IPL 2021, PBKS vs CSK Match 8 Highlights: Chahar, Ali shine as Chennai defeat Punjab by 6 wickets

End of the match: After Deepak Chahar's excellent spell of 4 for 13, Moeen Ali's 46 and Faf du Plessis' unbeaten 36 guided Chennai Super Kings to a six-wicket victory over Punjab Kings.

Mo Al is our Aal for the day!#PBKSvCSK #WhistlePodu #Yellove 🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/blFu7hzKvI

— Chennai Super Kings - Mask P😷du Whistle P🥳du! (@ChennaiIPL) April 16, 2021

FOUR! And it's all over as Curran pulls Meredith to take CSK across the line. CSK - 107/4 in 15.4 overs.

Shami ends his spell with figures of 2 for 21. CSK need another 5 to win from 5 overs.

100 up for CSK in the 15th over as Sam Curran joins Du Plessis in the middle with just 7 to win from 32 balls.

WICKET! It's two in two for Shami as Rayudu departs without troubling the scorers. CSK - 99/4 in 14.3 overs.

WICKET! Shami bounces his way to get rid off Raina for 8, but it's all late in the day. CSK - 99/3 in 14.2 overs.

Just two runs come from Meredith's third over. CSK - 97/2 in 14 overs.

Drama in the end as Umpire bizarrely gives Du Plessis out after the checking for a no ball over the shoulder and then again asks for a review to correct the decision, which is not out.

FOUR! Raina off the mark with a boundary as he drives Ashwin straight down the ground. CSK - 95/2 in 13 overs.

WICKET! Ashwin strikes as he gets rid off Moeen Ali, who wanted to finish the game soon for 46. CSK - 90/2 in 12.3 overs.

SIX! Moeen Ali slog sweeps Ashwin for his first maximum and inches closer to a fifty. CSK - 90/1 in 12.1 overs.

Another 10 run over from a Punjab bowler as Chennai get closer to the target. CSK - 84/1 in 12 overs, need just another 23 runs to win now.

FOUR! Du Plessis drives Richardson for his fourth boundary of the innings. CSK - 82/1 in 11.4 overs.

Overthrows from Pooran gifts Du Plessis another four. CSK -78/1 in 11.3 overs

FOUR! Ali ends yet another over with a boundary as he drives Shami through the covers for the second four of the over. CSK - 74/1 in 11 overs.

FOUR! Ali pulls Shami for his sixth boundary of the innings as CSK are well on course to reach the target of 107. CSK - 68/1 in 10.2 overs.

Ashwin concedes 11 runs from his second over. CSK - 64/1 in 10 overs, need another 43 runs to win from 60 balls.

FOUR! Du Plessis cuts Ashwin for his third boundary of the innings as Chennai need less than 50 to win now. CSK - 57/1 in 9.1 overs.

Ashwin resumes play after the strategic time-out.

At the third time-out of the match, CSK move to 53/1 in 9 overs with Du Plessis and Ali unbeaten on 19 and 24 respectively. Dhoni and co still need 54 to win from 66 balls.

FOUR! Moeen Ali in the mood to finish the game in a hurry as he drives Meredith to score his fifth boundary of the innings. CSK - 51/1 in 8.1 overs.

10 runs come from Ashwin's first over and CSK move to 47/1 in 8 overs. Dhoni's men need another 60 runs to win from 72 balls.

FOUR! Murugan Ashwin finds Ali's outside edge and the ball flies past Gayle at slip to the boundary. CSK - 42/1 in 7.2 overs.

FOUR! Moeen Ali ends another over with a boundary as he pulls Arshdeep just over the mid-wicket fielder. CSK - 37/1 in 7 overs.

FOUR! Moeen Ali ends the powerplay with a boundary as he square drives Meredith for the second boundary of the over. CSK - 32/1 in 6 overs.

FOUR! Moeen Ali gets off the mark with a boundary as he drives Meredith through covers. CSK - 28/1 in 5.2 overs.

Moeen Ali is the new man in for CSK as Rahul introduces Riley Meredith into the attack.

WICKET! Arshdeep strikes as he removes Ruturaj Gaikwad for 5. CSK - 24/1 in 5 overs.

First bowling change as Rahul brings Arshdeep Singh into the attack.

SIX! Du Plessis ends the over in styles as he scoops Richardson for the first maximum of the innings. CSK - 22/0 in 4 overs.

FOUR! Richardson slides it down and Du Plessis capitalises.

FOUR! Du Plessis walks down the track and whacks Richardson through extra covers for the first boundary.

4 runs come from Shami's second over. CSK - 8/0 in 3 overs.

Shami continues from the other Rahul and Punjab look for wickets.

Another quiet over from Punjab as Chennai start cautiously in Mumbai. CSK - 4/0 in 2 overs.

CHANCE! But it lands safely as Gaikwad's lofted effort off Richardson evades Hooda.

Jhye Richarson shares the new ball with Shami as Punjab eye early wickets.

Good start from Shami as he concedes just 2 runs from the first over. CSK - 2/0 in 1 over.

Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad begin Chennai's run chase, while Mohammed Shami takes the new ball for Punjab.

Punjab players are in a huddle as they wait for start of the run chase.

End of the innings: Deepak Chahar's 4 for 13 and Ravindra Jadeja's brilliance on the field stunned Punjab Kings early on, but a fighting 47 from Shahrukh Khan took them to a paltry 106/8.

Innings Break: A superb bowling performance by @ChennaiIPL has restricted #PunjabKings to 106-8, the 4th lowest first innings total at the Wankhede Stadium.https://t.co/P8VzT4XXbb #PBKSvCSK #VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/c4geXxWvtf

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 16, 2021

A single to end the innings and Sam Curran's third over. PBKS - 106/8 in 20 overs.

Referral for run out as Shami scampers through for a double. And he's safely made it home despite Dhoni's effort to glance the ball on to the stumps.

WICKET! Curran strikes and Sharukh Khan misses out on a half-century as he holes out to Jadeja at deep midwicket for 47. PBKS - 101/8 in 19.1 overs.

Sam Curran to bowl the final over of the innings. How much more can PBKS get?

100 up for Punjab Kings in the 19th over. At one stage it didn't look like they would get there. 100/7 in 19 overs.

FOUR! Sharukh Khan's top edge of Shardul Thakur flies over Dhoni and into the fence. The Punjab Kings batsman closes in on fifty. PBKS - 96/7 in 18 overs.

Bravo concedes 6 runs from his first over as Shahrukh Khan is joined by Mohammed Shami in the middle. PBKS - 87/7 in 17 overs.

WICKET! Bravo deceives Ashwin who holes out to Faf du Plessis for 6. PBKS - 87/7 in 16.5 overs.

FOUR! Shahrukh lofts Bravo towards long on for another boundary. PBKS - 86/6 in 16.3 overs.

It's finally time for Dwayne Bravo in the 17th over.

At the second time-out, PBKS reach 81/6 in 16 overs with Shahrukh Khan and Murugan Ashwin unbeaten on 34 and 5 respectively. How much more will Punjab add?

FOUR! Thakur can't find his length and is pulled by Shahrukh for a boundary. PBKS - 79/6 in 15.2 overs.

Moeen concedes 9 runs from his third over. PBKS - 73/6 in 15 overs.

SIX Shahrukh hits Moeen for his second maximum of the match. PBKS - 70/6 in 14.1 overs.

Jadeja completes yet another quick over and finishes his quota of four for the match. PBKS - 64/6 in 14 overs.

Moeen concedes four singles and breaks the resistance of Richardson in his second over as Murugan Ashwin joins Shahrukh in the middle. PBKS - 61/6 in 13 overs.

WICKET! Moeen Ali strikes as he castles Richardson for 15. PBKS - 57/6 in 12.1 overs.

FOUR! Richardson drives Jadeja, who bowls yet another quick over. PBKS - 57/5 in 12 overs.

Moeen Ali is introduced into the attack by Dhoni as Punjab cross fifty in the 11th over. PBKS - 52/5 in 11 overs.

Jadeja resumed play after the break and bowled a quick over, conceding just 3 runs. PBKS - 48/5 in 10 overs.

FOUR! Shahrukh Khan gets the second boundary of the over as he drives Thakur through covers. PBKS - 45/5 in 9 overs and its the first time-out of the night.

FOUR! Thakur replaces Chahar from the other end and is welcomed with a flick towards the mid wicket area for a boundary by Jhye Richardson.

SIX! Shahrukh Khan slog sweeps Jadeja for the first maximum of the match. PBKS - 34/5 in 8 overs.

Chahar ends his quota of four overs with a maiden wicket and ends with figures of 4 for 13. PBKS - 26/5 in 7 overs.

WICKET! Chahar gets his fourth wicket as he dismisses Deepak Hooda for 10. PBKS - 26/5 in 6.2 overs.

Chahar is set to bowl out here and it's understandable given the way he's been bowling.

Shardul Thakur bowls his first over as he replaces Curran and at the end of powerplay, PBKS reach 26/4 in 6 overs.

Chahar concedes just 1 run and takes two wickets in his third over as Sharukh Khan joins Deepak Hooda to rebuild Punjab innings. PBKS - 19/4 in 5 overs.

WICKET! Chahar strikes again as he gets rid off Nicholas Pooran for a duck. PBKS - 19/4 in 4.4 overs.

WICKET! Chahar strikes again as he gets rid off Gayle for 10 thanks to an excellent catch by Jadeja at point. PBKS - 19/3 in 4.2 overs.

Curran continued from the other end and conceded just a single from his second over. PBKS - 18/2 in 4 overs.

Chahar concedes 10 runs from his second over as Deepak Hooda joined Gayle in the middle for Punjab. PBKS - 17/2 in 3 overs.

WICKET! Rahul is run out for 5 after wonderful work from Jadeja, PBKS - 15/2 in 2.5 overs

Appeal for run out as Rahul scampers through for a quick single.

Back to back fours for Gayle of the first two balls of Chahar's second over. PBKS - 15/1 in 2.2 overs.

FOUR! Rahul glances Curran for the first boundary of the match. PBKS - 7/1 in 2 overs.

Sam Curran shares the new ball with Chahar.

DROPPED! Gayle gets a life as Gaikwad puts down a sitter. PBKS - 2/1 in 1 over.

BOWLED HIM! Chahar strikes early as he finds little bit of moment and cleans up Mayank Agarwal for a duck. PBKS - 1/1 in 0.4 overs.

It's veteran MS Dhoni's 200th appearance for the Chennai Super Kings.

An association that has only gotten stronger. 👏🏾

Congratulations to @msdhoni, who is playing his 2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣th T20 game for @ChennaiIPL today. https://t.co/P8VzT4XXbb #PBKSvCSK #VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/SltzFwY3s3

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 16, 2021

KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal make their way out into the middle to begin Punjab Kings' innings, while Deepak Chahar takes the new ball for Chennai Super Kings.

The Punjab skipper scored 91 off 50 balls in the last match. Can CSK send him back into the hut quickly or will the wicketkeeper-batsman continue his form and get to the triple figure mark tonight?

Punjab put on a score of 221 in their last match at the same venue and came out on top in a last ball thriller. Will Chennai bowlers who failed to defend 188, bounce back and restrict PBKS to a chase-able score?

Here is how PBKS line-up: KL Rahul(wicketkeeper/captain), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Shahrukh Khan, Jhye Richardson, Murugan Ashwin, Riley Meredith, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh

Same XI, let's get the same result! 💪#SaddaPunjab #IPL2021 #PunjabKings #PBKSvCSK pic.twitter.com/S9lZoMAE53

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) April 16, 2021

Here is CSK's playing 11: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(wicketkeeper/captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar

As for team news, both teams stick to the same playing 11 from their campaign opening match.

Heads is the call from Dhoni and it comes down heads. Chennai Supper Kings opt to bowl first against Punjab Kings.

Toss Update: @ChennaiIPL captain @msdhoni wins the toss and opts to bowl first against @PunjabKingsIPL.https://t.co/P8VzT4XXbb #PBKSvCSK #VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/xUzvTEkpRV

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 16, 2021

It's time for the toss in Mumbai as Dhoni and Rahul make their way into the middle.

Pitch Report: Ian Bishop says it's a fresh pitch for today's game and there's a nice green tinge. But he doesn't think there will be as much seam movement and may not be as tacky. His advice to the bowlers is to get the yorkers right especially in the second half when dew sets in and also added that the bowlers need to use the cutters like last night's match.

In the three matches played so far in IPL 2021 at the Wankhede Stadium, the team chasing has won on two occasions, while the other was also on the verge of being chased, but ended in a 4-run win. So, will the trend of winning the toss and chasing continue tonight? We'll find out soon.

Both teams have played their one match this season at the Wankhede Stadium and were involved in high-scoring games. But last night's clash between Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals was a low-scoring game that went down the wire. So, will that impact the captain's decision in the toss?

Will Deepak Hooda continue from where he left of the other night? The Punjab Kings all-rounder was also at his best against CSK last season, but couldn't help his team win the match. So, he'll be keen to get that right tonight.

In his last game of the #VIVOIPL: 6⃣4⃣ off 2⃣8⃣
In his last game against #CSK: 6⃣2⃣* off 3⃣0⃣

Will Deepak Hooda once again come to the party tonight? 🤔🤔#PBKSvCSK @Vivo_India @PunjabKingsIPL pic.twitter.com/7fJeA53uUJ

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 16, 2021

Will Dhoni tinker with his squad especially with bowling line-up after they struggled to defend a decent total of 187?

Time for some predictions 🎓! Who do you think will be the Super kings to take on the field?#PBKSvCSK #WhistlePodu #Yellove 🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/g7DOg0nQ3G

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 16, 2021

For Punjab, it was left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh, who held his nerve in the final over to seal a 4-run for his team. Will he be able to contain the likes of Raina and Dhoni?

.@arshdeepsinghh likes bowling under pressure 😎

The left-arm seamer took 3️⃣ wickets that led @PunjabKingsIPL to a victory against #RR. 👍

Let's relive that match-winning bowling performance👌🏻ahead of the #PBKSvCSK clash 🎥 👇 #VIVOIPL @Vivo_India

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 16, 2021

In CSK's IPL 2021 opener, it was Suresh Raina who top scored with 54. And the veteran will look to add more runs as he approaches three milestones coming into tonight's match. He is 78 runs short of 5500 IPL runs, 2 maximums short of 200 sixes and 4 four away from 500 fours in IPL.

5️⃣4️⃣ Runs
3️⃣6️⃣ Deliveries@ImRaina was in full flow 👌🏻 in @ChennaiIPL's first game of the #VIVOIPL.

Are you expecting another power-packed performance from 'Chinna Thala' tonight? 😉 @Vivo_India

As we gear up for the #PBKSvCSK clash, let's relive his quickfire fifty 🎥 👇

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 16, 2021

In the head-to-head battle, it's advantage CSK as they have won 14 of 23 meetings with PBKS. And Dhoni's men also did the double over the Punjab franchise in IPL 2020.

While Dhoni's CSK come into tonight's clash on the back of a thumping loss, Rahul's PBKS are headed into the contest after pulling off a narrow win.

Today's match happens to be the fourth installment of the battle of keeper-captains as the master MS Dhoni faces a pupil in KL Rahul when Punjab Kings clash with Chennai Super Kings at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Hello all and welcome to mykhel's live updates of Match 8 of IPL 2021.