

21:00 IST: Sehwag is in a different zone tonight and it looks like he has a point to prove after his mentor and former India captain Sourav Ganguly said Sehwag did not deserve a Test recall. A lot of critics might want to eat their words right now. KXIP 131/1 off 12 overs.

 

20:53 IST: WICKET! Finally some respite for the Super Kings as Pandey removes Vohra for 34. Excellent over as just two runs come off it. But the game could slip away very quickly from Chennai as Maxwell joins a marauding Sehwag in the middle. KXIP 111/1 off 11 overs.

 

20:46 IST: Sehwag hits Jadeja for a boundary as KXIP bring up their 100 in the 10th over. This is a great start for Preity Zinta's side after they were asked to bat by the Super Kings.

 

20:38 IST: Sehwag blasts Ashwin for a SIX and then brought up his 17th IPL fifty, second this year as KXIP reach 81.0 off 7 overs. They still have a lot of firepower with the likes of Maxwell and Miller due in. KXIP 81/0 off 7 overs.

 

20:32 IST: Virender Sehwag watched as old friend and former India opening partner Gautam Gambhir made it back to the Test squad. However, the Delhi dasher is reminding the selectors what they have missed out. He smacked Purple Cap holder Mohit Sharma for SIX as KXIP reach 70/0 at the end of the powerplay.

 

20:26 IST: Nehra is under the pump as Sehwag takes him apart, smashing for three successive boundaries. 14 runs off the fifth over as KXIP reach 57/0.

 

20:21 IST: Vohra and Sehwag were watchful in the first three overs before they decided to launch into Pandey. While Vohra slammed two SIXES, Sehwag blasted two boundaries as KXIP got some momentum into their innings. 24 runs from the over KXIP 43/0 off 4.

 

20:16 IST: It was a good over from Mohit Sharma till he was hit for a boundary by Sehwag off the last ball as KXIP reached 19 off 3.

 

20:10 IST: Excellent first over from Ishwar Pandey, who gives just one run. He did well to keep two aggressive openers silent. KXIP 11/0 after 2.

20:05 IST: Good start for the Kings XI Punjab as Manan Vohra and Virender Sehwag help themselves to a boundary each off Ashish Nehra's opening over. KXIP 10/0 after 1.

 

19:42 IST: Here are the playing XIs:

CSK: DR Smith, F du Plessis, SK Raina, BB McCullum, DJ Hussey, MS Dhoni (Captain & WK), RA Jadeja, R Ashwin, MM Sharma, IC Pandey, A Nehra


KXIP: V Sehwag, M Vohra, WP Saha (WK), GJ Maxwell, DA Miller, GJ Bailey (Captain), AR Patel, MG Johnson, Karanveer Singh, Sandeep Sharma, P Awana

 

19:34 IST: Chennai Super Kings will bowl against Kings XI Punjab. CSK are unchanged while KXIP have brought back Sandeep Sharma for Rishi Dhawan.
Preview

Buoyed by their convincing seven-wicket win over title holders Mumbai Indians, Chennai Super Kings will take on Kings XI Punjab in their second knockout game inside three days today. All eyes will be on Punjab star Glenn Maxwell, who single-handly floored Chennai in both their league games.

Friday's Qualifier 2, the penultimate IPL-7 match, at the Wankhede Stadium will provide Chennai a great platform to avenge those two defeats and leapfrog into the June 1 summit clash against Kolkata Knight Riders in Bangalore.

However, to achieve the feat of entering the final for the sixth time, Chennai will have to stop Maxwell, who simply tore into their bowlers, especially two key spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja on the two previous occasions.

Maxwell, the third highest run-getter with 539 runs this season, smashed 95 in 43 balls in Abu Dhabi last month to help Punjab chase down a massive 206-run target set up by the Super Kings. The Victorian was even more dominating in their subsequent clash earlier this month in Cuttack, where he hit a whirlwind 90 off just 35 balls to power Punjab to an incredible score of 231. (Read more)

Even-Stevens in Qualifier 2

For all their past performances in IPL, both Chennai and Punjab would be aware that what matters is how each team plays their knockout match. The virtual semifinal clash is between two of the better teams this year and while one would have to say farewell at the end, both sides would take heart from the fact that they have battled hard this year and deserved to reach the business end of IPL 7. (Read more)

Chennai still hold the edge in IPL head-to-head

Punjab may have thwarted Chennai Super Kings twice in the ongoing tournament but Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men continue to have a better record in overall head-to-head IPL clashes. With eight wins and six losses against Punjab, Chennai would hope to get lucky the third time.

Chennai's overall win percentage - 61.50 - is also superior to that of Punjab - 52.40. While numbers are only a minor indication, Chennai would be hoping to come good on their much-acclaimed status as champions. (Read more)

Is Chennai Star Raina Dating Actress Shruti Hassan?

Chennai Super Kings' Suresh Raina has been in excellent form on the field. His form off it though has hardly been shabby either. The left-handed hard-hitting batsman, who will lead India in the three ODIs in Bangladesh in June, is reportedly dating Bollywood actress Shruti Hassan.

According to a report in Mumbai Mirror, the 27-year-old cricketer has taken his 'friendship' with Shruti - daughter of veteran actor Kamal Hassan - to the next, more serious level. While the two were close, a source reveals that the 'partnership' has become more solid in recent times. (Read more)

SQUADS

Kings XI Punjab: Virender Sehwag, Manan Vohra, Wridhiman Saha, Glenn Maxell, David Miller, George Bailey, Akshar Patel, Rishi Dhawan, Mitchell Johnson, Karanveer Singh, L Balaji, Sandeep Sharma, Parvinder Awana, B Hendricks, Shaun Marsh, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mandeep Singh, Shardul Thakur, Shivam Sharma, Anureet Singh, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, M Karthik.

Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (C), Suresh Raina, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Faf du Plessis, Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith, Ashish Nehra, Mohit Sharma, Samuel Badree, Ben Hilfenhaus, Matt Henry, B Aparajith, Mithun Manhas, Ishwar Pandey, Pawan Negi, Vijay Shankar, Ronit More, John Hastings. Match commences at 8 pm.