Chennai's skipper MS Dhoni has returned to his farmhouse in Ranchi after winning the eleventh edition of Indian Premier League after defeating Hyderabad in the finals at Wankhede Stadium.

The victory has become emotional for the "Yellow Brigade" as MS Dhoni-led Chennai marked a return after serving a two-year ban and produced a stunning performance to clinch the trophy for the third time.&nbsp;

On Tuesday, MS Dhoni's wife shared a video on Instagram in which she gave a sneak peak of his beautiful house in Ranchi and captioned it "Back home !!!"

After winning the IPL trophy, the cricketer along with his wife Sakshi Dhoni and daughter Ziva has returned to their Ranchi farmhouse to spend some quality where their pet dogs were waiting to welcome them.

The farmhouse named 'Kailashpati' has a gymnasium, swimming pool, park, and even a few indoor stadiums for several sports.

The farmhouse spread across seven acres reportedly took three years to build.&nbsp;

It is embellished with plush interior decoration with high-end and classy upholsteries. The property looked mammoth with enormous greenery and offers privacy for the Dhonis.

Watch the video here:

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<p style=" color:#c9c8cd font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px line-height:17px margin-bottom:0 margin-top:8px overflow:hidden padding:8px 0 7px text-align:center text-overflow:ellipsis white-space:nowrap"><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BjXVWIeFWc5/" style=" color:#c9c8cd font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px font-style:normal font-weight:normal line-height:17px text-decoration:none" target="_blank">A post shared by Sakshi Singh Dhoni (@sakshisingh_r)</a> on <time datetime="2018-05-29T14:26:54+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px line-height:17px">May 29, 2018 at 7:26am PDT</time>
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<p style=" color:#c9c8cd font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px line-height:17px margin-bottom:0 margin-top:8px overflow:hidden padding:8px 0 7px text-align:center text-overflow:ellipsis white-space:nowrap">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/sakshisingh_r/" style=" color:#c9c8cd font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px font-style:normal font-weight:normal line-height:17px" target="_blank"> Sakshi Singh Dhoni</a> (@sakshisingh_r) on <time datetime="2018-05-29T14:21:22+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px line-height:17px">May 29, 2018 at 7:21am PDT</time>
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&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Chennai's skipper MS Dhoni has returned to his farmhouse in Ranchi after winning the eleventh edition of Indian Premier League

Chennai's skipper MS Dhoni has returned to his farmhouse in Ranchi after winning the eleventh edition of Indian Premier League after defeating Hyderabad in the finals at Wankhede Stadium. The victory has become emotional for the "Yellow Brigade" as MS Dhoni-led Chennai marked a return after serving a two-year ban and produced a stunning performance to clinch the trophy for the third time. On Tuesday, MS Dhoni's wife shared a video on Instagram in which she gave a sneak peak of his beautiful house in Ranchi and captioned it "Back home !!!" After winning the IPL trophy, the cricketer along with his wife Sakshi Dhoni and daughter Ziva has returned to their Ranchi farmhouse to spend some quality where their pet dogs were waiting to welcome them. The farmhouse named 'Kailashpati' has a gymnasium, swimming pool, park, and even a few indoor stadiums for several sports. The farmhouse spread across seven acres reportedly took three years to build. It is embellished with plush interior decoration with high-end and classy upholsteries. The property looked mammoth with enormous greenery and offers privacy for the Dhonis. Watch the video here: A post shared by Sakshi Singh Dhoni (@sakshisingh_r) on May 29, 2018 at 7:26am PDT × Back home !!! ????????❤️❤️❤️ A post shared by Sakshi Singh Dhoni (@sakshisingh_r) on May 29, 2018 at 7:21am PDT ×

Watch: Now, Sakshi Dhoni gives a sneak peek into Ranchi farmhouse

Chennai's skipper MS Dhoni challenged another teammate Dwayne Bravo for a three-run dash after defeating Hyderabad in the finals of Indian Premier League 2018 by eight wickets to clinch the trophy on May 27.

A video was shared by the official handle of Chennai team with the caption, "When Thala challenged Champion for a three-run dash, post the victory yesterday! Any guesses who wins it? #whistlepodu #SuperChampions."

The video ended with a close&nbsp;and slow-motion view in order to know who won the challenge.

Watch the video here and decide who will win the running challenge:

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When Thala challenged Champion for a three run dash, post the victory yesterday! Any guesses who wins it? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/whistlepodu?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#whistlepodu</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SuperChampions?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SuperChampions</a> ?? <a href="https://t.co/k8OzIPMyxo">pic.twitter.com/k8OzIPMyxo</a>
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChennaiIPL/status/1001049763767205888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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In the end, it was invincible Dhoni who emerged as the winner.

The victory was emotional for the "Yellow Brigade" as they marked a return after serving a two-year ban and produced a stunning performance to clinch the trophy with a successful run.&nbsp;

With skipper Dhoni leading from the front, the entire Chennai team has contributed in various occasions to inspire the team towards the victory.

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The pride full of smiles when they rightly landed at Singara Chennai! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhistlePodu?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhistlePodu</a>?? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HomeComing?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HomeComing</a> <a href="https://t.co/7CTpQWYRGS">pic.twitter.com/7CTpQWYRGS</a>
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChennaiIPL/status/1001075424019992576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Annanukku je! Thala entry! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhistlePodu?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhistlePodu</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HomeComing?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HomeComing</a> ?? <a href="https://t.co/bPMns0hp1H">pic.twitter.com/bPMns0hp1H</a>
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChennaiIPL/status/1001076167523291137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

Chennai's skipper MS Dhoni challenged another teammate Dwayne Bravo for a three-run dash after IPL 2018 triumph

Chennai's skipper MS Dhoni challenged another teammate Dwayne Bravo for a three-run dash after defeating Hyderabad in the finals of Indian Premier League 2018 by eight wickets to clinch the trophy on May 27. A video was shared by the official handle of Chennai team with the caption, "When Thala challenged Champion for a three-run dash, post the victory yesterday! Any guesses who wins it? #whistlepodu #SuperChampions." The video ended with a close and slow-motion view in order to know who won the challenge. Watch the video here and decide who will win the running challenge: When Thala challenged Champion for a three run dash, post the victory yesterday! Any guesses who wins it? #whistlepodu #SuperChampions ?? pic.twitter.com/k8OzIPMyxo — Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 28, 2018 × In the end, it was invincible Dhoni who emerged as the winner. The victory was emotional for the "Yellow Brigade" as they marked a return after serving a two-year ban and produced a stunning performance to clinch the trophy with a successful run. With skipper Dhoni leading from the front, the entire Chennai team has contributed in various occasions to inspire the team towards the victory. The pride full of smiles when they rightly landed at Singara Chennai! #WhistlePodu?? #HomeComing pic.twitter.com/7CTpQWYRGS — Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 28, 2018 × Annanukku je! Thala entry! #WhistlePodu #HomeComing ?? pic.twitter.com/bPMns0hp1H — Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 28, 2018 ×

Watch: MS Dhoni challenges Dwayne Bravo for 3-run dash; see who wins

MS Dhoni-led Chennai have clinched the title or the third time after defeating Hyderabad by 8 wickets at Wankhede stadium, Mumbai on Sunday.

The victory has become emotional as Chennai marked a return after serving a two-year ban and produced a stunning performance to clinch the trophy with a successful run.&nbsp;

With skipper Dhoni leading from the front, the entire Chennai team has contributed in various occasions to inspire the team towards the victory.

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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhistlePodu?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhistlePodu</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Champ18ns?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Champ18ns</a> ?? <a href="https://t.co/5D8DVIipAU">pic.twitter.com/5D8DVIipAU</a>
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChennaiIPL/status/1000789950101471232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Openers Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis have always given a required start to the team and the middle order batting was solidified by Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.&nbsp;

Even in the final match against&nbsp;Hyderabad, Shane Watson slammed a century and scored 117 runs off just 57 balls to achieve the target.

The bowling unit has also done their job well throughout the tournament and has taken wickets whenever required.

Watch the video: Chennai team celebrates with the trophy:

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Everywhere we go! We are the Chennai Boys and we are the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SuperChampions?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SuperChampions</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhistlePodu?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhistlePodu</a> <a href="https://t.co/iVqQnMeXAi">pic.twitter.com/iVqQnMeXAi</a>
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChennaiIPL/status/1000803071058788353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhistlePodu?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhistlePodu</a> for the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SuperChampions?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SuperChampions</a>! <a href="https://t.co/C31h1u2yoh">pic.twitter.com/C31h1u2yoh</a>
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChennaiIPL/status/1000802881161777152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

The victory has become more emotional as Chennai marked a return after serving a two-year ban

MS Dhoni-led Chennai have clinched the title or the third time after defeating Hyderabad by 8 wickets at Wankhede stadium, Mumbai on Sunday. The victory has become emotional as Chennai marked a return after serving a two-year ban and produced a stunning performance to clinch the trophy with a successful run. With skipper Dhoni leading from the front, the entire Chennai team has contributed in various occasions to inspire the team towards the victory. #WhistlePodu #Champ18ns ?? pic.twitter.com/5D8DVIipAU — Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 27, 2018 × Openers Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis have always given a required start to the team and the middle order batting was solidified by Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Even in the final match against Hyderabad, Shane Watson slammed a century and scored 117 runs off just 57 balls to achieve the target. The bowling unit has also done their job well throughout the tournament and has taken wickets whenever required. Watch the video: Chennai team celebrates with the trophy: Everywhere we go! We are the Chennai Boys and we are the #SuperChampions! #WhistlePodu pic.twitter.com/iVqQnMeXAi — Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 27, 2018 × #WhistlePodu for the #SuperChampions! pic.twitter.com/C31h1u2yoh — Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 27, 2018 ×

Watch: Chennai teammates celebrate with trophy after winning 11th edition of IPL

MS Dhoni-led Chennai won the eleventh edition of Indian Premier League for the third time after defeating Hyderabad by 8 wickets at Wankhede stadium.

The victory became emotional as Chennai won the title after serving a two-year ban. The team produced a stunning performance throughout the season to lift the trophy.

With skipper Dhoni leading from the front, the entire Chennai team contributed on various occasions to inspire the team towards victory.

MS Dhoni thanked fans and followers for their love and support. He shared a picture with wife Sakshi Dhoni and daughter Ziva with the caption, "Thanks everyone for the support and Mumbai for turning yellow."

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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BjSyjBfnmma/" style=" color:#000 font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px font-style:normal font-weight:normal line-height:17px text-decoration:none word-wrap:break-word" target="_blank">Thanks everyone for the support and Mumbai for turning yellow.Shane ‘shocking’ Watson played a shocking innings to get us through.end of a good season.Ziva doesn’t care about the trophy, wants to run on the lawn according to her wordings.</a>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px line-height:17px margin-bottom:0 margin-top:8px overflow:hidden padding:8px 0 7px text-align:center text-overflow:ellipsis white-space:nowrap">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/mahi7781/" style=" color:#c9c8cd font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px font-style:normal font-weight:normal line-height:17px" target="_blank"> M S Dhoni</a> (@mahi7781) on <time datetime="2018-05-27T20:03:03+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px line-height:17px">May 27, 2018 at 1:03pm PDT</time>
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He also hailed Shane Watson's 117-run knock and said, "Shane 'shocking' Watson played a shocking innings to get us through. End of a good season."

Dhoni also mentioned the secret plan of Ziva as she was not interested in being clicked and wanted to run on the lawn instead.

"Ziva doesn’t care about the trophy, wants to run on the lawn according to her wordings, said Dhoni."

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Everywhere we go! We are the Chennai Boys and we are the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SuperChampions?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SuperChampions</a>! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhistlePodu?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhistlePodu</a> <a href="https://t.co/iVqQnMeXAi">pic.twitter.com/iVqQnMeXAi</a>
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChennaiIPL/status/1000803071058788353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

MS Dhoni hailed Shane Watson's 117-run knock and said, 'Shane 'shocking' Watson played a shocking innings to get us through'

MS Dhoni-led Chennai won the eleventh edition of Indian Premier League for the third time after defeating Hyderabad by 8 wickets at Wankhede stadium. The victory became emotional as Chennai won the title after serving a two-year ban. The team produced a stunning performance throughout the season to lift the trophy. With skipper Dhoni leading from the front, the entire Chennai team contributed on various occasions to inspire the team towards victory. MS Dhoni thanked fans and followers for their love and support. He shared a picture with wife Sakshi Dhoni and daughter Ziva with the caption, "Thanks everyone for the support and Mumbai for turning yellow." Thanks everyone for the support and Mumbai for turning yellow.Shane ‘shocking’ Watson played a shocking innings to get us through.end of a good season.Ziva doesn’t care about the trophy, wants to run on the lawn according to her wordings. A post shared by M S Dhoni (@mahi7781) on May 27, 2018 at 1:03pm PDT × He also hailed Shane Watson's 117-run knock and said, "Shane 'shocking' Watson played a shocking innings to get us through. End of a good season." Dhoni also mentioned the secret plan of Ziva as she was not interested in being clicked and wanted to run on the lawn instead. "Ziva doesn’t care about the trophy, wants to run on the lawn according to her wordings, said Dhoni." Everywhere we go! We are the Chennai Boys and we are the #SuperChampions! #WhistlePodu pic.twitter.com/iVqQnMeXAi — Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) May 27, 2018 ×

IPL: Chennai captain Dhoni acknowledges fan support, wife Sakshi & Ziva celebrate

Opener Shane Watson's unbeaten ton helps Chennai lift third Indian Premier League title (IPL) as they defeated Hyderabad by eight wickets at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

While chasing 179 runs target, Watson played a superb knock and smashed 117 runs in 57 balls, which includes seven fours and eight sixes.&nbsp;

With this century, Watson became the second batsman in IPL history to score a century in a final.

Hyderabad had almost lost the game after Watson slammed 26 runs in five legal deliveries off Sandeep Sharma, including three sixes on the trot.&nbsp;

Chennai achieved the target in just 18.3 overs with eight wickets in hand and nine deliveries to spare.

Opting to chase after winning the toss, Chennai were in a spot of bother early on as openers Watson and Faf du Plessis began on a slow note, scoring just 20 runs off the first five overs.&nbsp;

However, Watson along with Suresh Raina took the team out of the crises.

Earlier, Hyderabad scored a decent 178 for six against the 'Yellow Brigade'.

Skipper Kane Williamson left behind his poor form and played a captain's knock to settle the team.&nbsp;

Unlike other games, Kane took few balls to settle and then went for big shots. He made 47 runs in 36 balls which included five fours and two sixes.&nbsp;

He fell just three runs short to reach his 9th IPL half-century and gave away his wicket to Karn Sharma.&nbsp;

Later it was Yusuf Pathan and Carlos Brathwaite's cameos which helped Hyderabad cross the 150 runs mark. Pathan remained unbeaten and made 45 runs in just 25 balls. His inning included four boundaries and two sixes.

Brathwaite, on the other hand, smashed three sixes to reach 21 runs in 11 balls.&nbsp;

However, he gave away his wicket on the last ball of Hyderabad's innings while trying to hit another six for the team.&nbsp;

Opener Shikhar Dhawan too contributed 26 runs.

For Chennai, apart from Deepak Chahar, every other bowler took one wicket apiece. While it was Bravo who turned out to be the costliest today, as he gave 46 runs in his four overs.&nbsp;

MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to field bowl against Hyderabad.&nbsp;

The two teams faced each other for the fourth time in this year's edition, with all the games being won by Chennai. &nbsp; 
&nbsp;

With this century, Watson became the second batsman in IPL history to score a century in a final.

Opener Shane Watson's unbeaten ton helps Chennai lift third Indian Premier League title (IPL) as they defeated Hyderabad by eight wickets at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday. While chasing 179 runs target, Watson played a superb knock and smashed 117 runs in 57 balls, which includes seven fours and eight sixes. With this century, Watson became the second batsman in IPL history to score a century in a final. Hyderabad had almost lost the game after Watson slammed 26 runs in five legal deliveries off Sandeep Sharma, including three sixes on the trot. Chennai achieved the target in just 18.3 overs with eight wickets in hand and nine deliveries to spare. Opting to chase after winning the toss, Chennai were in a spot of bother early on as openers Watson and Faf du Plessis began on a slow note, scoring just 20 runs off the first five overs. However, Watson along with Suresh Raina took the team out of the crises. Earlier, Hyderabad scored a decent 178 for six against the 'Yellow Brigade'. Skipper Kane Williamson left behind his poor form and played a captain's knock to settle the team. Unlike other games, Kane took few balls to settle and then went for big shots. He made 47 runs in 36 balls which included five fours and two sixes. He fell just three runs short to reach his 9th IPL half-century and gave away his wicket to Karn Sharma. Later it was Yusuf Pathan and Carlos Brathwaite's cameos which helped Hyderabad cross the 150 runs mark. Pathan remained unbeaten and made 45 runs in just 25 balls. His inning included four boundaries and two sixes. Brathwaite, on the other hand, smashed three sixes to reach 21 runs in 11 balls. However, he gave away his wicket on the last ball of Hyderabad's innings while trying to hit another six for the team. Opener Shikhar Dhawan too contributed 26 runs. For Chennai, apart from Deepak Chahar, every other bowler took one wicket apiece. While it was Bravo who turned out to be the costliest today, as he gave 46 runs in his four overs. MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to field bowl against Hyderabad. The two teams faced each other for the fourth time in this year's edition, with all the games being won by Chennai.

'Kings' Chennai crowned with 3rd IPL title

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/baseless-indian-propaganda-on-gilgit-baltistan-says-pakistan-140218">'Baseless Indian propaganda on Gilgit-Baltistan,' says Pakistan</a>

Pakistan today said the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir(J&K) is a "disputed" territory and rejected Indian protest against Gilgit-Baltistan Order 2018.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/jk-ied-blast-in-shopian-at-least-3-army-soldiers-injured-140226">J&K: IED blast in Shopian, at least 3 Army soldiers injured</a>

At least three Indian Army personnel were injured after an improvised explosive device(IED) blast occurred in Shopian district in Jammu and Kashmir.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/heatwave-in-india-khajuraho-in-madhya-pradesh-karauli-in-rajasthan-hit-47-degrees-140238">Heatwave in India: Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, Karauli in Rajasthan hit 47 degrees</a>

The Indian Meteorological Department had warned of heatwave conditions in North India last week including Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Delhi.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/lok-sabha-assembly-bypolls-polling-at-uttar-pradeshs-kairana-begins--140227">Bypolls: EVMs malfunction in Uttar Pradesh's Kairana</a>

At least 6 electronic voting machines (EVMs) malfunctioned in Uttar Pradesh's Kairana as polling began on Monday morning.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/sports/kings-chennai-crowned-with-3rd-ipl-title--140183">'Kings' Chennai crowned with 3rd IPL title</a>

Opener Shane Watson's unbeaten ton helps Chennai lift third Indian Premier League title (IPL) as they defeated Hyderabad by eight wickets at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

&nbsp

'Baseless Indian propaganda on Gilgit-Baltistan,' says Pakistan Pakistan today said the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir(J&K) is a "disputed" territory and rejected Indian protest against Gilgit-Baltistan Order 2018. J&K: IED blast in Shopian, at least 3 Army soldiers injured At least three Indian Army personnel were injured after an improvised explosive device(IED) blast occurred in Shopian district in Jammu and Kashmir. Heatwave in India: Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, Karauli in Rajasthan hit 47 degrees The Indian Meteorological Department had warned of heatwave conditions in North India last week including Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Delhi. Bypolls: EVMs malfunction in Uttar Pradesh's Kairana At least 6 electronic voting machines (EVMs) malfunctioned in Uttar Pradesh's Kairana as polling began on Monday morning. 'Kings' Chennai crowned with 3rd IPL title Opener Shane Watson's unbeaten ton helps Chennai lift third Indian Premier League title (IPL) as they defeated Hyderabad by eight wickets at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

News brief: Big stories of the day

India's cricket carnival is over and MS Dhoni-led Chennai has emerged as the champions of IPL 2018 after defeating Hyderabad in the finals.&nbsp;

The final match ended with an awards distribution ceremony and several players got awards in different categories, for example, Rishabh Pant was named Emerging Player of IPL 2018 and also he received the Stylish Player Award.

Sunil Narine also picked up two awards -- Super Striker and Valuable Player.

New Zealand pacer Trent Boult got the Perfect Catch award for his stunning one-handed catch of a Bangalore's skipper Virat Kohli.&nbsp;

Kolhi himself got bewildered and could not believe that he got dismissed.

Boult's spectacular catch was one of the popular contenders&nbsp;for the Perfect Catch award category.

Here is the video, watch Trent Boult's catch:

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The catch of the season contender! Take a bow Trent Boult! 
Keep watching <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RCBvDD?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RCBvDD</a>: <a href="https://t.co/qJqPcXLprS">https://t.co/qJqPcXLprS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DestinationForCricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DestinationForCricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VIVOIPL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VIVOIPL</a> <a href="https://t.co/DV2dazJMec">pic.twitter.com/DV2dazJMec</a>
— Hotstar Canada (@hotstarcanada) <a href="https://twitter.com/hotstarcanada/status/987750021847224320?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Thus Trent Boult catch has been voted the best ever in the IPL <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ipl?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ipl</a> <a href="https://t.co/9X5T8ygQbd">pic.twitter.com/9X5T8ygQbd</a>
— simon hughes (@theanalyst) <a href="https://twitter.com/theanalyst/status/990967362177437697?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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In the finale match, Chennai's batsman Shane Watson slammed a century and scored 117 runs off just 57 balls to achieve the target for which he was given Player of the Match award.

Trent Boult's spectacular catch was one of the popular contenders for the Perfect Catch award category

India's cricket carnival is over and MS Dhoni-led Chennai has emerged as the champions of IPL 2018 after defeating Hyderabad in the finals. The final match ended with an awards distribution ceremony and several players got awards in different categories, for example, Rishabh Pant was named Emerging Player of IPL 2018 and also he received the Stylish Player Award. Sunil Narine also picked up two awards -- Super Striker and Valuable Player. New Zealand pacer Trent Boult got the Perfect Catch award for his stunning one-handed catch of a Bangalore's skipper Virat Kohli. Kolhi himself got bewildered and could not believe that he got dismissed. Boult's spectacular catch was one of the popular contenders for the Perfect Catch award category. Here is the video, watch Trent Boult's catch: The catch of the season contender! Take a bow Trent Boult! Keep watching #RCBvDD: https://t.co/qJqPcXLprS #DestinationForCricket #VIVOIPL pic.twitter.com/DV2dazJMec — Hotstar Canada (@hotstarcanada) April 21, 2018 × Thus Trent Boult catch has been voted the best ever in the IPL #ipl pic.twitter.com/9X5T8ygQbd — simon hughes (@theanalyst) April 30, 2018 × In the finale match, Chennai's batsman Shane Watson slammed a century and scored 117 runs off just 57 balls to achieve the target for which he was given Player of the Match award.

Watch: Trent Boult received Perfect Catch award in IPL 2018 for this catch

Indian Premier League, the cricket carnival of India is finally over and MS Dhoni-led Chennai have clinched the title or the third time after defeating Hyderabad by 8 wickets at Wankhede stadium, Mumbai on Sunday.

Chennai marked a return after serving a two-year ban and produced a stunning performance. With skipper Dhoni leading from the front, the entire Chennai team has contributed in the successful run in IPL 2018.

Openers Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis have always given a required start to the team and the middle order batting was solidified by Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja.&nbsp;

The bowling unit has also done their job well throughout the tournament and has taken wickets whenever required.

Now, the campaign is over, producing Chennai as the champions, here is the list of the awards that were handed out:

Winner: Chennai

1st Runner-up: Hyderabad

2nd Runner-up: Kolkata

Purple cap: Andrew Tye (24 wickets)

Orange cap: Kane Williamson (735 runs)

Stylish player of the season: Rishabh Pant

Stylish Player Award:&nbsp;Rishabh Pant

Super striker of the season: Sunil Narine

Valuable Player:&nbsp;Sunil Narine

Perfect catch of the season: Trent Boult

IPL Fairplay award:&nbsp;Mumbai Indians

Emerging player of the season: Rishabh Pant

Pitch and ground award: Punjab Cricket Association (For grounds who've hosted less than seven matches)

Pitch and ground award: Cricket Association of Bengal (For those grounds who've hosted seven matches or more)

Player of the match: Shane Watson 
&nbsp;

Indian Premier League, the cricket carnival of India is finally over and MS Dhoni-led Chennai have clinched the title or the third time after defeating Hyderabad

Indian Premier League, the cricket carnival of India is finally over and MS Dhoni-led Chennai have clinched the title or the third time after defeating Hyderabad by 8 wickets at Wankhede stadium, Mumbai on Sunday. Chennai marked a return after serving a two-year ban and produced a stunning performance. With skipper Dhoni leading from the front, the entire Chennai team has contributed in the successful run in IPL 2018. Openers Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis have always given a required start to the team and the middle order batting was solidified by Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. The bowling unit has also done their job well throughout the tournament and has taken wickets whenever required. Now, the campaign is over, producing Chennai as the champions, here is the list of the awards that were handed out: Winner: Chennai 1st Runner-up: Hyderabad 2nd Runner-up: Kolkata Purple cap: Andrew Tye (24 wickets) Orange cap: Kane Williamson (735 runs) Stylish player of the season: Rishabh Pant Stylish Player Award: Rishabh Pant Super striker of the season: Sunil Narine Valuable Player: Sunil Narine Perfect catch of the season: Trent Boult IPL Fairplay award: Mumbai Indians Emerging player of the season: Rishabh Pant Pitch and ground award: Punjab Cricket Association (For grounds who've hosted less than seven matches) Pitch and ground award: Cricket Association of Bengal (For those grounds who've hosted seven matches or more) Player of the match: Shane Watson

IPL 2018: Purple Cap to Andrew Tye, Orange Cap to Kane Williamson, here is a list of other winners

After Hyderabad defeated&nbsp;Kolkata in the Qualifier 2, the franchise were celebrating their victory and the fact that&nbsp;they made it to finals against Chennai.

Afghanistan tweaker Rashid&nbsp;Khan was named 'Man of the match' after his brilliant haul of 34 runs in 10 balls, which helped Hyderabad taste victory.&nbsp;

Where everyone was seen partying and drinking, Rashid refused for Champagne&nbsp;as Islam does not permit for alcohol.&nbsp;

His simplicity won many hearts across the globe and was appreciated for following his religion&nbsp;with so much respect.

The video of the same went viral which shows that after cake-cutting&nbsp;a teammate&nbsp;offered him champagne but he refused to even touch the bottle.

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Being picked up at a whopping price of Rs 4 crore, Afghanistan bowler proved that he's worth every penny of it. He had a great tournament overall and is praised by many.

Be his bowling or his performance&nbsp;in fielding he has shown&nbsp;great efforts in both.

On Sunday, Chennai defeated Hyderabad by eight wickets at Wankhede Stadium and claimed the IPL title for the third time in the league.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

On Sunday, Chennai defeated Hyderabad and claimed the IPL trophy for the third time in the league

After Hyderabad defeated Kolkata in the Qualifier 2, the franchise were celebrating their victory and the fact that they made it to finals against Chennai. Afghanistan tweaker Rashid Khan was named 'Man of the match' after his brilliant haul of 34 runs in 10 balls, which helped Hyderabad taste victory. Where everyone was seen partying and drinking, Rashid refused for Champagne as Islam does not permit for alcohol. His simplicity won many hearts across the globe and was appreciated for following his religion with so much respect. The video of the same went viral which shows that after cake-cutting a teammate offered him champagne but he refused to even touch the bottle. × Being picked up at a whopping price of Rs 4 crore, Afghanistan bowler proved that he's worth every penny of it. He had a great tournament overall and is praised by many. Be his bowling or his performance in fielding he has shown great efforts in both. On Sunday, Chennai defeated Hyderabad by eight wickets at Wankhede Stadium and claimed the IPL title for the third time in the league.

Afghanistan tweaker Rashid Khan refuses to touch alcohol, video goes viral

Shane Watson played a ruthless knock to steer Chennai to their third IPL title as they defeated Hyderabad by eight wickets at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Watson blazed unbeaten 117 off 57 deliveries, making it the highest score ever made in an IPL final, to guide MS Dhoni's side to victory with nine balls to spare.

The Australian shared a second-wicket stand of 117 with Suresh Raina as Chennai comfortably chased down challenging 179.&nbsp

Stunned with Watson's heroics, Twitteratti were in awe of the veteran, hailing him for being Chennai's hero tonight.

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Things that get better with age : 
 
3. Whiskey 
2. Pickles 
1. Shane Watson<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CSKvSRH?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CSKvSRH</a>
— SAGAR (@sagarcasm) <a href="https://twitter.com/sagarcasm/status/1000779397085872128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Shane Watson....... Doesn’t matter how Old you are......... <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IPL2018Final?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IPL2018Final</a>
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) <a href="https://twitter.com/MichaelVaughan/status/1000785534824968192?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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IPL 2008 gave Shane Watson's international career a second wind. 
 
IPL 2018 has probably given his retirement a second wind. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IPL2018Final?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IPL2018Final</a>
— Saurabh Somani (@saurabh_42) <a href="https://twitter.com/saurabh_42/status/1000783037712367617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Shane Watson - the only man to twice be IPL man of the tournament, and now a centurion in an IPL final - is one of the greatest T20 cricketers of all time
— Tim (@timwig) <a href="https://twitter.com/timwig/status/1000784471753359360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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?4th IPL Century For Shane Watson 
?2nd Century This Season 
?4th Player To Score 2 Centuries In An IPL Season 
 
One And Only <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ShaneWatson?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ShaneWatson</a>. ??? 
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IPL2018Final?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#IPL2018Final</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SRHvsCSK?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SRHvsCSK</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CSKvsSRH?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CSKvsSRH</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CSKvSRH?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CSKvSRH</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WhistlePodu?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WhistlePodu</a> <a href="https://t.co/LvnC77nWdV">pic.twitter.com/LvnC77nWdV</a>
— Sir Ravindra Jadeja (@SirJadejaaaa) <a href="https://twitter.com/SirJadejaaaa/status/1000785544891195392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2018</a></blockquote>
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With this century, Watson became the second batsman in IPL history to score a century in a final.

The Australian also shared a second-wicket stand of 117 with Suresh Raina

Shane Watson played a ruthless knock to steer Chennai to their third IPL title as they defeated Hyderabad by eight wickets at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Watson blazed unbeaten 117 off 57 deliveries, making it the highest score ever made in an IPL final, to guide MS Dhoni's side to victory with nine balls to spare. The Australian shared a second-wicket stand of 117 with Suresh Raina as Chennai comfortably chased down challenging 179. Stunned with Watson's heroics, Twitteratti were in awe of the veteran, hailing him for being Chennai's hero tonight. Things that get better with age : 3. Whiskey 2. Pickles 1. Shane Watson#CSKvSRH — SAGAR (@sagarcasm) May 27, 2018 × Shane Watson....... Doesn’t matter how Old you are......... #IPL2018Final — Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) May 27, 2018 × IPL 2008 gave Shane Watson's international career a second wind. IPL 2018 has probably given his retirement a second wind. #IPL2018Final — Saurabh Somani (@saurabh_42) May 27, 2018 × Shane Watson - the only man to twice be IPL man of the tournament, and now a centurion in an IPL final - is one of the greatest T20 cricketers of all time — Tim (@timwig) May 27, 2018 × ?4th IPL Century For Shane Watson ?2nd Century This Season ?4th Player To Score 2 Centuries In An IPL Season One And Only #ShaneWatson. ??? #IPL2018Final #SRHvsCSK #CSKvsSRH #CSKvSRH #WhistlePodu pic.twitter.com/LvnC77nWdV — Sir Ravindra Jadeja (@SirJadejaaaa) May 27, 2018 × With this century, Watson became the second batsman in IPL history to score a century in a final.

Shane Watson's ton helps Chennai lift 3rd IPL title, Twitter goes wild

MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to field against Hyderabad in the final of the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018, at the Wankhede stadium.

The two teams are facing each other for the fourth time in this year's edition. This is Chennai's seventh final in the 11 years of IPL nut they have managed to win only two times.&nbsp;

Speaking after the toss, Dhoni said, "We will bowl first. Looking at our bowling and batting, our batting will have to look to take extra pressure. The journey has been good. It is not something that you can always predict."

"There were challenges thrown at us. We had a core group of players with us but other than that it was a fresh squad. We have one change. Karn Sharma comes in for Harbhajan Singh," he added.

Kane Williamson-led Hyderabad will also be hoping to repeat their 2016 heroics.&nbsp;

Talking about their strategy for today, Kane said,"We would have bowled first as well. It is a fresh wicket. Finals cricket and we will look to do the job. Get a competitive total and then assess the conditions. We are looking forward to the occasion."&nbsp;

"Fairly new franchise squad and all the boys are raring to go. We have two changes. Sandeep Sharma comes in for Khaleel Ahmed. Unfortunately, Saha is injured and Goswami comes in," he added.

Teams

Hyderabad (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Shreevats Goswami(w), Kane Williamson(c), Shakib Al Hasan, Deepak Hooda, Yusuf Pathan, Carlos Brathwaite, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma

Chennai (Playing XI): Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(w/c), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Karn Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi

The two teams are facing each other for the fourth time in this year's edition.

MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to field against Hyderabad in the final of the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018, at the Wankhede stadium. The two teams are facing each other for the fourth time in this year's edition. This is Chennai's seventh final in the 11 years of IPL nut they have managed to win only two times. Speaking after the toss, Dhoni said, "We will bowl first. Looking at our bowling and batting, our batting will have to look to take extra pressure. The journey has been good. It is not something that you can always predict." "There were challenges thrown at us. We had a core group of players with us but other than that it was a fresh squad. We have one change. Karn Sharma comes in for Harbhajan Singh," he added. Kane Williamson-led Hyderabad will also be hoping to repeat their 2016 heroics. Talking about their strategy for today, Kane said,"We would have bowled first as well. It is a fresh wicket. Finals cricket and we will look to do the job. Get a competitive total and then assess the conditions. We are looking forward to the occasion." "Fairly new franchise squad and all the boys are raring to go. We have two changes. Sandeep Sharma comes in for Khaleel Ahmed. Unfortunately, Saha is injured and Goswami comes in," he added. Teams Hyderabad (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Shreevats Goswami(w), Kane Williamson(c), Shakib Al Hasan, Deepak Hooda, Yusuf Pathan, Carlos Brathwaite, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma Chennai (Playing XI): Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(w/c), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Karn Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi

IPL 2018: MS Dhoni wins toss, opts to bowl against Hyderabad in finale

MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to bowl against Hyderabad in the final of the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League, at the Wankhede stadium on Sunday.

The two teams are facing each other for the fourth time in this year's edition. This is Chennai's seventh final in the 11 years of IPL nut they have managed to win only two times.&nbsp;

What the skippers say:&nbsp;

Kane Williamson -&nbsp;It is the final clash and the team will look to do the job. Get a competitive total and then assess the conditions. We are looking forward to the occasion.

MS Dhoni -&nbsp;The pressure would be more on the batting side. Also, the winning and losing is not something that you can always predict. The journey has been good.

Pitch report: Wankhede stadium is a batting pitch and a high scoring match is expected. The pitch has too many cracks and it will support the spinners. Don't worry, as there are no chances of rain today at Wankhede.

Team news:

For Hyderabad, there are two changes Sandeep Sharma is back in the squad for the crucial game. Wicketkeeper batsmen Wriddhiman Saha is injured and Shreevats Goswami has filled in.

MS Dhoni has made just one change for tonight's match. Karn Sharma has been included in the squad at the place of Harbhajan Singh.

Confirmed playing XI:

Hyderabad: Shikhar Dhawan, Shreevats Goswami(w), Kane Williamson(c), Shakib Al Hasan, Deepak Hooda, Yusuf Pathan, Carlos Brathwaite, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma

Chennai: Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(w/c), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Karn Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi

MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to bowl against Hyderabad in the final of the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League

MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to bowl against Hyderabad in the final of the eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League, at the Wankhede stadium on Sunday. The two teams are facing each other for the fourth time in this year's edition. This is Chennai's seventh final in the 11 years of IPL nut they have managed to win only two times. What the skippers say: Kane Williamson - It is the final clash and the team will look to do the job. Get a competitive total and then assess the conditions. We are looking forward to the occasion. MS Dhoni - The pressure would be more on the batting side. Also, the winning and losing is not something that you can always predict. The journey has been good. Pitch report: Wankhede stadium is a batting pitch and a high scoring match is expected. The pitch has too many cracks and it will support the spinners. Don't worry, as there are no chances of rain today at Wankhede. Team news: For Hyderabad, there are two changes Sandeep Sharma is back in the squad for the crucial game. Wicketkeeper batsmen Wriddhiman Saha is injured and Shreevats Goswami has filled in. MS Dhoni has made just one change for tonight's match. Karn Sharma has been included in the squad at the place of Harbhajan Singh. Confirmed playing XI: Hyderabad: Shikhar Dhawan, Shreevats Goswami(w), Kane Williamson(c), Shakib Al Hasan, Deepak Hooda, Yusuf Pathan, Carlos Brathwaite, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma Chennai: Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(w/c), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Karn Sharma, Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi

IPL 2018 Final, Chennai vs Hyderabad | Team news, pitch report, confirmed squad

Indian Premier League 2018, the cash-rich tournament has&nbsp;reached the last stage and just one step away from its conclusion. The finalists, Chennai and Hyderabad will lock horns at Wankhede stadium to clinch the trophy.

The popularity of IPL has made this league a brand valuing over 5 billion dollars. One can imagine this by noticing the amount of money flowing each day, firstly the auctions, when eight franchises gathered together with a purse of 80 crore&nbsp;INR to build a team. Also the commercials, apart from the prize money, players also earn a lot from the ad campaigns.

Let's see what is the prize money for IPL 2018 winner:

Winner: 20 cr

1st Runner-Up: 12.5 cr

2nd Runner-Up: 8.75 cr

Orange Cap: A cheque of 10 lakh and a trophy

Purple Cap: A cheque of 10 lakh&nbsp;and a trophy

Maximum sixes: A cheque of 1 lakh&nbsp;and a trophy

Emerging Player: A cheque of 10 lakh and a trophy

Perfect Catch: A cheque of 10 lakh&nbsp;and a trophy

Valuable Player: A cheque of 10 lakh&nbsp;and a trophy

Fair Play Award: A cheque of 10 lakh&nbsp;and a trophy

Pitch and ground: A cheque of 50 lakh&nbsp;and a trophy that have hosted seven or more matches and 25 lakh will be handed out for grounds that have hosted less than 7 matches.

(Amounts in INR)

The first runner-up will get 12.5 cr whereas, the winner will receive a cheque of 20 cr and the trophy

Indian Premier League 2018, the cash-rich tournament has reached the last stage and just one step away from its conclusion. The finalists, Chennai and Hyderabad will lock horns at Wankhede stadium to clinch the trophy. The popularity of IPL has made this league a brand valuing over 5 billion dollars. One can imagine this by noticing the amount of money flowing each day, firstly the auctions, when eight franchises gathered together with a purse of 80 crore INR to build a team. Also the commercials, apart from the prize money, players also earn a lot from the ad campaigns. Let's see what is the prize money for IPL 2018 winner: Winner: 20 cr 1st Runner-Up: 12.5 cr 2nd Runner-Up: 8.75 cr Orange Cap: A cheque of 10 lakh and a trophy Purple Cap: A cheque of 10 lakh and a trophy Maximum sixes: A cheque of 1 lakh and a trophy Emerging Player: A cheque of 10 lakh and a trophy Perfect Catch: A cheque of 10 lakh and a trophy Valuable Player: A cheque of 10 lakh and a trophy Fair Play Award: A cheque of 10 lakh and a trophy Pitch and ground: A cheque of 50 lakh and a trophy that have hosted seven or more matches and 25 lakh will be handed out for grounds that have hosted less than 7 matches. (Amounts in INR)

IPL 2018: This is what winners will take home

It will be a 'last-ball six' for Hyderabad as they will rise above expectations to beat the lion 'Chennai and will seize the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 trophy.

The two teams lock horns today for the fourth time in the eleventh edition but Hyderabad are a completely revived opponent.&nbsp;

The team posses nonpareil bowlers to defend low totals. Have registered nine-wicket wins on two occasions and consistent skipper Kane Williamson and Rashid Khan’s brilliance is the 'cherry on the cake'.

Chennai's strength stands in its batting which was depleted by Hyderabad bowlers in Qualifier 1.

The Afghan tweaker delivered an absolute beauty to clean bowled Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Faf du Plessis, who is touted as the architect of Chennai's win, became ineffectual.&nbsp;

Despite his half-century knock, he was failing to take the 'Yellow Brigade' to the victory side and it was Shradul Thakur's 'lucky shots' which brought Chennai back to the game.&nbsp;

If analysed, the shots were the free runs a team gets in any match.

Another advantage which Hyderabad has today is 'Wankhede'. Shikhar Dhawan is well aware with the ground and its conditions which adds depth to the batting line.&nbsp;He has played many splendid innings here to register a win for his team.

However, today's game won't be a cakewalk, as it will require special efforts from Kane Williamson side to stop the Chennai juggernaut and snatch the food (trophy) from lion's mouth.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

The two teams lock horns today for the fourth time in this season

It will be a 'last-ball six' for Hyderabad as they will rise above expectations to beat the lion 'Chennai and will seize the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 trophy. The two teams lock horns today for the fourth time in the eleventh edition but Hyderabad are a completely revived opponent. The team posses nonpareil bowlers to defend low totals. Have registered nine-wicket wins on two occasions and consistent skipper Kane Williamson and Rashid Khan’s brilliance is the 'cherry on the cake'. Chennai's strength stands in its batting which was depleted by Hyderabad bowlers in Qualifier 1. The Afghan tweaker delivered an absolute beauty to clean bowled Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Faf du Plessis, who is touted as the architect of Chennai's win, became ineffectual. Despite his half-century knock, he was failing to take the 'Yellow Brigade' to the victory side and it was Shradul Thakur's 'lucky shots' which brought Chennai back to the game. If analysed, the shots were the free runs a team gets in any match. Another advantage which Hyderabad has today is 'Wankhede'. Shikhar Dhawan is well aware with the ground and its conditions which adds depth to the batting line. He has played many splendid innings here to register a win for his team. However, today's game won't be a cakewalk, as it will require special efforts from Kane Williamson side to stop the Chennai juggernaut and snatch the food (trophy) from lion's mouth. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Why Hyderabad will have their hands on glistening IPL 2018 trophy

So it shall be written. So it shall be done. The 11the edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) has been a repeat of so many other seasons so far.

As expected Chennai in the final, which has been the case most of the seasons barring a few. And they have an opponent whom they will steamroll in the final and lift the title. Only thing is that this time the opponent is a different team.&nbsp;

After two years of hibernation, the lion (Chennai) is back and is hungrier than ever before.&nbsp;When the team was forced out of their den (Chennai) due to Cauvery protest, the team lost a rapturous fanbase who thronged M.A. Chidambaram Stadium to cheer their favourite team everytime they played.

But that did not stop the team from going for the title. With Captain cool at the helm and 10 soldiers ready to put their lives on the line for their captain, the title is within their grasp.

Hyderabad will square off against Chennai for the fourth time in IPL 2018. Kane Williamson’s side have enjoyed a great run in this tournament so far. However, he has his task cut out against MS Dhoni’s Chennai, who are on a roll and have defeated Hyderabad on all three occasions in this edition of the tournament.

Chennai won the title in 2010 and 2011 but have lost in four finals while Hyderabad will be hoping to repeat their 2016 heroics.&nbsp;

Dhoni is not somebody who rests on past glories but likes to write a new script everytime he is on the crease. And the fans expect him to do exactly that today. However, victory or defeat Chennai fans will celebrate as the title will be making its way to Chennai as owners of both the teams are from ''Detroit of India''.&nbsp;&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

After two years of hibernation, the lion (Chennai) is back and is hungrier than ever before

So it shall be written. So it shall be done. The 11the edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) has been a repeat of so many other seasons so far. As expected Chennai in the final, which has been the case most of the seasons barring a few. And they have an opponent whom they will steamroll in the final and lift the title. Only thing is that this time the opponent is a different team. After two years of hibernation, the lion (Chennai) is back and is hungrier than ever before. When the team was forced out of their den (Chennai) due to Cauvery protest, the team lost a rapturous fanbase who thronged M.A. Chidambaram Stadium to cheer their favourite team everytime they played. But that did not stop the team from going for the title. With Captain cool at the helm and 10 soldiers ready to put their lives on the line for their captain, the title is within their grasp. Hyderabad will square off against Chennai for the fourth time in IPL 2018. Kane Williamson’s side have enjoyed a great run in this tournament so far. However, he has his task cut out against MS Dhoni’s Chennai, who are on a roll and have defeated Hyderabad on all three occasions in this edition of the tournament. Chennai won the title in 2010 and 2011 but have lost in four finals while Hyderabad will be hoping to repeat their 2016 heroics. Dhoni is not somebody who rests on past glories but likes to write a new script everytime he is on the crease. And the fans expect him to do exactly that today. However, victory or defeat Chennai fans will celebrate as the title will be making its way to Chennai as owners of both the teams are from ''Detroit of India''. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Why Chennai will be crowned for third time in IPL 2018

The biggest cricket carnival, Indian Premier League has reached the last phase and we have two finalists Hyderabad and Chennai.

The cricket fraternity is waiting for the ultimate winner of&nbspthe eleventh edition of IPL which will be decided after today's intriguing encounter between the two finalists at Wankhede.

According to several online surveys that are being conducted on social media, M.S Dhoni-led Chennai team has been voted as the strong favourites but they certainly don't deserve the title.

The fans survey highlighted Dhoni as the most popular player out of the top 12 players with 27.3 per cent votes followed by Virat Kohli with 22 per cent and Hyderabad captain Kane Williamson with 20.11 per cent fan votes.&nbsp

If the favourites teams are judged on the basis of favourite players than Virat Kohli-led Bangalore must win the competition because the Bangalore team had the most popular playing XI of the season, in the presence of Virat himself and South African batsman AB de Villiers.

We all know that the frenzy for MS Dhoni is massive, it doesn't matter whether he is playing for Chennai or Pune, the fan following will be same. It is an honour and MSD has earned it for himself and he truly deserves it.

On the other hand, Hyderabad received a major blow before the start of IPL in the form of David Warner's ouster from the IPL.

Australian cricketer David Warner was supposed to lead the "Orange Army" and also he was the opener. In his absence, Hyderabad's batting unit suffered a lot but still the team raised above it and emerged as one of the top contenders for the title.

After David Warner's exit, Kane Williamson got the responsibility to lead the team and he proved his mettle with stunning leadership skills and managed to reach the finals despite many adversities.

Under his guidance, many players come into view and the best example of that is Siddharth Kaul.

Kaul has taken 21 wickets so far in the tournament with 8.00 economy rate.

Although, Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have supported the team,&nbspbut never felt the pressure of sole responsibility.

The bowling unit has never been dependent on experienced ones, in fact, all the bowlers, from spinners to seamers and from pacers to death over specialists, everybody has taken wickets at crucial moments.

Unlike Chennai, which is also branded as a bunch of old and experienced players, Hyderabad have given chance to young talents.

In my opinion, it is easy to play and win with experienced players but it takes actual intent to motivate young champs and give them chance to play their own game and shine brighter than stars.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Kane Williamson proved his mettle with stunning leadership skills and managed to reach the finals despite many adversities

The biggest cricket carnival, Indian Premier League has reached the last phase and we have two finalists Hyderabad and Chennai. The cricket fraternity is waiting for the ultimate winner of&nbspthe eleventh edition of IPL which will be decided after today's intriguing encounter between the two finalists at Wankhede. According to several online surveys that are being conducted on social media, M.S Dhoni-led Chennai team has been voted as the strong favourites but they certainly don't deserve the title. The fans survey highlighted Dhoni as the most popular player out of the top 12 players with 27.3 per cent votes followed by Virat Kohli with 22 per cent and Hyderabad captain Kane Williamson with 20.11 per cent fan votes. If the favourites teams are judged on the basis of favourite players than Virat Kohli-led Bangalore must win the competition because the Bangalore team had the most popular playing XI of the season, in the presence of Virat himself and South African batsman AB de Villiers. We all know that the frenzy for MS Dhoni is massive, it doesn't matter whether he is playing for Chennai or Pune, the fan following will be same. It is an honour and MSD has earned it for himself and he truly deserves it. On the other hand, Hyderabad received a major blow before the start of IPL in the form of David Warner's ouster from the IPL. Australian cricketer David Warner was supposed to lead the "Orange Army" and also he was the opener. In his absence, Hyderabad's batting unit suffered a lot but still the team raised above it and emerged as one of the top contenders for the title. After David Warner's exit, Kane Williamson got the responsibility to lead the team and he proved his mettle with stunning leadership skills and managed to reach the finals despite many adversities. Under his guidance, many players come into view and the best example of that is Siddharth Kaul. Kaul has taken 21 wickets so far in the tournament with 8.00 economy rate. Although, Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have supported the team,&nbspbut never felt the pressure of sole responsibility. The bowling unit has never been dependent on experienced ones, in fact, all the bowlers, from spinners to seamers and from pacers to death over specialists, everybody has taken wickets at crucial moments. Unlike Chennai, which is also branded as a bunch of old and experienced players, Hyderabad have given chance to young talents. In my opinion, it is easy to play and win with experienced players but it takes actual intent to motivate young champs and give them chance to play their own game and shine brighter than stars. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: IPL 2018 - Why Hyderabad will overshadow Dhoni's experienced side

As the cash-rich Indian Premier League reaches its last stage, MS Dhoni and Kane Williamson will battle out today at Wankhede to decide the Champions of the 11th edition. &nbsp;

But before the clash, Bollywood actresses Kriti Sanon and Jacqueline Fernandez will rock the battle stage with their performances.&nbsp;

The two leading actresses are gearing up to entertain the audience on a live stage of the closing ceremony of IPL at Wankhede Stadium

This will be Kriti's second IPL performance, after her 2016 season's opening ceremony performance.

She has been rehearsing for her act since the past few days and even shared video some videos of herself with the caption, “#IPLRehearsals"

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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BjOwHVVhEi5/" style=" color:#000 font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px font-style:normal font-weight:normal line-height:17px text-decoration:none word-wrap:break-word" target="_blank">#IPLRehearsals ???</a>

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As per reports, Kriti will be grooving to popular tracks from her films such as Heropanti, Raabta, Dilwale and the most recent one, Bareilly Ki Barfi.&nbsp;

Jacqueline Fernandez has also been prepping for the big event.&nbsp;

Interestingly, this actress had also been a part of the opening ceremony of the IPL where she danced to her hit numbers, Tan Tana Tan and Unchi Hai Building from her blockbuster film Judwaa 2.

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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BjOwHVVhEi5/" style=" color:#000 font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px font-style:normal font-weight:normal line-height:17px text-decoration:none word-wrap:break-word" target="_blank">#IPLRehearsals ???</a>

<p style=" color:#c9c8cd font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px line-height:17px margin-bottom:0 margin-top:8px overflow:hidden padding:8px 0 7px text-align:center text-overflow:ellipsis white-space:nowrap">A post shared by <a href="https://www.instagram.com/kritisanon/" style=" color:#c9c8cd font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px font-style:normal font-weight:normal line-height:17px" target="_blank"> Kriti</a> (@kritisanon) on <time datetime="2018-05-26T06:25:24+00:00" style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px line-height:17px">May 25, 2018 at 11:25pm PDT</time>
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There are reports that Katrina Kaif will also join the Kriti and Jacqueline. But it is yet to be confirmed by any official person.&nbsp;

Chennai has dominated Hyderabad in the previous games the two teams have played.&nbsp;

The 'Yellow Brigade' managed to clinch all the three games from them, despite some remarkable performance from Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson.&nbsp;

While Chennai will be eyeing their third IPL title, Hyderabad will fight to take the revenge of the previous games and repeat their 2016 heroics.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

Jacqueline had also been a part of the opening ceremony of the IPL

As the cash-rich Indian Premier League reaches its last stage, MS Dhoni and Kane Williamson will battle out today at Wankhede to decide the Champions of the 11th edition. But before the clash, Bollywood actresses Kriti Sanon and Jacqueline Fernandez will rock the battle stage with their performances. The two leading actresses are gearing up to entertain the audience on a live stage of the closing ceremony of IPL at Wankhede Stadium This will be Kriti's second IPL performance, after her 2016 season's opening ceremony performance. She has been rehearsing for her act since the past few days and even shared video some videos of herself with the caption, “#IPLRehearsals" #IPLRehearsals ??? A post shared by Kriti (@kritisanon) on May 25, 2018 at 11:25pm PDT × As per reports, Kriti will be grooving to popular tracks from her films such as Heropanti, Raabta, Dilwale and the most recent one, Bareilly Ki Barfi. Jacqueline Fernandez has also been prepping for the big event. Interestingly, this actress had also been a part of the opening ceremony of the IPL where she danced to her hit numbers, Tan Tana Tan and Unchi Hai Building from her blockbuster film Judwaa 2. #IPLRehearsals ??? A post shared by Kriti (@kritisanon) on May 25, 2018 at 11:25pm PDT × There are reports that Katrina Kaif will also join the Kriti and Jacqueline. But it is yet to be confirmed by any official person. Chennai has dominated Hyderabad in the previous games the two teams have played. The 'Yellow Brigade' managed to clinch all the three games from them, despite some remarkable performance from Hyderabad skipper Kane Williamson. While Chennai will be eyeing their third IPL title, Hyderabad will fight to take the revenge of the previous games and repeat their 2016 heroics.

IPL 2018: Kriti, Jacqueline to dazzle before Chennai-Hyderabad finale

IPL 2018 has finally reached its climax as two-time champions Chennai and Hyderabad will face-off in the summit clash of the 11th season of the cash-rich league at the Wankhede stadium today.

Hours before the final clash begins, Chennai skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni admitted that the age factor was definitely a concern for the team.

"The age-group of the boys was definitely a concern, you had to keep them fit. We had to take care of the resources and to make sure that when we come to the business end of the tournament, the best 11 is available for selection," Dhoni said.

While interacting with the media persons, Dhoni also justified his decision to often under-bowl veteran spinner Harbhajan in the tournament.

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What goes into <a href="https://twitter.com/msdhoni?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@msdhoni</a> mind before he chooses a particular bowler? The <a href="https://twitter.com/ChennaiIPL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChennaiIPL</a> captain offers a very interesting analogy?. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VIVOIPL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VIVOIPL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Final?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Final</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CSKvSRH?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CSKvSRH</a> <a href="https://t.co/XEIEDdBEtH">pic.twitter.com/XEIEDdBEtH</a>
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) <a href="https://twitter.com/IPL/status/1000401323009830917?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2018</a></blockquote>
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But the answer was not plain, it was equivalent to his 'match-winning' six.&nbsp;

"I have a lot of cars and bikes in my house. I don't ride all at a time. A lot of times, especially when you have six to seven bowlers in the side, you want to see the conditions, you want to see who is batting and what is needed at that point of time." Dhoni said.

"I see what is in best interest of the team," he added.&nbsp;

Harbhajan has played 13 matches out of the total 15 played by CSK and picked up seven wickets at an economy of 8.48.

Chennai will clash with Hyderabad at the Wankhede stadium today

IPL 2018 has finally reached its climax as two-time champions Chennai and Hyderabad will face-off in the summit clash of the 11th season of the cash-rich league at the Wankhede stadium today. Hours before the final clash begins, Chennai skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni admitted that the age factor was definitely a concern for the team. "The age-group of the boys was definitely a concern, you had to keep them fit. We had to take care of the resources and to make sure that when we come to the business end of the tournament, the best 11 is available for selection," Dhoni said. While interacting with the media persons, Dhoni also justified his decision to often under-bowl veteran spinner Harbhajan in the tournament. What goes into @msdhoni mind before he chooses a particular bowler? The @ChennaiIPL captain offers a very interesting analogy?. #VIVOIPL #Final #CSKvSRH pic.twitter.com/XEIEDdBEtH — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 26, 2018 × But the answer was not plain, it was equivalent to his 'match-winning' six. "I have a lot of cars and bikes in my house. I don't ride all at a time. A lot of times, especially when you have six to seven bowlers in the side, you want to see the conditions, you want to see who is batting and what is needed at that point of time." Dhoni said. "I see what is in best interest of the team," he added. Harbhajan has played 13 matches out of the total 15 played by CSK and picked up seven wickets at an economy of 8.48.

Watch: Why Dhoni barely used Harbhajan Singh in IPL 2018

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar on Friday was highly impressed with Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan's bowling against Kolkata in IPL Qualifier 2.

The master blaster not only praised his ease with the ball but also described him as the best spinner in the T20 format.

Tendulkar took to his Twitter handle and said, "Always felt @rashidkhan_19 was a good spinner but now I wouldn't hesitate in saying he is the best spinner in the world in this format. Mind you, he's got some batting skills as well. Great guy."

The 19-year-old clinched three wickets and gave just 19 runs to build pressure on Kolkata.

So far, he has clinched 20 wickets in a total of 16 matches played. &nbsp;

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Always felt <a href="https://twitter.com/rashidkhan_19?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rashidkhan_19</a> was a good spinner but now I wouldn’t hesitate in saying he is the best spinner in the world in this format. Mind you, he’s got some batting skills as well. Great guy.
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) <a href="https://twitter.com/sachin_rt/status/1000053997447843840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2018</a></blockquote>
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He also smashed a 10-ball 34 in the final overs to help Hyderabad post 174-7 at Edens Gardens today.&nbsp;

The cricket legend took to twitter to praise the tweaker

Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar on Friday was highly impressed with Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan's bowling against Kolkata in IPL Qualifier 2. The master blaster not only praised his ease with the ball but also described him as the best spinner in the T20 format. Tendulkar took to his Twitter handle and said, "Always felt @rashidkhan_19 was a good spinner but now I wouldn't hesitate in saying he is the best spinner in the world in this format. Mind you, he's got some batting skills as well. Great guy." The 19-year-old clinched three wickets and gave just 19 runs to build pressure on Kolkata. So far, he has clinched 20 wickets in a total of 16 matches played. Always felt @rashidkhan_19 was a good spinner but now I wouldn’t hesitate in saying he is the best spinner in the world in this format. Mind you, he’s got some batting skills as well. Great guy. — Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) May 25, 2018 × He also smashed a 10-ball 34 in the final overs to help Hyderabad post 174-7 at Edens Gardens today.

Sachin Tendulkar praises Rashid Khan, says he is 'world's best spinner in T20'

Rashid Khan became the star of IPL 2018 Qualifier 2 as he propelled Hyderabad into final by taking 3-wickets in his four overs and scoring 10-ball-34 when batting against Kolkata at Eden on Friday.&nbsp;

With this match, Kolkata is out from the tournament while Hyderabad will clash with Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai on May 27.

Opener Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine gave Kolkata the required start to chase a target of 175 runs.

However, Siddarth Kaul broke the 40 runs partnership as he sent Narine back to the pavilion for 26.

Lynn, who continued his attack, fell just two runs short of his half-century and was lbw by Afghanistan tweaker Rashid Khan.&nbsp;Lynn made 48 runs in 31 balls which included six boundaries and two sixes.

Skipper Dinesh Karthik and Robi Uthappa too lost their wickets early for 8 and 2 respectively. 
&nbsp; 
For Hyderabad, Rashid Khan played a perfect cameo to help Hyderabad set 175 runs target.&nbsp;

Khan played a strike rate of 340 and smashed two boundaries and four sixes in his inning. &nbsp;

Put into bat, Wriddhiman Saha and Shikhar Dhawan gave Hyderabad a decent start before Dhawan lost his wicket to Kuldeep Yadav for 34 runs.

Yadav struck twice the same over and dismissed skipper Kane Williamson for cheap 3 runs.

It was then Shakib Al Hasan came to bat and estlabished a partnership with Saha.

But the wicketkeeper-batsman was also sent back to the pavilion for just 35 runs.&nbsp;

For Kolkata, Prasidh Krishna became the costliest bowler as he gave away 56 runs in four overs.&nbsp;

Earlier, Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik won the toss and opted to bowl against Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 Qualifier 2 at Eden Gardens, on Friday. &nbsp;

Teams:

Hyderabad (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson(c), Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Deepak Hooda, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Carlos Brathwaite, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul, K Khaleel Ahmed

Kolkata (Playing XI): Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi

Hyderabad will clash with Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai on May 27.

Rashid Khan became the star of IPL 2018 Qualifier 2 as he propelled Hyderabad into final by taking 3-wickets in his four overs and scoring 10-ball-34 when batting against Kolkata at Eden on Friday. With this match, Kolkata is out from the tournament while Hyderabad will clash with Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Chennai on May 27. Opener Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine gave Kolkata the required start to chase a target of 175 runs. However, Siddarth Kaul broke the 40 runs partnership as he sent Narine back to the pavilion for 26. Lynn, who continued his attack, fell just two runs short of his half-century and was lbw by Afghanistan tweaker Rashid Khan. Lynn made 48 runs in 31 balls which included six boundaries and two sixes. Skipper Dinesh Karthik and Robi Uthappa too lost their wickets early for 8 and 2 respectively. For Hyderabad, Rashid Khan played a perfect cameo to help Hyderabad set 175 runs target. Khan played a strike rate of 340 and smashed two boundaries and four sixes in his inning. Put into bat, Wriddhiman Saha and Shikhar Dhawan gave Hyderabad a decent start before Dhawan lost his wicket to Kuldeep Yadav for 34 runs. Yadav struck twice the same over and dismissed skipper Kane Williamson for cheap 3 runs. It was then Shakib Al Hasan came to bat and estlabished a partnership with Saha. But the wicketkeeper-batsman was also sent back to the pavilion for just 35 runs. For Kolkata, Prasidh Krishna became the costliest bowler as he gave away 56 runs in four overs. Earlier, Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik won the toss and opted to bowl against Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 Qualifier 2 at Eden Gardens, on Friday. Teams: Hyderabad (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson(c), Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Deepak Hooda, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Carlos Brathwaite, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul, K Khaleel Ahmed Kolkata (Playing XI): Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi

IPL 2018: Rashid Khan propels Hyderabad into final; beat Kolkata by 13 runs

Rashid Khan played a perfect 10-ball-34 runs cameo to help Hyderabad set 175 runs target for Kolkata at Eden Gardens, on Friday.&nbsp

Khan played at a strike rate of 340 and smashed two boundaries and four sixes in his inning. &nbsp

Put into bat, Wriddhiman Saha and Shikhar Dhawan gave Hyderabad a decent start before Dhawan lost his wicket to Kuldeep Yadav for 34 runs.

Yadav struck twice the same over and dismissed skipper Kane Williamson for cheap 3 runs.

It was then Shakib Al Hasan came to bat and estlabished a partnership with Saha.

But the wicketkeeper-batsman was also sent back to the pavilion for just 35 runs.&nbsp

For Kolkata, Prasidh Krishna became the costliest bowler as he gave away 56 runs in four overs.&nbsp

Earlier, Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik won the toss and opted to bowl against Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 Qualifier 2 at Eden Gardens, on Friday. &nbsp

Both the teams will battle out to book a berth in the final, to be played against Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai on May 27.&nbsp

&nbspSpeaking after the toss, Dinesh Karthik said, "We will bowl first. We would like to chase down the target. We fought hard (against RR), we showed good character, we came back hard and we finally won the game."

"It's always the case in a must-win game, two good teams are out to play today. Just one change for us, Shivam Mavi replaces Javon Searles," he added.

Hyderabad, on the other hand, have lost four matches on the trot and will be looking to return to the winning ways.

Talking about their strategy for today, skipper Kane Williamson said, Looks like a good surface, we need to put the runs on the board and defend it. We need to move on and put our best effort."

"This is not the time to be conservative, it's a must-win game for both teams and we need to put our best foot forward, he added."

"We have three changes, Hooda, Saha and Khaleel are in, Manish Pandey, Shreevats Goswami and Sandeep Sharma are out," he concluded.&nbsp

Hyderabad have played very loose in the last four games. Their bowling attack which is their strength, since the first game, became a problem as they failed to swing wickets in team's favour. &nbsp&nbsp

Teams:

 
Hyderabad (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson(c), Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Deepak Hooda, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Carlos Brathwaite, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul, K Khaleel Ahmed

Kolkata (Playing XI): Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi 
&nbsp

Khan played at a strike rate of 340 and smashed two boundaries and four sixes in his inning.

Rashid Khan played a perfect 10-ball-34 runs cameo to help Hyderabad set 175 runs target for Kolkata at Eden Gardens, on Friday. Khan played at a strike rate of 340 and smashed two boundaries and four sixes in his inning. Put into bat, Wriddhiman Saha and Shikhar Dhawan gave Hyderabad a decent start before Dhawan lost his wicket to Kuldeep Yadav for 34 runs. Yadav struck twice the same over and dismissed skipper Kane Williamson for cheap 3 runs. It was then Shakib Al Hasan came to bat and estlabished a partnership with Saha. But the wicketkeeper-batsman was also sent back to the pavilion for just 35 runs. For Kolkata, Prasidh Krishna became the costliest bowler as he gave away 56 runs in four overs. Earlier, Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik won the toss and opted to bowl against Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 Qualifier 2 at Eden Gardens, on Friday. Both the teams will battle out to book a berth in the final, to be played against Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai on May 27. &nbspSpeaking after the toss, Dinesh Karthik said, "We will bowl first. We would like to chase down the target. We fought hard (against RR), we showed good character, we came back hard and we finally won the game." "It's always the case in a must-win game, two good teams are out to play today. Just one change for us, Shivam Mavi replaces Javon Searles," he added. Hyderabad, on the other hand, have lost four matches on the trot and will be looking to return to the winning ways. Talking about their strategy for today, skipper Kane Williamson said, Looks like a good surface, we need to put the runs on the board and defend it. We need to move on and put our best effort." "This is not the time to be conservative, it's a must-win game for both teams and we need to put our best foot forward, he added." "We have three changes, Hooda, Saha and Khaleel are in, Manish Pandey, Shreevats Goswami and Sandeep Sharma are out," he concluded. Hyderabad have played very loose in the last four games. Their bowling attack which is their strength, since the first game, became a problem as they failed to swing wickets in team's favour. Teams: Hyderabad (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson(c), Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Deepak Hooda, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Carlos Brathwaite, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul, K Khaleel Ahmed Kolkata (Playing XI): Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi

IPL 2018: Rashid Khan's 10-ball-34 powers Hyderabad to 174

Chennai have reached the finals after defeating Hyderabad in the Qualifier 1 of the ongoing edition of Indian Premier League under the guidance of legendary cricketer MS Dhoni.

"Yellow Brigade" have marked a comeback after serving a two-year ban and emerged as one of the top contenders for the IPL trophy.

Two-time winners Chennai team is preparing for the final encounter which is scheduled to be played on May 27 to reclaim the trophy one more time, Suresh Raina has said that the team would like to win this year's IPL for their skipper MS Dhoni.

Raina was quoted as saying by the Chennai's website, Raina said, "He (Dhoni) got quite emotional (when the team reached the final this time). He cares so much for Chennai we all do. He has been amazing for Chennai since 2008 and is one of the nicest guys around. So this time, we want to win the IPL for Dhoni."

"He gets criticised so often and every time (he) answers his critics back through his performance. Sometimes you need to see it from an emotional side as well. We definitely have a team which can win it for MS this time. You need to do something (special) everytime he turns up and that is the reason we want to win the IPL for Dhoni," he further added.

"I remember reading somewhere after the auction that Chennai team is a bunch of old guys. But it is all about experience and how well you use it. Our unit is very confident right now. This season we batted as a group. Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu gave us good starts and then myself, followed by MS have been doing well. So if you see our team is so experienced and has so many match winners in it. We haven’t won the title since 2011 so I really want to do it this time," Raina concluded.

'I remember reading somewhere after the auction that Chennai team is a bunch of old guys. But it is all about experience and how well you use it,' says Suresh Raina

Chennai have reached the finals after defeating Hyderabad in the Qualifier 1 of the ongoing edition of Indian Premier League under the guidance of legendary cricketer MS Dhoni. "Yellow Brigade" have marked a comeback after serving a two-year ban and emerged as one of the top contenders for the IPL trophy. Two-time winners Chennai team is preparing for the final encounter which is scheduled to be played on May 27 to reclaim the trophy one more time, Suresh Raina has said that the team would like to win this year's IPL for their skipper MS Dhoni. Raina was quoted as saying by the Chennai's website, Raina said, "He (Dhoni) got quite emotional (when the team reached the final this time). He cares so much for Chennai we all do. He has been amazing for Chennai since 2008 and is one of the nicest guys around. So this time, we want to win the IPL for Dhoni." "He gets criticised so often and every time (he) answers his critics back through his performance. Sometimes you need to see it from an emotional side as well. We definitely have a team which can win it for MS this time. You need to do something (special) everytime he turns up and that is the reason we want to win the IPL for Dhoni," he further added. "I remember reading somewhere after the auction that Chennai team is a bunch of old guys. But it is all about experience and how well you use it. Our unit is very confident right now. This season we batted as a group. Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu gave us good starts and then myself, followed by MS have been doing well. So if you see our team is so experienced and has so many match winners in it. We haven’t won the title since 2011 so I really want to do it this time," Raina concluded.

We want to win IPL 2018 for Dhoni - Suresh Raina

Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik won the toss and opted to bowl against Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 Qualifier 2 at Eden Gardens, on Friday. &nbsp

Both the teams will battle out to book a berth in the final, to be played against Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai on May 27.&nbsp

Speaking after the toss, Dinesh Karthik said, "We will bowl first. We would like to chase down the target. We fought hard (against RR), we showed good character, we came back hard and we finally won the game."

"It's always the case in a must-win game, two good teams are out to play today. Just one change for us, Shivam Mavi replaces Javon Searles," he added.

Hyderabad, on the other hand, have lost four matches on the trot and will be looking to return to the winning ways.

Talking about their strategy for today, skipper Kane Williamson said, Looks like a good surface, we need to put the runs on the board and defend it. We need to move on and put our best effort."

"This is not the time to be conservative, it's a must-win game for both teams and we need to put our best foot forward, he added."

"We have three changes, Hooda, Saha and Khaleel are in, Manish Pandey, Shreevats Goswami and Sandeep Sharma are out," he concluded.&nbsp

Hyderabad have played very loose in the last four games. Their bowling attack which is their strength, since the first game, became a problem as they failed to swing wickets in team's favour. &nbsp&nbsp

Teams:

Hyderabad (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson(c), Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Deepak Hooda, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Carlos Brathwaite, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul, K Khaleel Ahmed

Kolkata (Playing XI): Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi

 
&nbsp

Both the teams will battle out to book a berth in the final,

Kolkata skipper Dinesh Karthik won the toss and opted to bowl against Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 Qualifier 2 at Eden Gardens, on Friday. Both the teams will battle out to book a berth in the final, to be played against Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai on May 27. Speaking after the toss, Dinesh Karthik said, "We will bowl first. We would like to chase down the target. We fought hard (against RR), we showed good character, we came back hard and we finally won the game." "It's always the case in a must-win game, two good teams are out to play today. Just one change for us, Shivam Mavi replaces Javon Searles," he added. Hyderabad, on the other hand, have lost four matches on the trot and will be looking to return to the winning ways. Talking about their strategy for today, skipper Kane Williamson said, Looks like a good surface, we need to put the runs on the board and defend it. We need to move on and put our best effort." "This is not the time to be conservative, it's a must-win game for both teams and we need to put our best foot forward, he added." "We have three changes, Hooda, Saha and Khaleel are in, Manish Pandey, Shreevats Goswami and Sandeep Sharma are out," he concluded. Hyderabad have played very loose in the last four games. Their bowling attack which is their strength, since the first game, became a problem as they failed to swing wickets in team's favour. Teams: Hyderabad (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson(c), Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Deepak Hooda, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Carlos Brathwaite, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul, K Khaleel Ahmed Kolkata (Playing XI): Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Shivam Mavi

IPL 2018: Kolkata win toss, make Hyderabad bat first in Qualifier 2

Kriti Sanon, one of the actresses from the new talent, is going to perform live at the closing ceremony of the IPL.

This will be Kriti`s second performance at the IPL, after her last season`s opening ceremony performance.

Kriti, who recently completed four years in the industry, will trace her journey in Bollywood through her numbers at the event, scheduled to be held at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Her tracks will be from her films `Heropanti`, `Raabta`, `Dilwale`, and `Bareilly Ki Barfi`.

On the career front, Kriti will be next seen in `Arjun Patiala`, `Housefull 4`, and `Panipat`.

This will be Kriti`s second performance at the IPL, after her last season`s opening ceremony performance.

Kriti Sanon, one of the actresses from the new talent, is going to perform live at the closing ceremony of the IPL. This will be Kriti`s second performance at the IPL, after her last season`s opening ceremony performance. Kriti, who recently completed four years in the industry, will trace her journey in Bollywood through her numbers at the event, scheduled to be held at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Her tracks will be from her films `Heropanti`, `Raabta`, `Dilwale`, and `Bareilly Ki Barfi`. On the career front, Kriti will be next seen in `Arjun Patiala`, `Housefull 4`, and `Panipat`.

Kriti Sanon to perform at IPL closing ceremony

Two-time champions Kolkata will host Kane Williamson-led Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens stadium on Friday, May 25 to book a berth in the Indian Premier League 2018 finals.

The winner of tonight's match will meet MS Dhoni-led Chennai in the IPL's finale on May 27 as team Chennai has already through to the finals after defeating Hyderabad in the Qualifier 1.

It's very ironic when the table toppers at the end of league matches, struggle&nbsp;to reach the finals, now call it carelessness or the lack of performance from their middle-order, Hyderabad have lost four straight games, something that will be a cause of concern for Williamson's side in tonight's game.

Although, Hyderabad have the best bowling unit in the presence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma and Rashid Khan. The bowling side will try to take benefits from the Eden Gardens track but it is not easy to face Dinesh Karthik's side&nbsp;as the batsmen coming at the 6th and 7th position have potential to score runs.

In the presence of crazy fans at the Eden Gardens, Dinesh Karthik&nbsp;side definitely has an upper hand against Hyderabad.

In the first Qualifier, when Hyderabad had their match in the pocket with Chennai struggling at 62-6 while chasing 140 runs but the bowling strategy backfired in the death overs when Carlos Brathwaite leaked too many runs.

Also, Hyderabad's problem has been their batting which is heavily reliant on skipper Kane Williamson, the current 'Orange Cap' holder with 685 runs at 57.05 average.

In order to resolve it, Shikhar Dhawan will have to rise to the occasion but it is the middle order that has created problems, Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan will have to score in order to help the bowling unit to bowl without pressure.

On the other hand, Dinesh Karthik who will look to go unchanged unless there's an injury in the lineup.&nbsp;

Their biggest strength has been the team's ability to stand up and perform in case someone fails. That we have seen in the Eliminator match when the top batting order was out bowled then middle batting order scored to reach the target.

The clash is going to be very interesting as the result will give another finalist of the tournament.

Watch the preview:

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Playing XI (TBC):

Kolkata: Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Javon Searles, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna.

Hyderabad: Shikhar Dhawan, Shreevats Goswami, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Carlos Brathwaite, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul

Two-time champions Kolkata will host Kane Williamson-led Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens stadium to book a berth in the IPL 2018 finals

Two-time champions Kolkata will host Kane Williamson-led Hyderabad at the Eden Gardens stadium on Friday, May 25 to book a berth in the Indian Premier League 2018 finals. The winner of tonight's match will meet MS Dhoni-led Chennai in the IPL's finale on May 27 as team Chennai has already through to the finals after defeating Hyderabad in the Qualifier 1. It's very ironic when the table toppers at the end of league matches, struggle to reach the finals, now call it carelessness or the lack of performance from their middle-order, Hyderabad have lost four straight games, something that will be a cause of concern for Williamson's side in tonight's game. Although, Hyderabad have the best bowling unit in the presence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma and Rashid Khan. The bowling side will try to take benefits from the Eden Gardens track but it is not easy to face Dinesh Karthik's side as the batsmen coming at the 6th and 7th position have potential to score runs. In the presence of crazy fans at the Eden Gardens, Dinesh Karthik side definitely has an upper hand against Hyderabad. In the first Qualifier, when Hyderabad had their match in the pocket with Chennai struggling at 62-6 while chasing 140 runs but the bowling strategy backfired in the death overs when Carlos Brathwaite leaked too many runs. Also, Hyderabad's problem has been their batting which is heavily reliant on skipper Kane Williamson, the current 'Orange Cap' holder with 685 runs at 57.05 average. In order to resolve it, Shikhar Dhawan will have to rise to the occasion but it is the middle order that has created problems, Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan will have to score in order to help the bowling unit to bowl without pressure. On the other hand, Dinesh Karthik who will look to go unchanged unless there's an injury in the lineup. Their biggest strength has been the team's ability to stand up and perform in case someone fails. That we have seen in the Eliminator match when the top batting order was out bowled then middle batting order scored to reach the target. The clash is going to be very interesting as the result will give another finalist of the tournament. Watch the preview: × Playing XI (TBC): Kolkata: Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Javon Searles, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna. Hyderabad: Shikhar Dhawan, Shreevats Goswami, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Shakib Al Hasan, Carlos Brathwaite, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul

IPL 2018, 2nd Qualifier: Karthik-led Kolkata have advantage at Eden against Hyderabad

Days after Bangalore crashed out of the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL), skipper Virat Kohli today apologised to the fans by posting an emotional message on his Twitter handle.

Bangalore had a largely disappointing season where they finished sixth with 12 points. This is the second year in a row when the franchise failed to make it to the play-offs.

Ashamed of team's performance, Kohli vowed to turn things around next season.

In all the games played, included the wins, Bangalore lacked consistency and apart from Kohli and now retired AB de Villiers, no other batsmen stepped up to the occasion. &nbsp

Though the team did show some late spark in the round-robin stage, the turnaround came a little too late for them to have any chance.&nbsp

After entering the must-win situation, Bangalore won three games on the trot, against Delhi, Punjab and Hyderabad.&nbsp

But they were then outplayed by Rajasthan in their final league game and exited from the tournament.

Kohli, after the match, spoke of his disappointment with the other batsmen pointing out that they cannot put all the workload on de Villiers and expect him to come out flying every single time.

Kohli is currently sixth in this year's list of top IPL scorers after amassing 530 runs at an average of 48.18 in 14 matches.&nbsp

De Villiers stands ninth in the same list with 480 runs at an average of 53.33.

Kohli vowed to turn things around next season.

Days after Bangalore crashed out of the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL), skipper Virat Kohli today apologised to the fans by posting an emotional message on his Twitter handle. Bangalore had a largely disappointing season where they finished sixth with 12 points. This is the second year in a row when the franchise failed to make it to the play-offs. Ashamed of team's performance, Kohli vowed to turn things around next season. In all the games played, included the wins, Bangalore lacked consistency and apart from Kohli and now retired AB de Villiers, no other batsmen stepped up to the occasion. Though the team did show some late spark in the round-robin stage, the turnaround came a little too late for them to have any chance. After entering the must-win situation, Bangalore won three games on the trot, against Delhi, Punjab and Hyderabad. But they were then outplayed by Rajasthan in their final league game and exited from the tournament. Kohli, after the match, spoke of his disappointment with the other batsmen pointing out that they cannot put all the workload on de Villiers and expect him to come out flying every single time. Kohli is currently sixth in this year's list of top IPL scorers after amassing 530 runs at an average of 48.18 in 14 matches. De Villiers stands ninth in the same list with 480 runs at an average of 53.33.

Watch: Virat Kohli apologises to fans for disappointing them

Faf du Plessis' unbeaten 67-run knock helped Chennai team to reach the finals of the eleventh edition of Indian Premier League. Chennai won the first Qualifier by two wickets in a neck-to-neck encounter against Hyderabad. There was a moment when Chennai was 62-6 but South African star batsman Faf du Plessis played a responsible innings and snatched the match from the hands of Hyderabad.&nbsp;

Shardul Thakur's 15-run knock off 5 balls did the icing on the cake and confirmed the victory. Earlier in the match, MS Dhoni had won the toss and opted to bowl at the Wankhede stadium.

Batting first, Hyderabad had a shaky start as Hyderabad team suffered an early jolt in the form of Shikhar Dhawan's wicket on the first ball of the innings but thanks to Windies player Carlos Brathwaite, who played a 43-run knock to help Hyderabad team to set a decent target of 140 runs for MS Dhoni-led Chennai.

Still, the score is a bit less than what it was expected in such a crucial match and that too for a team whose batting unit is massive.

That is what exactly happened but while chasing the target of 140 runs, Chennai's batting line was thrashed in front of the Hyderabad's bowling unit but in the 17th and 18th overs, Hyderabad leaked too many runs.

Apart from Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina and Shardul Thakur none of the batsmen score more than 10 runs.

Chennai's scoreboard

Shane Watson 0, Faf du Plessis 67*, Suresh Raina 22, Ambati Rayudu 0, MS Dhoni 9, Dwayne Bravo 7, Ravindra Jadeja 3, Deepak Chahar 10, Harbhajan Singh 2, Shardul Thakur 15

For Hyderabad, Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul and Rashid Khan took 2 wickets each that gave a ray of finale hope but efforts went in vain.

Apart from them, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the most economical bowler for the Hyderabad. He gave 14 runs in his 3.1-over spell with 4.42 ecomnomy. Although, he failed to defend the six runs in &nbsp;the last over as Faf hit a splendid six on the first ball of last over to win the match.

Earlier, Deepak Chahar who dismissed Dhawan played an important role in restricting the Hyderabad team. He gave 31 runs in his 4-over spell and took the most impost wicket also of Shikhar Dhawan.

Shreevats Goswami and Manish Pandey scored 12 and 8 runs respectively before losing their wickets to Lungi Ngidi and Ravindra Jadeja.

Skipper Kane Williamson tried to push the run rate but lost his wicket to Shardul Thakur after scoring 24 runs.

Shakib Al Hasan and Yusuf Pathan scored 12 and 24 runs for the team but Dwayne Bravo out bowled both of batsmen.

Carlos Brathwaite salvaged the team as he scored 43 runs off just 29 balls in a very crucial time. 
&nbsp;

Faf du Plessis' unbeaten 67-run knock helped Chennai team to reach the finals of the eleventh edition of Indian Premier League

Faf du Plessis' unbeaten 67-run knock helped Chennai team to reach the finals of the eleventh edition of Indian Premier League. Chennai won the first Qualifier by two wickets in a neck-to-neck encounter against Hyderabad. There was a moment when Chennai was 62-6 but South African star batsman Faf du Plessis played a responsible innings and snatched the match from the hands of Hyderabad. Shardul Thakur's 15-run knock off 5 balls did the icing on the cake and confirmed the victory. Earlier in the match, MS Dhoni had won the toss and opted to bowl at the Wankhede stadium. Batting first, Hyderabad had a shaky start as Hyderabad team suffered an early jolt in the form of Shikhar Dhawan's wicket on the first ball of the innings but thanks to Windies player Carlos Brathwaite, who played a 43-run knock to help Hyderabad team to set a decent target of 140 runs for MS Dhoni-led Chennai. Still, the score is a bit less than what it was expected in such a crucial match and that too for a team whose batting unit is massive. That is what exactly happened but while chasing the target of 140 runs, Chennai's batting line was thrashed in front of the Hyderabad's bowling unit but in the 17th and 18th overs, Hyderabad leaked too many runs. Apart from Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina and Shardul Thakur none of the batsmen score more than 10 runs. Chennai's scoreboard Shane Watson 0, Faf du Plessis 67*, Suresh Raina 22, Ambati Rayudu 0, MS Dhoni 9, Dwayne Bravo 7, Ravindra Jadeja 3, Deepak Chahar 10, Harbhajan Singh 2, Shardul Thakur 15 For Hyderabad, Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul and Rashid Khan took 2 wickets each that gave a ray of finale hope but efforts went in vain. Apart from them, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the most economical bowler for the Hyderabad. He gave 14 runs in his 3.1-over spell with 4.42 ecomnomy. Although, he failed to defend the six runs in the last over as Faf hit a splendid six on the first ball of last over to win the match. Earlier, Deepak Chahar who dismissed Dhawan played an important role in restricting the Hyderabad team. He gave 31 runs in his 4-over spell and took the most impost wicket also of Shikhar Dhawan. Shreevats Goswami and Manish Pandey scored 12 and 8 runs respectively before losing their wickets to Lungi Ngidi and Ravindra Jadeja. Skipper Kane Williamson tried to push the run rate but lost his wicket to Shardul Thakur after scoring 24 runs. Shakib Al Hasan and Yusuf Pathan scored 12 and 24 runs for the team but Dwayne Bravo out bowled both of batsmen. Carlos Brathwaite salvaged the team as he scored 43 runs off just 29 balls in a very crucial time.

Faf du Plessis shines as Chennai beat Hyderabad to reach IPL final

Kolkata defeated Rajasthan by 25 runs to enter the Qualifier II of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018.&nbsp;

While chasing a decent target of 170 runs, Rajasthan fell apart despite the spectacular knocks of skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson and could manage only 144/4. 
&nbsp; 
Rahane fell four runs short to reach his half-century and was caught and bowled at 46, by Kuldeep Yadav.&nbsp;

His 41-ball inning included four boundaries and one huge six.&nbsp;

It was after Rahane's wicket that Samson took the reins in his hand and smashed a brilliant half-century.&nbsp;

But he too gave away his wicket after smashing four boundaries and two sixes.

With this defeat, Rajasthan has been eliminated from the IPL tournament while Kolkata will lock horns with Hyderabad, who were defeated by Chennai in Qualifier 1, on Tuesday.

The two teams will now meet on Friday to decide who faces MS Dhoni-led Chennai in the final on Sunday.

Earlier, Dinesh Karthik and Andrew Russell's superb partnership powered Kolkata to 169 runs in the eliminator of Indian Premier League &nbsp;2018.&nbsp;

While Karthik slammed 52 runs in 38 balls, Russell made 49 runs in 25 balls. Russell's unbeaten inning included three fours and five huge sixes.

Before that, Karthik and Shubman Gill too added 55 runs for the fifth wicket to recover the team after the top batting order fell cheaply.&nbsp;

Kolkata had their worst start of the season with K Gowtham (2/15 in three overs) and Jofra Archer (2/33) reducing them to 46/3 inside the powerplay.

From being 63 for 4 midway into the innings, Kolkata brilliantly stepped on the gas in the second-half, scoring 106 runs in the last 10 overs with Russell in charge of the proceedings.

Jaydev Unadkat, who leaked 33 runs from his two overs, was a big letdown from Rajasthan's perspective as the Ajinkya Rahane-led side could not choke the hosts despite a sound start.

Rahane won the toss and opted to bowl against Kolkata at Eden Gardens stadium on Wednesday.

After winning the toss, Rahane mentioned the characteristics of Eden's pitch which is a bit damp and the team which bats in the second innings has been successful in most of the occasions.

On the other hand, Kolkata's skipper Dinesh Karthik said there is no scope of errors in tonight's match.&nbsp;

Both the teams entered with the same squad and there was no change in the playing XI.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

While chasing a decent target of 170 runs Rajasthan fell apart

Kolkata defeated Rajasthan by 25 runs to enter the Qualifier II of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018. While chasing a decent target of 170 runs, Rajasthan fell apart despite the spectacular knocks of skipper Ajinkya Rahane and Sanju Samson and could manage only 144/4. Rahane fell four runs short to reach his half-century and was caught and bowled at 46, by Kuldeep Yadav. His 41-ball inning included four boundaries and one huge six. It was after Rahane's wicket that Samson took the reins in his hand and smashed a brilliant half-century. But he too gave away his wicket after smashing four boundaries and two sixes. With this defeat, Rajasthan has been eliminated from the IPL tournament while Kolkata will lock horns with Hyderabad, who were defeated by Chennai in Qualifier 1, on Tuesday. The two teams will now meet on Friday to decide who faces MS Dhoni-led Chennai in the final on Sunday. Earlier, Dinesh Karthik and Andrew Russell's superb partnership powered Kolkata to 169 runs in the eliminator of Indian Premier League 2018. While Karthik slammed 52 runs in 38 balls, Russell made 49 runs in 25 balls. Russell's unbeaten inning included three fours and five huge sixes. Before that, Karthik and Shubman Gill too added 55 runs for the fifth wicket to recover the team after the top batting order fell cheaply. Kolkata had their worst start of the season with K Gowtham (2/15 in three overs) and Jofra Archer (2/33) reducing them to 46/3 inside the powerplay. From being 63 for 4 midway into the innings, Kolkata brilliantly stepped on the gas in the second-half, scoring 106 runs in the last 10 overs with Russell in charge of the proceedings. Jaydev Unadkat, who leaked 33 runs from his two overs, was a big letdown from Rajasthan's perspective as the Ajinkya Rahane-led side could not choke the hosts despite a sound start. Rahane won the toss and opted to bowl against Kolkata at Eden Gardens stadium on Wednesday. After winning the toss, Rahane mentioned the characteristics of Eden's pitch which is a bit damp and the team which bats in the second innings has been successful in most of the occasions. On the other hand, Kolkata's skipper Dinesh Karthik said there is no scope of errors in tonight's match. Both the teams entered with the same squad and there was no change in the playing XI.

IPL 2018: Rajasthan eliminated as Kolkata enter Qualifier 2 with 25-run win

After top batting order fell cheaply, skipper Dinesh Karthik and Andrew Russell's superb partnership powered Kolkata to 169 runs in the eliminator of Indian Premier League &nbsp2018.&nbsp

While Karthik slammed 52 runs in 38 balls, Russell made 49 runs in 25 balls. Russell's unbeaten inning included three fours and five huge sixes.

Earlier, Karthik and Shubman Gill added 55 runs for the fifth wicket to recover the team from early losses.

Kolkata had their worst start of the season with K Gowtham (2/15 in three overs) and Jofra Archer (2/33) reducing them to 46/3 inside the powerplay.

From being 63 for 4 midway into the innings, Kolkata brilliantly stepped on the gas in the second-half, scoring 106 runs in the last 10 overs with Russell in charge of the proceedings.

Jaydev Unadkat, who leaked 33 runs from his two overs, was a big letdown from Rajasthan's perspective as the Ajinkya Rahane-led side could not choke the hosts despite a sound start.

Earlier, Rahane won the toss and opted to bowl against Kolkata at &nbspEden Gardens stadium on Wednesday.

After winning the toss, Rahane mentioned the characteristics of Eden's pitch which is a bit damp and the team which bats in the second innings has been successful in most of the occasions.

On the other hand, Kolkata's skipper Dinesh Karthik said there is no scope of errors in tonight's match.&nbsp

Both the teams have entered with the same squad and there is no change in the playing XI.&nbsp

Playing XI:

Kolkata: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Javon Searles, Piyush Chawla, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav

Rajasthan: Rahul Tripathi, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Sanju Samson, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Krishnappa Gowtham, Stuart Binny, Jofra Archer, Ish Sodhi, Jaydev Unadkat, Shreyas Gopal, Ben Laughlin 
&nbsp

While Karthik slammed 52 runs in 38 balls, Russell made 49 runs in 25 balls.

After top batting order fell cheaply, skipper Dinesh Karthik and Andrew Russell's superb partnership powered Kolkata to 169 runs in the eliminator of Indian Premier League &nbsp2018. While Karthik slammed 52 runs in 38 balls, Russell made 49 runs in 25 balls. Russell's unbeaten inning included three fours and five huge sixes. Earlier, Karthik and Shubman Gill added 55 runs for the fifth wicket to recover the team from early losses. Kolkata had their worst start of the season with K Gowtham (2/15 in three overs) and Jofra Archer (2/33) reducing them to 46/3 inside the powerplay. From being 63 for 4 midway into the innings, Kolkata brilliantly stepped on the gas in the second-half, scoring 106 runs in the last 10 overs with Russell in charge of the proceedings. Jaydev Unadkat, who leaked 33 runs from his two overs, was a big letdown from Rajasthan's perspective as the Ajinkya Rahane-led side could not choke the hosts despite a sound start. Earlier, Rahane won the toss and opted to bowl against Kolkata at &nbspEden Gardens stadium on Wednesday. After winning the toss, Rahane mentioned the characteristics of Eden's pitch which is a bit damp and the team which bats in the second innings has been successful in most of the occasions. On the other hand, Kolkata's skipper Dinesh Karthik said there is no scope of errors in tonight's match. Both the teams have entered with the same squad and there is no change in the playing XI. Playing XI: Kolkata: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Javon Searles, Piyush Chawla, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav Rajasthan: Rahul Tripathi, Ajinkya Rahane(c), Sanju Samson, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Krishnappa Gowtham, Stuart Binny, Jofra Archer, Ish Sodhi, Jaydev Unadkat, Shreyas Gopal, Ben Laughlin

IPL 2018 Eliminator: Karthik, Russell power Kolkata to 169

Clearing the air behind not playing in the Indian Premier League after stepping down as skipper, Gautam Gambhir said he did not play because he was not picked up.&nbsp;

‘I would have played had I been picked,’ Gambhir said.

After a series of defeats, Gambhir stepped down as the skipper of Delhi and made way for young talent Shreyas Iyer.

Even as a player he failed to make any big score as the 36-year-old had 85 runs in six matches played, including one half-century in the team’s season opener.&nbsp;

Gambhir’s resignation did not help as Delhi eventually ended up last in the table as the league stage.

However, the opener did not play any match for the franchise after stepping down, with reports suggesting he also decided to forego his entire Rs 2.8 crore salary for the season.

“A lot of people asked me why I didn’t play after stepping down from captaincy. My reply is simple: I would have played had I been picked.”

&nbsp;“A lot of people also ask me where did we go wrong? It is simple again: injuries to key players like [Kagiso] Rabada and [Chris] Morris, inability to build the right team combination, certain players not clicking, the team not playing important moments well and also the inability to handle pressure are all reasons for our failure," Gambhir said.&nbsp;

"I have always believed it is bowlers who win you games whatever be the format. I think we lacked there,” he added.

Gambhir also denied reports that he is considering retirement from the game in order to contest in the elections for the Delhi and District Cricket Association.&nbsp;

Delhi won their final two matches of the season but still ended up with only 10 points from 14 games.

After a series of defeats, Gambhir stepped down as the skipper of Delhi

Clearing the air behind not playing in the Indian Premier League after stepping down as skipper, Gautam Gambhir said he did not play because he was not picked up. ‘I would have played had I been picked,’ Gambhir said. After a series of defeats, Gambhir stepped down as the skipper of Delhi and made way for young talent Shreyas Iyer. Even as a player he failed to make any big score as the 36-year-old had 85 runs in six matches played, including one half-century in the team’s season opener. Gambhir’s resignation did not help as Delhi eventually ended up last in the table as the league stage. However, the opener did not play any match for the franchise after stepping down, with reports suggesting he also decided to forego his entire Rs 2.8 crore salary for the season. “A lot of people asked me why I didn’t play after stepping down from captaincy. My reply is simple: I would have played had I been picked.” “A lot of people also ask me where did we go wrong? It is simple again: injuries to key players like [Kagiso] Rabada and [Chris] Morris, inability to build the right team combination, certain players not clicking, the team not playing important moments well and also the inability to handle pressure are all reasons for our failure," Gambhir said. "I have always believed it is bowlers who win you games whatever be the format. I think we lacked there,” he added. Gambhir also denied reports that he is considering retirement from the game in order to contest in the elections for the Delhi and District Cricket Association. Delhi won their final two matches of the season but still ended up with only 10 points from 14 games.

‘I would have played had I been picked’: Gautam Gambhir on not playing after leaving captaincy

South African cricketer AB de Villiers announced retirement from all forms of cricket with immediate effect, on Wednesday.

&nbsp;The 34-year-old is one of the greatest players of South Africa, having played 114 Tests, 228 One-Day Internationals (ODI) and 78 T20 Internationals.&nbsp;

“I have decided to retire from all international cricket with immediate effect,” he said on Wednesday. “After 114 Test matches, 228 ODI’s and 78 T20 Internationals, it is time for others to take over. I have had my turn, and to be honest, I am tired.

“This is a tough decision, I have thought long and hard about it and I’d like to retire while still playing decent cricket. After the fantastic series wins against India and Australia, now feels like the right time to step aside.

“It would not be right for me to pick and choose where, when and in what format I play for the Proteas. For me, in the green and gold, it must be everything or nothing. I will always be grateful to the coaches and staff of Cricket South Africa for their support through all these years. The most important thank you goes out to all of my team mates throughout my career, I wouldn’t be half the player that I am without the support throughout the years.

“It’s not about earning more somewhere else, it’s about running out of gas and feeling that it is the right time to move on. Everything comes to an end. To the cricket fans around South Africa and the World, thank you for your kindness and generosity, and today, for your understanding.

“I have no plans to play overseas, in fact, I hope I can continue to be available for the Titans in domestic cricket. I will continue to be the biggest supporter of Faf du Plessis and the Proteas.”

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I’ve made a big decision today <a href="https://t.co/In0jyquPOK">pic.twitter.com/In0jyquPOK</a>
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) <a href="https://twitter.com/ABdeVilliers17/status/999247658995810304?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2018</a></blockquote>
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De Villiers, recently, was part of the Bangalore team in the ongoing 2018 Indian Premier League.

In 12 games, he scored 480 runs which include six half-centuries. &nbsp;

Bangalore failed to make it to the play-offs and is out from the tournament.

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&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The 34-year-old has played 114 Tests, 228 One-Day Internationals (ODI) and 78 T20 Internationals.

South African cricketer AB de Villiers announced retirement from all forms of cricket with immediate effect, on Wednesday. The 34-year-old is one of the greatest players of South Africa, having played 114 Tests, 228 One-Day Internationals (ODI) and 78 T20 Internationals. “I have decided to retire from all international cricket with immediate effect,” he said on Wednesday. “After 114 Test matches, 228 ODI’s and 78 T20 Internationals, it is time for others to take over. I have had my turn, and to be honest, I am tired. “This is a tough decision, I have thought long and hard about it and I’d like to retire while still playing decent cricket. After the fantastic series wins against India and Australia, now feels like the right time to step aside. “It would not be right for me to pick and choose where, when and in what format I play for the Proteas. For me, in the green and gold, it must be everything or nothing. I will always be grateful to the coaches and staff of Cricket South Africa for their support through all these years. The most important thank you goes out to all of my team mates throughout my career, I wouldn’t be half the player that I am without the support throughout the years. “It’s not about earning more somewhere else, it’s about running out of gas and feeling that it is the right time to move on. Everything comes to an end. To the cricket fans around South Africa and the World, thank you for your kindness and generosity, and today, for your understanding. “I have no plans to play overseas, in fact, I hope I can continue to be available for the Titans in domestic cricket. I will continue to be the biggest supporter of Faf du Plessis and the Proteas.” I’ve made a big decision today pic.twitter.com/In0jyquPOK — AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) May 23, 2018 × De Villiers, recently, was part of the Bangalore team in the ongoing 2018 Indian Premier League. In 12 games, he scored 480 runs which include six half-centuries. Bangalore failed to make it to the play-offs and is out from the tournament. ×

AB de Villiers retires from all forms of cricket with immediate effect, says 'I am tired'

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