Chennai Super Kings vs Kings XI Punjab, Indian Premier League 2020 Match 53: As it happened

Kings XI Punjab must win this crucial game to remain in the hunt for a playoff spot. CSK, the first team to go out of IPL 2020 will come out all guns blazing with nothing but pride to play for.

Image credits: Twitter/@IPL

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of match number 53 of IPL 2020 between Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab that is all set to begin shortly on Sunday (November 1) from the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. 

Chennai Super Kings have beaten Kings XI Punjab by 9 wickets. KXIP are thus, out of the playoffs contention for IPL 2020.

Earlier, CSK won the toss and opted to bowl against KXIP. KXIP posted 153/6 from their 20 Overs.

Kings XI Punjab lost their first game after a fantastic run which saw them win five games on the trot. It was Rajasthan Royals who put a full stop on that run as they defeated them by 7 wickets. 

The battle for the playoffs is heating up with four teams sitting on 12 points with only the net run-rate deciding their position on the points table.

Kings XI Punjab must win this one otherwise their chances of sealing the playoffs berth will be dependent on the other results and they wouldn’t want it to go down the wire.

Chennai Super Kings are the only team who are officially out of the playoffs race and ever since going out, they have looked better and better. They are playing freely and have thrown caution to the wind - winning their last two games in convincing fashion.

Coming back to Kings XI, their bowling let them down in their last outing as they couldn’t defend a solid total of 185. Chris Gayle was unfortunate to miss out on a well-deserved century - getting bowled by Archer on 99. 

Their campaign has been slightly hampered by the injury to in-form opener Mayank Agarwal however, his replacement Mandeep Singh has done well and Gayle has made the number three spot his own - going from strength to strength. 

They wouldn’t be too bothered by the result in the last game as it still was a very good performance albeit with a few bad moments at crucial junctures.

Although they would start as the favourites against MS Dhoni-led CSK, they need to be vary of the threat posed by the three time champions, who are now playing for their pride and have nothing to lose.

It’s Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings in a high stakes clash that promises to be an all-out nail-biter. 

The match as it happened:

01 November 2020

19:14 IST

Chennai Super Kings have beaten Kings XI Punjab by 9 wickets. Gaikwad hits a boundary of Shami's final over and then is lucky to get another from a leg bye. With 5 runs needed from 12 balls, the duo stroll to victory with 5 singles. Kings XI Punjab are thus out of the playoffs race. Their barren run earlier on in the tournament has come back to haunt them. Chennai Super Kings have played the spoilers and they have found a gem for the future in the form of Ruturaj Gaikwad, who hit his third consecutive fifty today. Gaikwad remains unbeaten on 62 off 49 balls. CSK: 154/1 (18.5 Overs)

18:54 IST

Another day at work, another FIFTY for Gaikwad 

Three consecutive half-centuries for him.

Live - https://t.co/Tuydu69z8f #Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/hs6nzs3Ykl

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) November 1, 2020