MS Dhoni vs Virat Kohli – it doesn’t get any bigger than this!
At Ranchi, the Indian Premier League is all set for the biggest block-buster game of the season. A qualifier featuring two of India’s biggest stars is going to decide who takes on the Mumbai Indians in the finals at Kolkata on May 24.
Catch all the LIVE Updates and the LIVE scores of the game here. (LIVE SCORECARD | STATS| GALLERY)
(All times in IST)
2000: Nehra with the new ball. Gayle and Kohli are out in the centre – fasten your seat belts, this one’s going to be an epic clash!
MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli at toss in Ranchi
© BCCI
Play Hard, Play Fair – Spirit of Cricket at #IPL#CSK#RCBpic.twitter.com/4urgSEUrU9
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 22, 2015
Best in the business @msdhoni winning the toss. @ChennaiIPL to bowl first on a very dry wicket. Lots of moisture on the outfield #CSKvRCB
— Matthew Hayden AM (@HaydosTweets) May 22, 2015
1945:Dhoni: “It is quite dry and there will be some dew. Worried about the dew factor. A lot is at stake now but it will be the small things which will matter.”
Bravo: “The loss against Mumbai Indians was bad. We now have another chance and we are trying to focus on this game.”
Kohli: “It is a big game. Another exciting game to look forward. It has been a ground where I have enjoyed my cricket.”
Good toss to win. @ChennaiIPL win the toss and will bowl. @msdhoni thinks there will be dew. #gameon#semi@ipl
— Scott Styris (@scottbstyris) May 22, 2015
1940: The teams for tonight –
CSK XI: DR Smith, M Hussey, S Raina, F du Plessis, DJ Bravo, MS Dhoni, R Jadeja, P Negi, A Nehra, R Ashwin, M Sharma
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 22, 2015
#RCB XI: @imVkohli*, Gayle, Mandeep, AB, Karthik , David Wiese, Sarfaraz, Yuzi, Aravind, Starc & Harshal #CSKvRCB#PlayBold#IPL#Qualifier2
— Royal Challengers (@RCBTweets) May 22, 2015
1930: Toss time – Dhoni wins the toss and Super Kings will bowl first. Kohli would have batted first anyway. MS Dhoni clearly worried about the dew on the ground and both teams have made no changes in their playing XIs since their last game.
Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers – the dangerous duo!
© BCCI
Huge crowds waiting outside the hotel. #unbelievable#cricketfans#iplcraze#Ranchi. #RCB#PlayBoldpic.twitter.com/dgbLLpCjH4
— Iqbal abdullah (@iqqiabdullah) May 22, 2015
1920: There will be a few interesting battle in the game tonight – Gayle vs Nehra, AB vs Ashwin, Starc vs Smith and of course, the Battle Royale – MS Dhoni vs Virat Kohli. Whoever wins these mini battle will eventually stay standing at the end of the game.
1915: The last two games of the 2015 IPL are upon us. Mumbai Indians are already in the finals, tonight they get to know their opponent. Till now, Chennai have reached five finals whereas Bangalore have managed just one. On current form, Bangalore should be favourites but against a team that boasts of Dhoni, Raina, Jadeja, Du Plessis, Bravo and Dwayne Smith, you can’t take the eye off the ball. It’s promises to be a cracker of a game tonight!
Crowd gathering outside the JSCA International Stadium at Ranchi Can expect a full house #CSKvsRCB#IPLpic.twitter.com/uyBUEvtgqH
— Mohandas Menon (@mohanstatsman) May 22, 2015
MS Dhoni faces Virat Kohli tonight at Ranchi
© BCCI
The men in yellow have comfortably beaten Kohli’s Royal Challengers in both league games this season but in a knock-out game past records seldom matter, especially with Bangalore in red-hot form. (RCB vs CSK: A Test of Kohli against Dhoni)
Chennai topped the IPL, yet again but this has been a patchy season for them. They have dominated in parts but haven’t looked unbeatable. They surely have have displayed their weaknesses and Mumbai Indians exploited them to crush in the first qualifier. (MS Dhoni Needs to Fire: Dean Jones)
The absence of Brendon McCullum has stung the Super Kings. Dwayne Smith hasn’t been at his best while Suresh Raina is going through his worst IPL season so far. The Indian left-hander has had a few starts but has not been able to capitalise on them. Last game against Mumbai, he was pushed down the order as well. (Kohli Named Sixth Most Marketable Athlete)
Then again, Raina is a big game player and if he turns up tonight, Bangalore could be in for a serious leather chase.
The Royal Challengers started the season cautiously. However, they have notched up their performances by a couple of gears as the tournament has progressed and in the eliminator, they took Rajasthan Royals to the cleaners. (RCB’s New Hero in IPL 8)
Their big guns are firing and are destroying their opposition – Chris Gayle, Kohli, De Villers are all in form and Mitchell Starc is breathing fire with the ball in hand.
Add to that their two rising performers – Yuzvendra Chahal and Mandeep Singh. (De Villiers Taught me to Keep Head Still While Batting: Mandeep Singh)
Chennai might be ahead 11-7 in the head-to-head but on current form, Bangalore look more likely to catch the flight to Kolkata.
But then again, on MS Dhoni’s home ground, it might all just be a different story.
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