KXIP vs CSK: Live Blog | Live Scorecard
Time-Out!
16 overs: KXIP 141/2
Nicholas Pooran (22*) hit a massive 97-metre six over midwicket as Punjab scored 11 runs off Sam Curran in the over. Is 200 on the card?
15 overs: KXIP 130/2
KL Rahul (62*) hit a six and two fours in successive balls off Shardul Thakur in the over as Punjab plundered 16 runs from it. Punjab looking good for a big total from hereon.
* FIFTY for KL Rahul off 46 balls, his 18th in IPL. KXIP 120/2 in 14.2 overs
Rahul brought up the milestone with a big six over long-off off Shardul Thakur, his first maximum of the night. The Punjab skipper hit five fours, along with the six, to reach the landmark.
14 overs: KXIP 114/2
1, 0, 1, 1, 4, 6 – It was going well for Ravindra Jadeja in his final over, conceding just three singles in the first four balls, before Nicholas Pooran decided to attack him and smacked a four and a six, over backward square leg, in consecutive deliveries. The spinner conceded 13 runs in it to finish his spell with figures of 1 for 30 in 4 overs.
13 overs: KXIP 101/2
Good over from Dwyane Bravo at this stage – gave away just 7 runs in it.
* 100 comes up for KXIP in 12.5 overs – 100/2
11.6 overs: OUT! Ravindra Jadeja gets rid of Mandeep Singh (27). KXIP 94/2
Big Wicket. Mandeep hit it straight to Ambati Rayudu at cover, and his little cameo came to an end. Mandeep scored 27 off 16 balls with the help of two big maximums. Timely wicket for Chennai as Punjab were looking to accelerate in the second half.
11 overs: KXIP 88/1
2, 6, 1, 1, 6, 1 – Mandeep Singh (24*) opened his boundary count with two big sixes off Piyush Chawla in the over – both smacked over deep midwicket. Punjab scored 17 off the spinner.
10.2 overs: SIX! Mandeep Singh (16*) smacks Piyush Chawla over deep midwicket for the first maximum of the night. KXIP 79/1
10 overs: KXIP 71/1 at the half-way stage
Another tidy over from Ravindra Jadeja, gave away just 5 runs in it. The platform is set for Punjab as they have 9 wickets in hand for the run charge in the second half of the innings.
9 overs: KXIP 66/1
Brilliant start from Piyush Chawla – a wicket and just 5 runs off it.
Time-Out!
8.1 overs: OUT! Piyush Chawla strikes with the first ball, dismisses Mayank Agarwal (26). KXIP 61/1
Bowling change worked for CSK as Chawla provided them an important breakthrough. Agarwal hit the short ball straight to Sam Curran at deep midwicket. Agarwal scored 26 off 19 balls with the help of three fours, and added 61 for the opening wicket with skipper KL Rahul.
* Spin from both ends: Piyush Chalwa comes into the attack
8 overs: KXIP 61/0
Tidy start from Ravindra Jadeja, gave away just 6 runs in it.
* Another bowling change: Spinner Ravindra Jadeja comes into the attack
7 overs: KXIP 55/0
KL Rahul (30*) hit a four as Dwayne Bravo leaked 9 runs in his first over, which also included two wide balls.
* 50 comes up for KXIP in 6.2 overs – 50/0. (KL Rahul 25* & Mayank Agarwal 22*)
* Change at both ends: Dwayne Bravo comes into the attack
6 overs: KXIP 46/0
End of Powerplay! Mayank Agarwal (21*) welcomed Shardul Thakur with a cracking pull shot towards midwicket for a four, but the pacer recovered well to give away just four singles in the next five deliveries.
* First bowling change: Pacer Shardul Thakur comes into the attack
5 overs: KXIP 38/0
Another tidy over from Deepak Chahar, gave away just 7 runs in it. Mayank Agarwal (15*) hit a four off the second delivery but Punjab openers could manage to score just three more after that.
4 overs: KXIP 31/0
KL Rahul (21*) ended Sam Curran over with a four, his third of the match, as Punjab openers scored 12 runs off the pacer. Good one for KXIP.
3.4 overs: FOUR! Mayank Agarwal (9*) opens his boundary count with a four, an outside edge which goes over the short third man fielder, off Sam Curran. KXIP 26/0
3 overs: KXIP 19/0
Another good over from Deepak Chahar, gave away 7 runs in it including a four hit by KL Rahul (15*).
2 overs: KXIP 12/0
Sam Curran started with an 8-run over as KL Rahul hit a four in it.
1.3 overs: FOUR! KL Rahul (7*) opens his and team’s boundary count with a four towards sweeper cover off Sam Curran. KXIP 11/0
1 over: KXIP 4/0
Good, tidy start from Deepak Chahar, gave away just 4 runs in it.
Here we go…KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal to start the KXIP innings. Deepak Chahar with the ball for CSK.
Playing XIs:
Chennai Super Kings: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis, MS Dhoni (w/c), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Piyush Chawla, Deepak Chahar
Kings XI Punjab: KL Rahul (w/c), Mayank Agarwal, Mandeep Singh, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Sarfaraz Khan, Chris Jordan, Harpreet Brar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Sheldon Cottrell
TOSS | Kings XI Punjab skipper KL Rahul wins toss, opts to bat against Chennai Super Kings in Dubai
Captains at the toss:
MS Dhoni: “I think we have played decent cricket. We need to get a good start and we need to get better at the death. It’s easier to break things into smaller stuff. We are playing with the same team, happy with the same combination. The side looks balanced and it looks good. We wanted to bat first, but happy to bat second. We are the most experienced team when it comes to chasing. The morale is high, that’s a good thing. I feel the support staff and the players’ attitude matters, it makes the job easy for us when the dressing room atmosphere is happy.”
KL Rahul: “We’ll bat first. Looks a pretty good wicket, hope it gets a little slower too. If we put a big total, it will put some pressure on them. Lots of positives to think of and be proud of. It can all change quickly. We need to get the momentum. We have three changes. Karun, Gowtham, Neesham are out. Mandeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Jordan are in.”

Pitch Report:
“Not a lot to talk about the pitch other than the grass covering that is gone as we are seeing less and less cover of grass now. If you’re batting first for the majority of the games, you’re winning. So, I don’t see that changing. We do have a shorter boundary tonight, there is a 66 metre boundary but we do have a bigger boundary which is like 85-86 metres to my left, straight down the ground not much. I would like to tell you that it’s 21 balls per six here in Dubai, Abu Dhabi 22 balls per six and in Sharjah it’s only 8 balls per six. We are seeing entertainment after entertainment which is so good for this format and there will be more right here tonight.” – Kevin Pietersen
Hello and welcome to the live coverage of Match 18 of the Indian Premier League 2020 between Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings in Dubai.
“Long time back once we lost three in a row. We need to get a lot of things right. It is professionalism. We need to take our catches, not bowl no-balls. Those are the controllables and may be we are getting too relaxed” – MS Dhoni after their third consecutive defeat

STATS THAT MATTER:
* CSK hold a 12-9 head-to-head advantage over KXIP.
* MS Dhoni loves batting against KXIP, having scored 595 runs in 21 innings at a strike rate of nearly 156, and crossing fifty five times.