CSK vs SRH LIVE Score, Today's IPL 2021 Match Updates: Gaikwad, du Plessis get Chennai Super Kings off to brilliant start in 172 chase

Welcome to Sportstar's LIVE coverage of IPL 2021, Match 23 between Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad. This is Santadeep Dey bringing you all the action as it unfurls at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi.

[CSK vs SRH, IPL 2021 LIVE SCORECARD]

LIVE COMMENTARY

CSK INNINGS

SRH 67/0 in 8 overs: If someone can change the course of the game hereon, it is this man. The crafty Afghan, Rashid, will bowl his first. Gaikwad and du Plessis, wary of the danger he poses, only choose to resort to singles. Umpire points at his watch and we are into the first strategic timeout of this innings.

SRH 63/0 in 7 overs: Suchith into the attack. Had been economical in his previous game - his first in SRH colours. Can he prove to be the gamechanger here today? Not for now, it seems, as Gaikwad moves on from being the silent partner in this stand, thus far. The Maharashtra batsman has cleared the infield with two wristy shots towards deep midwicket.

SRH 50/0 in 6 overs: Almost an action replay of the fourth ball of the last over as du Plessis targets the mid-off region again. He is timing the ball to perfection! CSK on top in the PowerPlay yet again.

SRH 43/0 in 5 overs: Kaul replaces Sandeep. Not for the first time tonight have we seen the ball racing down fine of the third man area. Calls for a close-in slip fielder, don't you think? Du Plessis finds the gap again, this time through cover and mid-off. Four runs.

SRH 31/0 in 4 overs: FAF-TASTIC! Du Plessis welcomes Khaleel with two back-to-back boundaries. SRH has to strike and be really quick at that too to stop CSK from running away with this game. Moeen, in the meantime, can be seen all padded up in the dugout.

SRH 21/0 in 3 overs: How close was that?! Gaikwad gets an outside edge that flies just past the leg stump. Sharma and Bairstow have a wry smile pasted on their lips. The England 'keeper, meanwhile, walks down to stand up to the stumps for Sharma. Interesting move...

SRH 15/0 in 2 overs: Khaleel to share the new ball. Two back-to-back short balls from the left-arm pacer sees du Plessis run a couple twice. Hammered! The South African steps out and whacks a widish delivery from Khaleel to the extra-cover boundary.

SRH 5/0 in 1 over: Sharma gets the first ball to swing into Gaikwad, who has clipped this through midwicket for a double. Du Plessis gets off the mark with a single too.

 

Some magic words from Warner before his boys take the field. Gaikwad, Du Plessis will open for CSK. Sharma has the new ball in hand.

WHAT THEY SAID

Manish Pandey: It was good to come back and get a few runs for the team. We were looking at 180, but we were a bit slow in the middle. We are about 8-9 runs short, but we have the bowling unit to do the job. I thought it was a little slow and low to start with. Now, we have some dew coming in and it might be little more difficult for our team but we have the right plans for that.

INNINGS BREAK | CSK needs 172 to win vs SRH

SRH INNINGS

SRH 171/3 in 20 overs: Curran goes for 1, 1, 0, 1 off the first four balls of the last over. With Jadhav on strike, he decides to go for the bouncer next and the batsman does well to guide it over short third. The next one's bigger and has been hit for the moon! That sounded so sweet when it came off the bat and quick expectedly it disappears into the stands in no time.

SRH 158/3 in 19 overs: A full toss from Thakur and Williamson gives it the required treatment with a flick over midwicket for four runs. It gets only better! The next one's full and well outside off... The New-Zealander reaches out and BAM! SIX over cover. Two more boundaries follow - one over midwicket again and the next past third man. 20 runs come off the over and you cannot help but wonder whether SRH has played its turn wrong of sending Williamson after Pandey.

 

SRH 138/3 in 18 overs: Ngidi runs in from round the wicket only to bowl the first ball wide. AND GONE! A difficult stay in the middle for Warner comes to an end. He slices hard at a fuller delivery and in the end it is just catching practice for Jadeja at sweeper cover. Williamson comes in. Exquisite timing from Pandey sees him target the area down the ground to pocket four runs. WHAT. DID. I. JUST. WITNESS. Faf pulls off a blinder near the ropes to dismiss Pandey. Sprints in quite a few yards, takes flight and lands safely at full-stretch. Easily a contender for the catch of the tournament. Williamson, in the meantime, ends the over with a four.

SRH 127/1 in 17 overs: The 100-run partnership is up and that might come as a breath of fresh air for the Sunrisers. Faf meanwhile pulls off a one-handed stop in the deep to save two crucial runs. Except the odd occasion, CSK has been incredible on the field tonight.

SRH 121/1 in 16 overs: A flat slap falls just short of Raina at cover as Pandey heaves a sigh of relief. Warner, our milestone man of the day, meanwhile, brings up his 50th IPL fifty in style - with a 77-metre six!

 

SRH 113/1 in 15 overs: Although CSK has just managed to snap up the lone wicket, SRH has struggled to keep things going. Expect fireworks soon. Ngidi, meanwhile, follows up a vicious short delivery with a wide. Another bouncer up next and this has Warner reeling on the ground in sheer frustration. However, he brings up his 10,001st T20 runs with a double shortly after. And the next six marks his 200th in the IPL. A day of milestones for the Bull! But he still has work to do...

SRH 102/1 in 14 overs: 27 runs have come off the last 22 balls and that does tell a grim story. One that SRH won't like to hear. The 100 comes up for the team as Pandey gets a thick edge which rolls down to the boundary ropes. Pandey gets to his fifty too off 35 balls. The tactical break has been taken.

SRH 92/1 in 13 overs: Pandey and Warner are still trying in vain to get a move on. They haven't been able to find the gaps today. Finally... Pandey breaks the shackles to shimmy down the ground and pick up a much-welcome boundary. Hyderabad needs a lot more of those to get closer to a competitive total. In IPL 2019, 156 was the average score in this part of the world. However, the surface has changed a lot now and a 150-plus score just wouldn't be enough.

SRH 82/1 in 12 overs: This is going to be one of those blink-and-you-miss overs from Jadeja. Warner, trying to muscle one towards square leg, ends up misfiring the ball back to the bowler. Lets out a cry in frustration.

SRH 77/1 in 11 overs: SRH assistant coach Brad Haddin says the side is targeting 170-plus. "A matter of time before both these guys have a go," he says. And immediately, almost in reply, Warner has sent a short delivery from Ngidi racing towards the ropes. Warner draws a blank off the last delivery as he tries to go for a powerful slog.

SRH 69/1 in 10 overs: Pandey takes on the off-spinner. Moeen has just been taken for a ride over the midwicket region and into the stands as SRH brings up the first maximum of the night! Turns out the ball's lost as well. We will have a change.

SRH 59/1 in 9 overs: Ngidi replaces Thakur. The South African pacer mixes it up well to frustrate Warner. Almost gets the better of the SRH skipper as he gets a leg-cutter to just snake away from his outside edge.

SRH 54/1 in 8 overs: Spin has been introduced with Moeen to do the honours. Pandey leans into a drive off the very first ball and makes good use of the fast outfield to pick up three runs. Shoutout to Gaikwad who pulls off another stunning effort in the deep to save a single. Time for the first strategic timeout!

SRH 47/1 in 7 overs: Thakur is CSK's first change. Four! The 29-year-old pacer drags it down leg and Warner only had to guide it down fine. Easy pickings for SRH.

SRH 39/1 in 6 overs: Four more for Pandey! Waits patiently, picks the ball on the rise and punches it through his favourite zone - mid-off. The last delivery is an awkward bouncer and Pandey half-plays at it before exchanging a few words with Curran. The square-leg umpire isn't interested.

SRH 32/1 in 5 overs: Pandey splits the fielders at gully and point to open his account with a boundary. The 31-year-old had started the tournament on a bright note with a 61 against the Kolkata Knight Riders but hasn't been that great since.

SRH 25/1 in 4 overs: Curran wins the battle of the Englishmen! This was banged in short and Bairstow looking to go big has holed out to Chahar at deep backward square leg. Pandey joins his captain.

 

SRH 20/0 in 3 overs: Warner picks Chahar's length early... The fuller ball was only an invitation for the burly Australian to take the aerial route - once bounce and into the fence. Bairstow goes next - although this doesn't exactly come off the meat of the bat - and picks up four runs while making full use of the field restrictions in place during the first six overs.

SRH 9/0 in 2 overs: Curran tries to work the first ball into the right-handed Bairstow. This all-England contest promises to be mouthwatering. Warner slashes hard at the next ball but Rayudu at cover-point makes a terrific save while diving to his left.

SRH 3/0 in 1 over: Fine leg and third man in place for Chahar. There is a hint of swing but Warner is off the mark straightaway with a deft single. DHONI DROPS BAIRSTOW ON NOUGHT! The Englishman gets an inside edge and this should have been nothing more than a regulation take. Chahar doesn't believe his eyes... MSD, afterall, doesn't spill many.

The umpires are out. SRH's power duo Warner and Bairstow make their way onto the middle as well. Chahar, as usual, will open CSK's bowling. Let's play!

PLAYING XI

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi, Deepak Chahar

Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (c), Jonny Bairstow (w), Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, Rashid Khan, Jagadeesha Suchith, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul

WHAT THEY SAID

Dhoni: We were looking to bowl first. Looks a bit tacky and the boys who practised yesterday said there was quite a bit of dew. Bowling with the wet ball is the challenge for us. Lungi and Moeen are back in place of Bravo and Tahir.

David Warner: We will bat first. It's a different surface to what was expected in Delhi. But it's not going to play very differently. It's about experience for us. Sandeep and Pandey are back.

TOSS

David Warner wins toss. Sunrisers Hyderabad to bat.

 

PITCH REPORT

"The pitch is green and lush and it is the first IPL 2021 match here. Not much of cricket has been played here since the pandemic. The groundsman's got a lot of time to prepare the wicket. Two years ago, stroke-players used to struggle with the added turn and bounce on offer. One should target the stumps. This should be a good batting surface. Dew might come into play after 8pm and that is what will make the captains think during the toss," reckon Anjum Chopra and Nick Knight.

MATCH PREVIEW

After creaking on last season, the rejuvenated Chennai Super Kings is motoring along like a well-oiled machine this year. 

Different wheels are moving in cohesion. While the team is consistent, it is also throwing up match-winners such as ‘Hurricane’ Ravindra Jadeja.

CSK has four wins in five games and is looking versatile.

Sunrisers Hyderabad, in contrast, has been struggling. It is unable to cross the finish line in close games; SRH has four defeats in five games.  

The side, undone by injury to yorker specialist T. Natarajan, has been adversely impacted by lack of meaningful contributions from its Indian cricketers.

But then, SRH which lost in a Super Over to Delhi Capitals, has the opportunity to find some form and momentum when it meets CSK in New Delhi’s Feroze Shah Kotla ground on Wednesday.

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All eyes will be on the pitch. If the past is any indication, the surface should encourage the spinners and pacemen who can send down effective cutters. Dew will be a factor.

CSK is looking hungry and dangerous. The openers Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad are among the runs and the side, with game-changing batsmen, bats deep.

Then there is Jadeja. The left-hander is striking the ball like a dream and bowling with control and skill.

 

M.S. Dhoni’s team has a probing attack. Deepak Chahar can seam the new ball to deadly effect. And Sam Curran, apart from batting with gusto, can bowl his left-arm seamers zestfully.

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SRH is too dependent on its four overseas cricketers - skipper David Warner, Jonny Bairstow and Kane Williamson with the bat, and Rashid Khan, with the ball.

Among the Indians, Vijay Shankar has bowled capably and shown flashes of batting form but has to finish games.

CSK is the favourite but then you can never tell in cricket. 

- S. Dinakar

CSK vs SRH DREAM11 FANTASY TEAM PICKS Sportstar's fantasy cricket predictions and tips for today's IPL match - CSK vs SRH Wicketkeeper: Jonny Bairstow (10 credits) Batsmen: Faf du Plessis (10 credits), Suresh Raina (9 credits), Ruturaj Gaikwad (8 credits) All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja (C) (9.5 credits), Moeen Ali (VC) (9.5 credits), Sam Curran (9 credits), Vijay Shankar (8.5 credits) Bowlers: Rashid Khan (9.5 credits), Deepak Chahar (8.5 credits), Jagadeesha Suchith (8 credits)

PREDICTED XI

CSK Probable XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c/wk), Sam Curran, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Imran Tahir

SRH Probable XI: David Warner (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Kedar Jadhav, Rashid Khan, Jagadeesha Suchith, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul

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HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD

The two teams have played 15 matches against each other in the IPL. CSK has won on 11 occasions.

LAST IPL MEETING

CSK (167/6 in 20 overs) beat SRH (147/6 in 20 overs)

In their last meeting in Dubai, CSK registered a 20-run win over SRH. Batting first, valuable knocks from Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson and Sam Curran helped CSK post a competitive total on board. In reply, Kane Williamson starred with a 39-ball 57 but his knock went in vain.

TOP PERFORMERS IN CSK vs SRH OVER THE YEARS

Top run-getters	Most runs
Suresh Raina (CSK; 2008-2015, 2018-Present)	415
MS Dhoni (CSK; 2008-2015, 2018-Present)	399
Shane Watson (CSK; 2018-2020)	353
Top wicket-takers	Most wickets
Dwayne Bravo (CSK; 2008-2015, 2018-Present)	17
Deepak Chahar (CSK; 2018-2020)	9
Mohit Sharma (CSK; 2013-2015)	8

STARS FROM LAST SEASON

Top run-getters	Most runs
David Warner (SRH)	548
Faf du Plessis (CSK)	449
Manish Pandey (SRH)	425
Top wicket-takers	Most wickets
Rashid Khan (SRH)	20
T Natarajan (SRH)	16
Sandeep Sharma (SRH)	14

SQUADS

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (w/c), Sam Curran, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir, Robin Uthappa, Cheteshwar Pujara, Karn Sharma, Moeen Ali, Jason Behrendorff, Krishnappa Gowtham, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Hari Nishanth, N Jagadeesan, KM Asif, Harishankar Reddy, Bhagath Varma

Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (c), Jonny Bairstow (w), Kane Williamson, Virat Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Rashid Khan, Jagadeesha Suchith, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul, Wriddhiman Saha, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shreevats Goswami, Manish Pandey, Mohammad Nabi, Jason Roy, Shahbaz Nadeem, Jason Holder, Sandeep Sharma, Basil Thampi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Priyam Garg, Abdul Samad

NUMBER GAME - IPL 2021

• MOST RUNS (ORANGE CAP) - Shikhar Dhawan (DC)
• MOST WICKETS (PURPLE CAP) - Harshal Patel (RCB)
• MOST FOURS - Shikhar Dhawan (DC)
• MOST SIXES - Jonny Bairstow (SRH)
• LONGEST SIX - Kieron Pollard (MI)
• MOST DOT BALLS - Mohammed Siraj (RCB)
• MOST FIFTIES - KL Rahul (PBKS)
• MOST CENTURIES - Sanju Samson (RR) and Devdutt Padikkal (RCB)
• FASTEST FIFTY - Deepak Hooda (PBKS)
• FASTEST CENTURY - Devdutt Padikkal (RCB)
• BEST BOWLING AVERAGE - Shahbaz Ahmed (RCB)
• BEST ECONOMY - Shivam Mavi (KKR) and Imran Tahir (CSK)
• BEST BATTING AVERAGE - Ravindra Jadeja (CSK)
• BEST BATTING STRIKE RATE - Ravindra Jadeja (CSK)
• BEST BOWLING FIGURES - Andre Russell (KKR)
• FASTEST BALL - Kagiso Rabada (DC)

AT WHAT TIME DOES TODAY'S IPL 2021 MATCH - CSK vs SRH START?

The IPL 2021 Match 23 between Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad begins at 7:30 PM IST.

AT WHAT TIME DOES TODAY'S IPL 2021 MATCH CSK vs SRH TOSS HAPPEN?

The toss for CSK vs SRH will happen at 7:00 PM IST.

WHERE TO WATCH TODAY'S IPL MATCH - CSK vs SRH LIVE?

IPL 2021 will be aired live on Star Sports channels - Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 3 and Star Sports 3 HD. It will also be streamed live on Disney+Hotstar. You can also follow the live commentary and latest updates on Sportstar.