Chennai Super Kings, Lucknow Super Giants reach IPL play-offs
CHENNAI Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants booked their places in the Indian Premier League play-offs with wins on Saturday.
Chennai cruised to a comfortable 77-run victory at Delhi Capitals.
That was enough to seal second place in the table, and Lucknow were later confirmed in third with a thrilling one-run win at Kolkata Knight Riders.
Chennai will play table-toppers Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1, while Lucknow go through to the Eliminator match.
Openers Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad both scored fifties in a scintillating opening partnership of 141 to put fourtime champions Chennai on course for an eighth win in 14 matches.
Gaikwad hit 79 from 50 balls and New Zealander Conway reached his sixth half-century of the campaign, scoring 87 from 52 deliveries.
Shivam Dube added a quickfire 22, while Ravindra Jadeja finished 20 not out to help post an imposing total of 223-3.
Delhi Capitals, who had no chance of making the play-offs, were reduced to 26-3 in reply. England’s Phil Salt fell for three to Deepak Chahar, who finished with 3-22.
Delhi captain David Warner hit 12 boundaries, including five sixes, in his 86, but when he was caught off Matheesha Pathirana in the 19th over, the game was already gone.
Meanwhile, Lucknow could have moved above Chennai on net run-rate with a heavy win at Kolkata, but in the end will have been relieved just to reach the play-offs.
Rinku Singh smashed 67 from 33 balls, including three boundaries in the final three balls, as the home side attempted to chase down Lucknow’s target of 176-8, which was boosted by 58 in 30 balls from West Indies’ Nicholas Pooran.
England’s Jason Roy had given the Kolkata chase early impetus with 45 before being bowled by Lucknow captain Krunal Pandya. His dismissal brought Rinku to the crease with the home side at 82-3. The 25-year-old Indian batter slowly reeled off the runs before smashing 20 off the penultimate over and 16 from the last, only to fall one run short.
Yash Thakur held his nerve in the final over, bowling some early dot balls to finish with 2-31 as the pick of the Lucknow bowlers.
Scores: Chennai Super Kings 223-3 (20 overs): Conway 87 (52), Gaikwad 79 (50); Sakariya 1-36 bt Delhi Capitals 146-9 (20 overs): Warner 86 (58); Chahar 3-22, Theekshana 2-23, Pathirana 2-22 by 77 runs. Lucknow Super Giants 176 for 8 (Pooran 58, Shardul Thakur 2-27, Narine 2-28) bt Kolkata Knight Riders 175 for 7 (Rinku 67*, Roy 45, Bishnoi 2-23, Yash Thakur 2-32) by 1 run.