IPL

Chennai Super Kings' (132-5) win streak in the Indian Premier League came to an abrupt end on Wednesday, as Sunrisers Hyderabad (137-4) beat the league leaders convincingly by six wickets (with 19 balls remaining). 

Super Kings' batsmen fell flat on a tricky wicket, and Hyderabad's attack, led by David Warner, easily completed the chase.

The updated IPL standings and complete stats can be found on the league's official website. Here are the top run-scorers after Wednesday's action:

1. David Warner, Sunrisers, 450

2. KL Rahul, Kings XI, 387

3. Jonny Bairstow, Sunrisers, 365

4. Chris Gayle, Kings XI, 352

5. Andre Russell, Knight Riders, 312

    

The top wicket-takers:

1. Kagiso Rabada, Capitals, 17

2. Imran Tahir, Super Kings, 15

3. Yuzvendra Chahal, Royal Challengers, 13

4. Mohammed Shami, Kings XI, 12

5. Deepak Chahar, Super Kings, 11

    Ravichandran Ashwin, Kings XI, 11

    Chris Morris, Capitals, 11

    

Chennai's four-match win streak was bound to come to an end at some point, but the manner in which the visitors crumbled during their innings on Wednesday was stunning, to say the least.

They got a decent start from openers Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson, who combined for 76, but the bats went quiet in the middle overs and they were never able to increase the pace toward the end of their innings.

Sunrisers' bowlers deserve a ton of credit for limiting big shots, even if they didn't take all that many wickets. Rashid Khan was the standout, giving up just 17 runs in four overs and taking two wickets as part of an over for the ages:

W,1,1,W,0,0

WHAT. AN. OVER.

Rashid 'AMAZING' Khan 🧡#OrangeArmy #RiseWithUs #SRHvCSK pic.twitter.com/bTv1DpiAOT

— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) April 17, 2019

No Sunrisers bowler gave up more than 33 runs, and only Shahbaz Nadeem finished with an economy rate in the double digits.

The target of 133 was meager, but on a wicket that had greatly favoured the bowlers in the first innings, there were still questions about Hyderabad's ability to complete the chase. Warner scored yet another half-century to put his side on the right track, however, and made some team history in the process:

David Warner completes 3000 runs in the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad in only 67 innings. He has scored two centuries and 30 fifties for SRH thus far. #IPL2019 #SRHvCSK

— Sampath Bandarupalli (@SampathStats) April 17, 2019

Fellow opener Jonny Bairstow was less explosive with the bat, but he also crossed the half-century mark as part of a solid, patient knock. Sunrisers were never troubled, completing the chase with plenty of balls to spare. A massive six from Bairstow was a fitting end to the contest.

Kings XI Punjab added another win to their total on Tuesday to leave them tied for second place on points in the 2019 Indian Premier League.

The hosts posted a total of 182 for six and cruised to a 12-run win over Rajasthan Royals, courtesy of a late surge in the first innings and solid work with the ball.

      

Table

(Team, Played, Net RR, Points)

1 Chennai Super Kings 8 +0.288, 14

2 Delhi Capitals 8 +0.418, 10

3 Mumbai Indians 8 +0.244, 10

4 Kings XI Punjab 9 -0.015, 10

5 Kolkata Knight Riders 8 +0.350, 8

6 Sunrisers Hyderabad 7 +0.409, 6

7 Rajasthan Royals 8 -0.589, 4

8 Royal Challengers Bangalore 8 -1.114, 2

     

Fixtures

Wednesday, April 17: Hyderabad vs. Chennai

Thursday, April 18: Delhi vs. Mumbai

Friday, April 19: Kolkata vs. Bangalore

Saturday, April 20: Rajasthan vs. Mumbai, Delhi vs. Punjab

Sunday, April 21: Hyderabad vs. Kolkata, Bangalore vs. Chennai

    

Top run-scorers

(Player, Team, Runs)

David Warner, Hyderabad, 400

KL Rahul, Punjab, 387

Chris Gayle, Punjab, 352

Andre Russell, Kolkata, 312

Jos Buttler, Rajasthan, 311

For full IPL stats, click here.

A late surge from Kings XI saw the side finish with a total of 182, courtesy of a half-century from opener KL Rahul and an excellent final over from Ravichandran Ashwin.

Chris Gayle and David Miller combined for 70 runs, but it was the captain who went off in the final over for 17 runs from just four balls.

Here's a breakdown of his boundaries:

Two sixes and a four from Ravichandran Ashwin in the final over, Kings XI get up to 182 #KXIPvRR https://t.co/I1xx3LQybS

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) April 16, 2019

That gave Royals, who chose to chase, a tricky target, and they lost star opener Jos Buttler early to debutant Arshdeep Singh:

That moment when your first wicket on debut is Jos Buttler 💪💪 pic.twitter.com/JoXVcjyUOM

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 16, 2019

The required run rate quickly rose, despite a steady knock from Rahul Tripathi, who finished with a half-century. Royals, who rested star all-around Ben Stokes, couldn't up the pace and needed more than 14 runs per over heading into the last five, with Ashton Turner coming on with 56 from 24 needed. The Australian was caught for a duck, summing up Rajasthan's innings.

First-ball duck for Ashton Turner on his IPL debut

Rajasthan slide down further

They're 131/4 in 16.3https://t.co/GHcppJTHUO #KXIPvRR #IPL2019

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) April 16, 2019

They didn't come close to an unlikely comeback in the final innings, finishing with 168 from six as Kings XI easily held on for the win.

An excellent cameo from Hardik Pandya propelled the Mumbai Indians to a five-wicket win over the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League on Monday. 

The Royal Challengers were on course for a huge score after brilliant knocks from AB de Villiers (75) and Moeen Ali (50), although some fine bowling from Lasith Malinga at the death limited them to 171 for seven; the veteran bowler finished with impressive figures of four for 31.

In response, an opening partnership of 70 set up the Mumbai chase, with Quinton de Kock making a quickfire 40.

Bangalore battled back with some wickets midway through the innings and the game was on a knife edge heading into the final stages; that was until Pandya struck an unbeaten 37 from 16 balls to swing the game the Indians' way.

0 6 4 4 6 1wd 1

Hardik Pandya ends the game in the 19th over bowled by Pawan Negi

#MIvRCB #IPL https://t.co/sWQSpAEklK pic.twitter.com/WOdTlggVIR

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) April 15, 2019

Here are the overall and individual standings following Monday's match, plus a recap of another absorbing contest in the 2019 IPL.

   

Overall Standings (Team, Played, Net RR, Points)

1 CSK: 8, +0.288, 14

2 DC: 8, +0.418 , 10

3 MI: 8, +0.244, 10

4 KKR: 8, +0.350, 8

5 KXIP: 8, -0.093, 8

6 SRH: 7, +0.409, 6

7 RR: 7, -0.587, 4

8 RCB: 8, -1.114, 2 

   

Top Run-Scorers

1. David Warner, SRH, 400

2. KL Rahul, KXIP, 335

3. Chris Gayle, KXIP, 322

4. Andre Russell, KKR, 312

5. AB de Villiers, RCB, 307

      

Top Wicket-Takers

1. Kagiso Rabada, DC, 17

2. Imran Tahir, CSK, 13

3. Yuzvendra Chahal, RCB, 13

4. Chris Morris, DC, 11

5. Deepak Chahar, CSK, 10

   

Statistics courtesy of the IPL website.

    

Monday Recap

Bangalore's batting effort got off to a slow start, as they lost star man and skipper Virat Kohli for eight. Parthiv Patel followed for 28 in the seventh over, failing to make the most of a start.

It's been rare for the Royal Challengers' middle order to shine in the 2019 IPL, but they did here through De Villiers and Ali. Initially, the former played steadily, while the latter was aggressive in his strokes, putting the Indians on the back foot.

When Ali did eventually depart for a 32-ball half-century, De Villiers kicked on in trademark style. Ayaz Memon praised the South African's ingenuity at the crease, as he moved through the gears:

After early struggle, genius of @ABdeVilliers17 coming to the fore with terrific improvisations. RCB already past 160 and MI have a massive task ahead in my opinion

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) April 15, 2019

As the end of the innings approach, De Villiers' knock came to a disappointing end, as he was run out by Kieron Pollard.

Per cricket journalist Freddie Wilde, his Bangalore team-mate Akshdeep Nath left his partner stranded at the non-striker's end:

https://twitter.com/fwildecricket/status/1117823763721150464

From there, Malinga was able to roll back the clock and show why he was considered one of the best death bowlers of his generation at his peak. After two wickets in the 18th over, he took two more in the final over to contain the Bangalore scoring.

In response, De Kock and Rohit Sharma stormed out of the blocks with some big hitting, putting the Indians ahead of the rate required. However, the loss of both in the space of three balls in the eighth over put Mumbai on the back foot.

Ali was the man who took those wickets, as he continued to have a big influence on the game:

Has Moeen the allrounder done enough for an RCB win? https://t.co/sWQSpAEklK #MIvRCB #IPL pic.twitter.com/5hBIg2XpYg

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) April 15, 2019

In the final stages, Bangalore looked poised to close the game out, as they strangled the run rate and removed the dangerous Krunal Pandya for a sluggish 11.

However, that dismissal brought Pandya to the crease and he instantly settled into a groove. With five fours and two sixes in his 16-ball knock, the India international eventually ensured his team had the win wrapped up with an over to spare.

Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals added to their win streaks during Sunday's Indian Premier League action, and the two sides sit at the top of the standings after impressive showings.

Super Kings (162/5) completed their chase against Kolkata Knight Riders (161/8) in the final over, winning by five wickets with two balls remaining. Capitals (155/7) put together a defensive masterclass against Sunrisers Hyderabad (116), winning by 39 runs despite their relatively low total.

Here are the latest IPL standings (Team, Played, Net RR, Points):

1 CSK 8, +0.288, 14

2 DC 8, +0.418 , 10

3 KKR 8, +0.350, 8

4 MI 7, +0.209, 8

5 KXIP 8, -0.093, 8

6 SRH 7, +0.409, 6

7 RR 7, -0.587, 4

8 RCB 7, -1.202, 2

    

The IPL's top run-scorers:

1. David Warner, SRH, 400

2. Lokesh Rahul, KXIP, 335

3. Chris Gayle, KXIP, 322

4. Andre Russell, KKR, 312

5. Jonny Bairstow, SRH, 304

For the full IPL stats, visit the league's official website.

   

Here is a look at the upcoming fixtures:

Monday, April 15: Mumbai vs. Bangalore

Tuesday, April 16: Punjab vs. Rajasthan

Wednesday, April 17: Hyderabad vs. Chennai

Thursday, April 18: Delhi vs. Mumbai

Friday, April 19: Kolkata vs. Bangalore

   

Chennai continued their great run of form with another late win, this time against Kolkata.

Suresh Raina's half-century proved the difference, as he needed just 36 balls to achieve the feat and finished with an unbeaten 58:

A Suresh Raina special helped the table-toppers continue ruling the roost in the #VIVOIPL!

Take a look at some of the most vital numbers from #KKRvCSK and stay tuned to Star Sports for all the LIVE action from #SRHvDC. #GameBanayegaName pic.twitter.com/dqNl12DX0i

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 14, 2019

Kolkata opener Chris Lynn had scored 82 from 51, but his team-mates couldn't provide enough additional support to push the total toward the 200-run mark. Instead, they settled for 161, courtesy of a bowling masterclass from Imran Tahir.

The 40-year-old veteran took four wickets and surrendered just 27 runs in the process, earning himself Man of the Match honours:

For his stupendous bowling figures of 4/27, Imran Tahir is adjudged the Man of the Match at Eden Gardens 🤝🤝 pic.twitter.com/mkPeFQUq7a

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 14, 2019

His most important wicket was that of the in-form Andre Russell, who was held to just 10 from four.

Raina did a fine job powering the chase, but Chennai left it very late, needing 24 from the last two overs. Ravindra Jadeja found the boundary with three straight shots, however, and Super Kings cruised from that point on.

Delhi only got 11 total runs from their two openers but 85 from the duo of Colin Munro and Shreyas Iyer, the two key men in their innings. The visitors never found a late burst to hang some runs on Sunrisers, leading to the meager total of 155/7.

With David Warner opening for the hosts, it seemed like a routine chase, but Hyderabad got off to a slow start themselves.

Delhi's defence was on point, with Kagiso Rabada and Keemo Paul the standouts. The two combined for seven wickets and six catches, part of a tremendous onslaught:

SRH were 101/2 then this happened

101/3
106/4
106/5
110/6
110/7
112/8
116/9
116/10

— Broken Cricket (@BrokenCricket) April 14, 2019

Warner did cross the half-century mark and remains the IPL's top run-scorer, but Jonny Bairstow was the only other batsman to score double-digit runs in what turned into a disastrous innings.

David Warner of Sunrisers Hyderabad remains the Indian Premier League's top run-scorer despite not being in action during Saturday's double-header.

In the first match of the day, Jos Buttler was the difference-maker for Rajasthan Royals (188/6), who booked their second win with a four-wicket triumph over Mumbai Indians (187/5).

Later in the day, Royal Challengers Bangalore (174/2) completed a steady chase to beat Kings XI Punjab (173/4) by eight wickets to secure their first win of the season.

Here's a look at the IPL's top batsmen so far.

Player, Team, Runs, Average, Strike Rate

David Warner, Sunrisers Hyderabad, 349, 87.25, 146.63

Lokesh Rahul, Kings XI Punjab, 335, 67.00, 130.58

Chris Gayle, Kings XI Punjab, 322, 53.66, 157.07

Andre Russell, Kolkata Knight Riders, 302, 100.66, 212.67

Jos Buttler, Rajasthan Royals, 288, 41.14, 153.19

All stats are courtesy of the IPL's official website.

Buttler was the top man for Royals on Saturday, as his big knock made all the difference in a chase that went into the final over.

The opener scored 89 from 43 balls to push himself among the IPL's top 10 run scorers, opting for intelligent shot selection over raw power. Cricbuzz were impressed:

It might have been a close finish for Rajasthan but Jos Buttler set the platform for the chase with his knock of 89 runs off 43 balls. He is our @PlayMPL Hero of the Match. #CricbuzzLIVE pic.twitter.com/Jlgz7bsRrl

— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) April 13, 2019

His 28-run over tied Andre Russell for the highest in this year's IPL. Here's a shot breakdown:

6,4,4,4,4,6. 28 runs off that over! @josbuttler you absolute BEAST! #HallaBol #RR #MIvRR pic.twitter.com/FimbKg1p9E

— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) April 13, 2019

Quinton de Kock had played a big part in Mumbai's solid total of 187/5, scoring 81 from 52 with 10 total boundaries. Indians' bowlers fell well short of expectations, however. Alzarri Joseph, who recorded the best figures in IPL history on April 6 with a six-for-12 showing against Sunrisers, summed up their struggles by giving up 53 runs in three overs with no wickets taken.

Shreyas Gopal  ended the match with a smart four with three balls to spare, handing Royals their second win of the tournament.

In Saturday's other contest Chris Gayle bagged 99 runs not-out from 64 balls. None of his team-mates managed 20 runs, however, and the lack of a late explosion from another batsman led to a meager total of just 173 for Kings XI.

That opened the door for the partnership of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers to work their magic once Parthiv Patel was caught. They initially kept the chase on track but fell behind the required run rate toward the final overs.

Kohli was caught out in the 16th, and his dismissal seemed to shake De Villiers and Marcus Stoinis into action. The former completed his half-century, and Bangalore needed just six from the final over.

Stoinis completed the chase on his own to deny Kings' XI the chance to move into sole possession of second place.

Delhi Capitals moved into fourth place in the IPL 2019 standings on Friday after a seven-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens. 

Shikhar Dhawan was the star man for the Delhi Capitals, hitting an unbeaten 97 to inspire his team to a comprehensive victory.

     

IPL 2019 Standings

(Team, Played, Points, Net Run Rate)

1. Chennai Super Kings: 7, 12, +0.299

2. Kolkata Knight Riders: 7, 8, +0.434

3. Mumbai Indians: 6, 8, +0.290

4. Delhi Capitals: 7, 8, +0.197

5. Kings XI Punjab: 7, 8, -0.057

6. Sunrisers Hyderabad: 6, 6, +0.810

7. Rajasthan Royals: 6, 2, -0.735

8. Royal Challengers Bangalore: 6, 0, -1.453

       

Most Runs

1. David Warner (SRH) 349

2. Lokesh Rahul (KXIP) 317

3. Andre Russell (KKR), 302

4. Jonny Bairstow (SRH) 263

5. Shikhar Dhawan (DC) 249

6. Chris Gayle (KXIP) 223

    

Schedule

Saturday, April 10: MI vs. RR, KXIP vs. RCB

Sunday, April 11: KKR vs. CSK, SRH vs. DC

Complete results, schedules and leaders available on the IPL's official website

    

Friday Recap

Delhi Capitals won the toss and sent Kolkata in to bat with Joe Denly making his IPL debut for Kolkata.

However, it was a night to forget for the 33-year-old, as he was dismissed by Ishant Sharma for a golden duck.

It was an impressive start to the game by Sharma, who ensured the hosts began well at Eden Gardens:

W 0 0 0 0 0

Ishant Sharma starts with a wicket-maiden in Kolkata! #KKRvDC #IPL2019 https://t.co/PmnrCsmB02

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) April 12, 2019

Kolkata hit back through the impressive Shubman Gill, who was pushed up the order with Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn both rested for the game.

Gill put in a strong showing for the hosts and shared an early 63-run stand with Robin Uthappa. He went on to claim his second IPL half-century on his way to 69:

INDIAN PRMIER LEAGUE 2k19
➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖➖

26th Match#KKRvDC

Shubman Gill: 65/39

CONGRATULATIONS Shubman Gill 💪🏏💥 pic.twitter.com/xOHEKr4QGs

— CricFive (@cricfive) April 12, 2019

Andre Russell then chipped in with a quick 45 to send Kolkata to 178 for eight after their 20 overs.

Delhi sent out Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw to open and they made a strong start. Shaw eventually went after being caught by Dinesh Karthik off Prasidh Krishna.

However, Dhawan went on to produce a match-winning innings, helped out by Rishabh Pant's 46, to hand Delhi the victory:

Shikhar Dhawan is awarded the Man of the Match for his match winning knock of 97* 🙌👏 pic.twitter.com/vDh2y9j487

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 12, 2019

Dhawan could not quite make it all the way to his IPL century but his batting heroics were enough to hand Delhi Capitals a fourth win of the season, while Kolkata slumped to their second straight defeat.

Chennai Super Kings travelled to Rajasthan Royals in the 2019 Indian Premier League and pulled off a dramatic final-ball victory on Thursday. 

CSK won by four wickets, with Mitchell Santner smashing Ben Stokes for six with the last ball of the day.

The Royals posted 151 for seven in the opening innings, but a courageous stand by MS Dhoni helped his team get past the winning post.

                                           

IPL 2019 Standings

(Team, Played, Points, Net Run Rate)

1. Chennai Super Kings: 7, 12, +0.30

2. Kolkata Knight Riders: 6, 8, +0.61

3. Mumbai Indians: 6, 8, +0.29

4. Kings XI Punjab: 7, 8, -0.06

5. Sunrisers Hyderabad: 6, 6, +0.81

6. Delhi Capitals: 6, 6, +0.13

7. Rajasthan Royals: 6, 2, -0.73

8. Royal Challengers Bangalore: 6, 0, -1.45

                       

Top Run-Scorers

1. David Warner (SRH): 349

2. Lokesh Rahul (KXIP): 317

3. Jonny Bairstow (SRH): 263

4. Andre Russell (KKR): 257

5. Chris Gayle (KXIP): 223

                      

Top Wicket-Takers

1. Kagiso Rabada (DC): 11

2. Deepak Chahar (CSK): 10

3. Imran Tahir (CSK): 9

4. Yuzvendra Chahal (RCB): 9

5. Mohammed Shami (KXIP): 9

                            

Best Batting Strike Rate

1. Andre Russell (KKR): 212.39

2. Kieron Pollard (MI): 194.56

3. Hardik Pandya (MI): 172.85

4. Rishabh Pant (DC): 172.54

5. Jonny Bairstow (SRH): 161.34

Full statistics, per the competition's official website.

                 

Updated Schedule

Friday: KKR vs. DC

Saturday: MI vs. RR, KXIP vs. RCB

Sunday: KKR vs. CSK, SRH vs. DC

                                

Thursday Recap

An action-packed game saw Chennai prevail in dramatic fashion at Jaipur.

The Royals initially produced a run rate of 7.55 as the work was evenly shared through the batting order.

No one player could impose themselves on the visitors' bowling attack, but England internationals Jos Buttler and Stokes made quick-fire contributions.

Buttler lasted only 10 balls but scored 23 as he found the boundary five times. Shardul Thakur was expensive with the ball in hand. However, the 27-year-old claimed Buttler's wicket.

Stokes could not produce the explosiveness he is famed for, but the all-arounder looked after his stumps as he nudged his team forward. The New Zealand native hit 28 off 26 balls and positioned his team to attack through their bowling.

Rajasthan had immediate success as Shane Watson was bowled by Dhawal Kulkarni for a duck. The Aussie faced just four balls before striding back to the pavilion.

Faf du Plessis and Suresh Raina quickly gave up their wickets to leave the defending champions in trouble, but the travelling side bravely fought back.

The arrivals of Ambati Rayudu and Dhoni at the crease reinvigorated Chennai, and they started to find the boundary.

Rayudu made 57 from 47 before falling to Stokes, and Dhoni plugged away to his half-century despite a receiving a nasty blow to the head after a Jofra Archer short ball.

The captain was clearly struggling in the final two overs, asking for treatment as he tried to rest after a punishing stand for the 37-year-old.

Stokes was given the opportunity to bowl the final over and was immediately hit for a six by Ravindra Jadeja. However, Stokes hit the bullseye as he clean-bowled Dhoni for 58 with a tremendous yorker.

The match ended in controversy as Dhoni came back onto the field to claim a no-ball, with replays suggesting Stokes should have been penalised.

CSK needed a four to win the game with the final ball, and Santner, a slow left-arm bowler, smashed a huge six to collect a battling victory.

Mumbai Indians earned a dramatic three-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday that went down to the last ball at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Lokesh Rahul's unbeaten century and Chris Gayle, who scored 63, helped the visitors set a target of 197 for four.

However, thanks largely to a sensational 83 from Kieron Pollard in just 31 balls, the home side successfully chased down the total at 198 for seven.

Here are the standings after Wednesday's action:

                      

IPL 2019 Standings

(Team, Played, Points, Net Run Rate)

1. Chennai Super Kings: 6, 10, +0.310

2. Kolkata Knight Riders: 6, 8, +0.614

5. Mumbai Indians: 6, 8, +0.290

3. Kings XI Punjab: 7, 8, -0.057

4. Sunrisers Hyderabad: 6, 6, +0.810

6. Delhi Capitals: 6, 6, +0.131

7. Rajasthan Royals: 5, 2, -0.848

8. Royal Challengers Bangalore: 6, 0, -1.453

                    

Top Run-Scorers

1. David Warner (SRH): 349

2. Lokesh Rahul (KXIP): 317

3. Jonny Bairstow (SRH): 263

4. Andre Russell (KKR): 257

5. Chris Gayle (KXIP): 223

                  

Updated Schedule

Thursday, April 11: RR vs. CSK

Friday, April 12: KKR vs. DC

Saturday, April 13: MI vs. RR, KXIP vs. RCB

Complete results, schedules and leaders available on the IPL's official website

                           

Rahul took his maiden IPL century from 64 balls, smashing six sixes and as many fours along the way.

The 26-year-old adopted a relatively slow but steady pace throughout before producing an explosive finish with 36 from his last 12 balls.

Cricket pundit Harsha Bhogle was impressed:

Excellent finish from KL Rahul. Looked for a while like he was leaving it till too late. His form augurs well.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 10, 2019

The innings followed a 55 and a 71 from Rahul in Punjab's previous two matches:

3 - KL Rahul has registered half-centuries in 3 successive #IPL knocks; equalling his best ever run in the competition. Form. #MIvKXIP

— OptaJim (@OptaJim) April 10, 2019

Meanwhile, Gayle's knock of 63 came from 36 balls, including seven sixes.

His partnership with Rahul formed the bedrock of their 197 total, and the pair had reached 116 before Gayle was caught by Krunal Pandya in the 13th over.

Mumbai's task was difficult enough without coming up against a superb bowling performance from Mohammed Shami in the second innings.

The bowler grabbed three wickets—dismissing Siddhesh Lad, Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya—in four overs, giving up just 21 runs in the process.

However, Pollard led his side into contention with a superb performance that included 10 sixes.

Punjab finally stopped him in the final over when Ankit Rajpoot made a vital intervention:

What a knock from Kieron Pollard 👏

But he's gone with four needed off four

https://t.co/buZqHixsW0 #MIvKXIP #IPL2019 pic.twitter.com/LDXrx7XXW5

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) April 10, 2019

It wasn't enough, however, as Alzarri Joseph and Rahul Chahar got the hosts over the line.

Chennai Super Kings replaced Kolkata Knight Riders at the top of the standings in the 2019 Indian Premier League after winning by seven wickets on Tuesday.

There was a little more than two overs to spare when the Super Kings confirmed their fifth win of the season. It helped that Faf du Plessis was 43 not out.

His performance was in sharp contrast to Kolkata's Chris Lynn, who didn't put up a single run before being bowled lbw by Deepak Chahar. The latter claimed a trio of wickets during a dominant display to become one of the season's top wicket-takers.

There was scant consolation for the Knight Riders' Andre Russell, who added a half-century worth of runs to move up the list of the league's most prolific scorers.

Tuesday Score and Standings

• Chennai Super Kings (111/3) bt. Kolkata Knight Riders (108/9)

.@ChennaiIPL overtake #KKR to go top of the table with 10 points 🙌💛#CSKvKKR pic.twitter.com/xWUFRroDcw

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 9, 2019

Top Run-Scorers

1. David Warner (SRH): 349

2. Jonny Bairstow (SRH): 263

3. Andre Russell (KKR): 257

4. Lokesh Rahul (KXI): 217

5. Shreyas Iyer (DC): 215

Top Wicket-Takers

1. Kagiso Rabada (DC): 11

2. Imran Tahir (CSK): 9

2. Yuzvendra Chahal (RCB): 9

4. Deepak Chahar (CSK): 8

5. Shreyas Gopal: 8 (RR)

6. Sandeep Sharma (SRH): 8

Best Batting Average

1. MS Dhoni (CSK): 156.00

2. Andre Russell (KKR): 128.50

3. Faf du Plessis: 97.00

4. David Warner (SRH): 87.25

5. Marcus Stoinis: 74.00

Best Bowling Average

1. Alzarri Joseph (MI): 2.00

2. Harbhajan Singh (CSK): 11.71

3. Mohammad Nabi (SRH): 12.42

4. Shreyas Gopal (RR): 12.75

5. Imran Tahir (CSK): 13.11

Full statistics, per the competition's official website.

Russell sent five deliveries to the boundary and three more for sixes. While the not out score was a respectable one, Russell's 50 came slowly, off 44 balls.

Chennai Super Kings didn't let Andre Russell blast off 🚀 tonighthttps://t.co/ZXM6CdHcIG #IPL2019 #CSKvKKR pic.twitter.com/Zn74Jbfb3H

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) April 9, 2019

It would have helped if he had received stronger support. Not only was Lynn blanked, but skipper Dinesh Karthik managed only 19 runs off 21 balls.

Defending champions Chennai had Chahar to thank for keeping the Knight Riders' usually formidable batting order quiet:

Outstanding with the new ball 👌
Strong in the death overs 💪

For a brilliant 3 wicket-haul, Deepak Chahar is the Man of the Match for #CSKvKKR pic.twitter.com/GoC9v3RVcG

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 9, 2019

Chahar saw off Lynne and his deliveries also led to Robin Uthappa and Nitish Rana each being caught out.

The Super Kings even benefited from MS Dhoni being alert at the wicket. He stumped both Shubman Gill and Piyush Chawla.

Later, Du Plessis was in no mood to be moved as he hit three fours. Unlike Russell, Du Plessis was ably assisted by his teammates:

A 46 run stand between Faf du Plessis and Ambati Rayudu is turning out to be worth it's weight in Gold for @ChennaiIPL on a difficult Chepauk wicket 🙌👌 #CSKvKKR pic.twitter.com/J7svO64y1V

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 9, 2019

Having been set only a modest total to chase, the Super Kings always looked like maintaining their perfect record at home in this campaign. They already look like the class of the league.

Kings XI Punjab, with a score of 151 for four, beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets at Mohali Stadium in Chandigarh on Monday. 

The visitors set a total of 150 for four courtesy of David Warner's knock of 70, which extended his tournament-leading mark to 349 runs.

However, courtesy of half-centuries apiece from Lokesh Rahul (71) and Mayank Agarwal (55), Punjab caught them with just one over remaining. 

Here's a look at the points table after their match, as well as the top run-scorers:

                             

IPL 2019 Standings

(Team, Played, Points, Net Run Rate)

1. Kolkata Knight Riders: 5, 8, +1.058

2. Chennai Super Kings: 5, 8, +0.159

3. Kings XI Punjab: 6, 8, -0.061

4. Sunrisers Hyderabad: 6, 6, +0.810

5. Mumbai Indians: 5, 6, +0.342

6. Delhi Capitals: 6, 6, +0.131

7. Rajasthan Royals: 5, 2, -0.848

8. Royal Challengers Bangalore: 6, 0, -1.453

Top Run-Scorers

1. David Warner (SRH): 279

2. Jonny Bairstow (SRH): 263

3. Lokesh Rahul (KXIP): 217

4. Shreyas Iyer (DC): 215

5. Andre Russell (KKR): 207

6. Virat Kohli (RCB): 203

Updated Schedule

Tuesday, April 9: CSK vs. KKR

Wednesday, April 10: MI vs. KXIP

Thursday, April 11: RR vs. CSK

Friday, April 12: KKR vs. DC

Complete results, schedules and leaders available on the IPL's official website

                                

Sunrisers were made to bat first, and an inauspicious start saw Jonny Bairstow dismissed for one, caught by Ravichandran Ashwin from Mujeeb Ur Rahman's ball.

Bairstow is the second highest run-scorer in the IPL this season, but as ESPNcricinfo observed, he's vulnerable against spin bowling:

🎯

That's how you get JB #IPL2019 pic.twitter.com/CFDIOZcFNk

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) April 8, 2019

Warner provided a much more settled platform for Sunrisers to build on with his 70 not out.

The Australian was the IPL's key performer for the first innings, though as statistician Mohandas Menon observed, he was not at his explosive best:

David Warner is our key performer for the first innings for his gritty 70* off 62 deliveries.#KXIPvSRH pic.twitter.com/1YbDbJNNKj

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 8, 2019

David Warner's slowest 50 in #IPL (49 balls!)
Prev slowest 45 balls also vs KXIP at Hyderabad in 2017#IPL2019#KXIPvSRH

— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) April 8, 2019

The visitors were supported by a 26 from Vijay Shankar and a 19 from Manish Pandey, but Deepak Hooda was the most impressive with 14 from just three balls. He took to the crease for the final three balls of the innings and duly smashed a pair of fours and a six to finish with a flourish.

Hooda also made three catches in the second innings, taking Chris Gayle for 16 while David Miller and Mandeep Singh were dismissed for a combined total of three.

His efforts helped set up a tense finish as Sunrisers sought to hold on to their lead, but Rahul and Agarwal's superb partnership made the difference for the home side.