Chennai Super Kings

Playing their first game since Ravindra Jadeja stepped down as skipper and returned the captaincy to MS Dhoni, the Super Kings delivered a performance that belied their form this season.

Indeed, this 13-run triumph was only Chennai's third of the season, and it came as a result of glorious batting from their opening pair.

Gaikwad (99) and Conway (85 not out) put on 182 for the first wicket as the Super Kings posted 202-2, that target proving beyond Sunrisers, who missed the chance to move level on 12 points with third-placed Rajasthan Royals.

Each of the Chennai openers either found or cleared the rope 12 times, Gaikwad hitting six fours and as many sixes while Conway struck eight fours and four maximums.

The latter's most fortuitous six came in the 15th over when he went for a pull and top-edged over fine leg to bring up his maiden IPL half-century, Conway then hammered another over mid-off to take Chennai to 150.

Gaikwad missed out on a stunning century when he was undone by a slower length ball from Thangarasu Natarajan. Dhoni fell to the same bowler in the final over for just eight but successive fours from Conway took Chennai to 200.

Sunrisers had already lost two wickets by the end of the powerplay and their chase lost momentum when captain Kane Williamson went for 47. Nicholas Pooran (64 not out) hit three sixes and a four in a final over in which Hyderabad needed 38.

Mukesh Choudhary took 4-46 as CSK moved four points clear of bottom side Mumbai Indians.

Openers send records tumbling

The stand between Gaikwad and Conway was also the highest in the IPL against Sunrisers and the biggest opening IPL stand at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.

Gaikwad misses out

Two players, Jos Buttler (3) and KL Rahul (2) have combined for the IPL's five centuries this season. Gaikwad missed out on joining that select club but can take solace in victory and a remarkable partnership.

Long-serving CSK skipper Dhoni stepped aside on the eve of the 2022 IPL season for Jadeja to take charge.

But after a miserable start to the tournament, losing six of their first eight matches, CSK reinstated Dhoni this weekend.

That move paid off in a 13-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Dhoni has now explained why Jadeja was not cut out for the captaincy – even if he suggested the appointment was not a surprise to the all-rounder.

"I think Jadeja knew last season that he would be captaining this year," Dhoni told Star Sports.

"For the first two games, I simply oversaw his work and let him be later. After that, I insisted that he take his own decisions and bear responsibility for them.

"Once you become captain, it means a lot of demands come in. But it affected his mind as the tasks grew. I think captaincy burdened his prep and performances.

"So it was a gradual transition. Spoon-feeding doesn't really help the captain; on the field you have to take those crucial decisions and you have to take responsibility for those decisions.

"Once you become the captain, we have to take care of many things and that also includes your own game."

With CSK chasing 13 from the last six balls to snatch victory, the skipper hit three successive boundaries to book his side's place in the showpiece for a ninth time.

The three-time IPL winners arrived in Qualifier 1 at the Dubai International Stadium having lost each of their previous four meetings with the Capitals.

Table-toppers during the league stage, Prithvi Shaw (60) and skipper Rishabh Pant (51) led the way as the Capitals set a target of 172-5.

CSK surrendered top spot in the table after losing each of their final three matches of the regular season.

But despite losing Faf du Plessis for just one run, Ruturaj Gaikwad hit an impressive 70 from 50 balls – surpassing 600 for the season – while Robin Uthappa made further strides with a knock of 63.

It came down to the final over, which began with Moeen Ali caught out by Kagiso Rabada as Tom Curran claimed his third wicket from five deliveries.

But with Dhoni on strike, CSK did not look back; the veteran hitting three consecutive fours to send his side through to Friday's final.

The Capitals' hopes of reaching the showpiece are not over just yet as they return in Qualifier 2 on Wednesday to face the winner of Monday's eliminator between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders.

Dhoni delivers

Following Gaikwad's dismissal, Dhoni entered the action in the 19th over with his side requiring 24 from their final 11 balls.

And the 40-year-old shone on the big stage once again. On strike after Moeen was caught out, he delivered a captain's performance with three successive boundaries sealing victory with two balls remaining. 

600 up for Gaikwad

Gaikwad became only the second player to surpass 600 runs in this season’s IPL after KL Rahul of Punjab Kings.

The 24-year-old’s knock of 70 also makes him just the third CSK player to achieve the feat during a single campaign.

Ravindra Jadeja was named Chennai skipper just before this year's tournament after the long-serving Dhoni opted to step down.

However, Dhoni was reinstated to lead the side after the Super Kings won just two of their opening eight games, in an attempt to offer Jadeja the chance to rediscover his form.

Speculation persisted whether Dhoni would retire following Chennai's final game of the season against Rajasthan Royals on Friday, but the India great has quashed those claims.

Asked whether he will play next year, Dhoni told Star Sports: "Definitely. It's a simple reason: it will be unfair to not play in Chennai and say thank you.

"Mumbai is one place, where as a team and as an individual, I have got a lot of love and affection. But it wouldn't be nice to the CSK fans.

"And also, hopefully, next year there will be an opportunity where the teams will be travelling so it will be a like thank you to all the different places where we will be playing games at different venues.

"Whether it will be my last year or not that's a big question, because you know we can't really predict something two years down the line, but definitely I'll be working hard to come back strong next year."

Deepak Hooda whacked an unbeaten 62 off 30 balls as Kings XI posted 153-6 with Lungi Ngidi (3-39) doing the damage for the Super Kings with the ball.

South African Du Plessis laid the platform for CSK's response with a 34-ball 48 before Ruturaj Gaikwad's unbeaten half-century got them home.

The Super Kings were unable to qualify for the play-offs but their victory, with seven balls to spare, deprived Kings XI of a chance to make the top four.

CSK skipper MS Dhoni won the toss and asked Kings XI to bat first at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi and rotated his bowlers with good effect.

KL Rahul (29) and Mayank Agarwal (26) made a slow start and the experienced Chris Gayle (12) was unable to get going, trapped lbw by spinner Imran Tahir (1-24).

Hooda boosted the total with a brutal assault on the Kings XI attack late on as he struck four sixes and three fours and scored his first IPL half-century since 2015 with a strike rate of 206.66

The Super Kings reached 82 without loss from 9.5 overs in their reply before Du Plessis misjudged a slower delivery from Chris Jordan and his attempted ramp shot was comfortably caught by Rahul.

Fellow opener Gaikwad took the initiative from Du Plessis as he hit 62 not out from 49 balls and got CSK over the line with Ambati Rayudu who finished on 30.

DU PLESSIS SHOWS HIS CLASS

This was the type of chase that required a disciplined approach with wickets in hand and Du Plessis produced a typically consistent knock, just missing out on a fifth half-century in the tournament. The CSK opener showed all his composure and experience as he rotated the strike cleverly, but with a dash of inventiveness as he scooped Jimmy Neesham for six.

GAYLE'S IPL SWANSONG?

At the age of 41, Gayle's knees are starting to creak and the left-hander was unable to muster a boundary in a scratchy 12 off 19 balls for the Kings XI here. Handed the ball to bowl an almost ceremonial last over will raise questions of whether he is set to bow out. The elder statesman of T20 cricket is still a draw, but he is not getting any younger and if this ends up being his IPL swansong, it was a meek way to go.

Super Kings moved top of the IPL table with their third consecutive win, while it is now three straight defeats for KKR, all coming while chasing.

Du Plessis scored 95 not out at Wankhede Stadium as Super Kings set KKR a daunting target of 221.

The South African put on 115 for the opening wicket with Ruturaj Gaikwad (64) and added 50 with Moeen Ali (25), remaining at the crease until the innings ended with the score at 220-3.

Chahar (4-29) took four wickets for the second time in three outings, with KKR's top order crumbling as they fell to 31-5 within the first six overs, though CSK's victory was nowhere near as convincing as it should have been from there.

Some trademark huge hitting from Andre Russell – who smashed 54 from 22 balls with six maximums – gave KKR hope. With much-needed support from Dinesh Karthik (40), he embarked on an extraordinary innings until being bowled behind his legs by Sam Curran (1-58).

Russell had reached his fifty in just 21 balls and was visibly frustrated after his dismissal.

Karthik became only the third player ever – after MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma – to reach 200 IPL games and kept going until Lungi Ngidi trapped him lbw, while Pat Cummins continued the fight, scoring 66 not out for his highest career T20 score.

He racked up six maximums and scored 30 from the 16th over off a bewildered Curran, only to see his hopes of engineering a famous win end when numbers 10 and 11 were both run out in the last two overs.

FAF ON FINE FORM

A tremendous innings from Du Plessis saw him score 13 boundaries, including four sixes.

He came close to a hundred and was on strike with 94 to his name with two balls to go only to hit a single, allowing Ravindra Jadeja to smash a six off the only ball he faced and finish the Chennai innings with a flourish.

Du Plessis' 95 was the second-highest score of IPL 2021 and the highest unbeaten innings.

He now holds the highest average (82) of any player – quite the recovery after going out for a duck in the first match against the Delhi Capitals.

UNWELCOME RUN FOR KKR

KKR have gone two years without reaching the play-offs and their start to the season is not helping their hopes of a return to the top four, with this their fourth loss in five meetings with Super Kings.

With three straight defeats, the last time they lost as many consecutive matches in the IPL was back in 2019, when they had a miserable streak of six. They must halt this current run against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday.

Robin Uthappa and Shivam Dube were the stars of the show for Chennai, who had lost their opening four games but reached 216-4 from their 20 overs.

Uthappa hit 88 from just 50 balls, with his explosive knock including nine sixes, one of which brought up a 100-run partnership with Dube, who struck a blistering unbeaten 95 from 46 deliveries.

Dube launched eight sixes and five fours in a masterclass as the RCB attack was slayed.

Wanindu Hasaranga (2-35) ended Uthappa's stand in the 19th over and dismissed Ravindra Jadeja with the next ball, yet Dube added 15 to the total from the final six deliveries.

RCB had come out on top in their previous three games but their chances of extending that run looked slim by the fifth over, when Virat Kohli (1) followed Faf du Plessis (8) back to the dressing room.

Maheesh Theekshana dismissed the former South Africa captain and soon sent Anuj Rawat (12) packing.

Glenn Maxwell's flurry came to an end on 26 and Theekshana rounded off a brilliant spell with the wickets of Suyash Prabhudessai (34) and Shahbaz Ahmed (41) to finish with figures of 4-33, before Jadeja (3-39) took two more to restrict Bangalore to 193-9.

Losing start a good omen for Chennai?

The Super Kings needed that victory and with it coming in such emphatic fashion, they may now look back to the 2010 IPL. That editiona 12 years ago was the only other time they have opened up with four losses, yet they went on to win the competition.

Chennai keep up Bangalore hoodoo

Chennai have now won 11 of their past 13 games against Bangalore in the IPL, including four on the bounce. Against no other team have they won more games in the competition (19).

Bravo took 1-35 from his four overs, his 171^st IPL wicket to move one ahead of Sri Lankan great Lasith Malinga.

His 171 wickets have come in 153 matches.

Bravo has played in the IPL since its inaugural season in 2008 and has represented three franchises-the Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings.

The next highest West Indian on the list is Sunil Narine with 144 wickets in 136 matches.

At the time of publishing, Bravo’s Chennai Super Kings were trying to defend nine runs off the last over.

Bravo was released by Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday, the same day his Trinidadian compatriot announced his retirement from the league and will take up a position as batting coach of the Mumbai Indians with which he won multiple IPL titles.

Bravo expressed mixed emotions in a post on social media.

“To my best friend, my teammate, opponent. 13 years ago I had a small part (to) play in introducing you to arguably one of the most successful IPL teams @mumbaiindians,” said Bravo, who was a teammate of Pollard’s having played for the Mumbai Indians during the first three seasons of the IPL before being picked up by CSK in 2011.

“I saw you grow from a little boy from Maloney and then go to India to dominate the toughest T20 league. You became a household name around the world. I salute you on a fantastic career (and) wish you all the best in the next chapter as it’s a sad day for you and your fans but we also celebrate what you have achieved.”

One of the marquee players for the Mumbai Indians since he signed in 2010, Pollard, in 189 matches for the side,  has scored 3,412 runs at an average of 28.67, with 16 half-centuries while leading them to five IPL titles.

Bravo is expected to be resigned by CSK at a lower price later this year.

A brilliant batting display led by Faf du Plessis's superb 86 saw MS Dhoni's men reach 192-3 in the first innings in Dubai.

KKR, who had won both of their previous IPL finals in 2012 and 2014, made a decent fight of a forlorn-looking chase but finished 27 runs short on 165-9.

Du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad (32), the top-scoring batsman of the IPL season, put up an opening stand of 61 before the latter was caught by Shivam Mari off a delivery from Sunil Narine (2-26).

Du Plessis was unperturbed, blunting the Knight Riders' attack with ruthless efficiency in a stellar knock. Robin Uthappa also scored 31 off just 15 balls before being trapped lbw and Moeen Ali kept up the impeccable standards with 37.

By the time Du Plessis was caught by Mari at long-on off the final ball of the innings, KKR's hopes were already looking slim, although they still mustered a creditable challenge.

Dhoni, in his 300th match as a captain in T20 cricket, dropped what looked a routine catch in the second over and Venkatesh Iyer took full advantage as he raced to a half-century.

It looked as though his stand with Shubman Gill (51) was finally over at 79-0 when Ambati Rayudu got a fine running catch, but Gill was granted a dead-ball reprieve after it struck one of the spider-cam cables on its way down.

Iyer was not so fortunate when he sent another ball from Shardul Thakur (3-38) high into the sky, Ravindra Jadeja grasping it in outstretched fingers as Kolkata's hopes took a major blow.

Du Plessis caught Nitish Rana for a first-ball duck and Narine holed out to Jadeja four deliveries later, as the middle order began to collapse.

Gill (51) was struck flush on the pad as he tried an ambitious scoop shot before Dinesh Karthik, Shakib Al Hasan and Rahul Tripathi were out for 11 runs combined.

Captain Eoin Morgan fell five runs short of reaching 1,000 in the IPL, Deepak Chahar taking a brilliant boundary catch, as the party started among the yellow shirts in the stands long before the fireworks flared after the final ball.

Four-midables

The Super Kings have now beaten the Knight Riders in six of their past seven IPL meetings, including the previous four in a row.

This was their ninth final, at least three more than any other side has reached, but they had only won three of the previous eight and were beaten by Kolkata in the showpiece nine years ago.

Yet their batting display was of a quality worthy of champions, Du Plessis in particular showing power and poise as he hit seven fours and three sixes en route to a third IPL title with the franchise.

Luckless Lockie

Before this match, Kolkata had a bowling dot-ball figure of 40 per cent, the best of any side in the competition. Here, they had little answer to the Super Kings' batting excellence.

Lockie Ferguson endured an especially tough time, posting figures of 0-56 and giving up nine boundaries and two wide balls from just four overs.

Ruturaj Gaikwad made 75 - his highest IPL score - and the in-form Faf du Plessis contributed 56 as Chennai triumphed with seven wickets and nine balls to spare at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Rashid Khan (3-36) was the only successful Hyderabad bowler, though even the leg-spinner was not spared from punishment. With a fifth successive win, the Super Kings move above Royal Challengers Bangalore to top of the table.

Hyderabad, in contrast, prop up the rest in the standings; winning the toss was about the only thing that went right for them.

Captain David Warner laboured to 57 from 55 balls and Manish Pandey finished as his team's leading scorer with 61, helping add 106 in combination with his skipper for the second wicket.

However, after Lungi Ngidi (2-35) removed both well-set batsmen, Kane Williamson finally provided some much-needed impetus in the closing overs.

The New Zealand captain hit 26 from the 10 deliveries he faced, raising the question as to why he did not come in earlier in the innings. Kedar Jadhav (12 not out) also contributed a late cameo, though a final score of 171-3 always appeared below par.

Warner signs not good

Warner now has 193 runs at an average of 32.16 in the tournament this year, while the left-hander reached the notable personal milestone of 10,000 in his first-class career in the shortest format.

Still, his strike-rate of 110.28 runs per 100 deliveries in 2021 is well below his IPL career mark of 140.13. The skipper's frustration was obvious in this innings, as he struggled to pierce the field, albeit he did manage three fours and a pair of sixes.

Openers dominate in chase

Having seen Hyderabad struggle for momentum, Chennai made sure they did not have similar issues in their reply. Gaikwad recorded his fifth IPL half-century thanks to 12 boundaries and Du Plessis played his part in an opening stand worth 129 to take over as the leading run-scorer in the tournament.

While Rashid dismissed the pair – as well as getting Moeen Ali caught for 15 in the deep – Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina, who finished unbeaten on seven and 17 respectively, made sure their team cruised over the line in the penultimate over.

CSK had got back to winning ways on Sunday in their first game since MS Dhoni returned as captain, but this time they fell victim to the bowling efforts of Harshal Patel (3-35).

RCB, who had lost three on the spin, were restricted to 173-8 with the bat, but that tally proved beyond CSK despite Devon Conway's second successive half-century.

It means RCB move back into the top four with 12 points with three games to go. CSK have a game more to play but are six points further back in second bottom.

Moeen Ali was excellent with the ball for the Super Kings and stunted RCB's early progress by ending the 62-run opening stand between Faf du Plessis (38) and Virat Kohli (30).

Du Plessis was caught at deep midwicket by Ravindra Jadeja off Moeen who, after Glenn Maxwell was run out, then bowled Kohli through the gate, leaving the former India captain shaking his head and RCB on 79-3.

But Mahipal Lomror (42) rebuilt RCB's innings through partnerships of 44 with Rajat Patidar (21) and 32 with Dinesh Karthik (26 not out).

CSK's once-promising chase lost impetus that primarily came from Conway's 37-ball stay.

He hit six fours and a pair of maximums before picking out deep backward square leg at the start of the 15th over. The impressive Harshal dismissed Jadeja for just three before claiming the key wicket of Moeen (34), who was undone by the slower ball one delivery after hitting his second six.

Dhoni (2) misjudged a pull shot from Josh Hazlewood as CSK lost their seventh wicket, Dwaine Pretorius (13) left with too much to do as his exit at the hands of Harshal effectively ended the contest.

Moeen continues Kohli hoodoo

Kohli has fallen to Moeen 10 times in international cricket and the spinner again worked his magic against the India great in the IPL with a superb delivery outside off that turned past the inside edge and clattered into the stumps.

Fifth title a long shot for CSK

Last season's crown marked the fourth in IPL history for the Super Kings but their hopes of equalling Mumbai Indians' record of five look to be all but over after they let some promising positions slip against RCB.

The viral photo of a dejected Russell sitting on the steps did the rounds on social media, and the player has taken the time out to explain the emotions associated with the moment.

“Well, I was very emotional and I didn’t know how to go to the changing room and face all my teammates after leaving a ball and getting out bowled like that,” Russell told KKR.in.

“You know, the job is not complete, and I wanted to take the team over the line. So, I think the emotions got the best of me but staying strong,” he added.

KKR found themselves chasing a sizeable 221 for victory and in real trouble at 31 for 5. Russell and Dinesh Karthik had, however, started to lead the fightback. Russell hit 6 sixes and smashed a 21-ball fifty to give KKR hope and seemed set on delivering on one of his famous comeback specials.  He was, however, dismissed against the run of play, for 54, in the 12th over when he left a Curran delivery, which crashed into his leg stump.

The towering speedster earned widespread plaudits after putting together an extraordinarily economical 3 for 28, in a high-scoring encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders on Wednesday.

With some 422 runs scored in the match, Ngidi, who was tasked with death bowling duties after replacing Bravo in the line-up, had a solid economy rate of 7.00.  The South African’s skills and variations were on full display after he trapped an attacking Dinesh Karthik with a slower ball dismissal, a delivery that would surely have pleased his West Indian tutor.

“There was a lot of pressure, Bravo has been doing very well for CSK. So, I had to come in and fill his shoes,” Ngidi told the IPL’s official website.

“I have worked very closely with Bravo on the slower bowls at the death. One of the slower bowls he has been teaching me for a long time came off and got us a wicket.”

In the end, CSK won by 18 runs, in no small part thanks to Faf Du Plessis’ brutal, unbeaten 95 from 60 deliveries.  The 37-year-old Bravo was rested for the encounter, due to workload concerns.

CSK needed 17 off the last over from Jaydev Unadkat in the battle of the bottom two to win only their second match and Dhoni delivered, hitting the four he needed off the last ball to leave the Indians shellshocked.

Mukesh Choudhary (3-19) dismissed Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan for first-over ducks after Mumbai were put in by Ravindra Jadeja at a raucous DY Patil Stadium on Thursday, but they recovered to 155-7.

Teenager Tilak Varma top scored with 51 not out off 43 balls, while Suryakumar Yadav (32) and debutant Hrithik Shokeen (25) also chipped in.

CSK dropped four catches, including Varma being given a life by Dwayne Bravo when he had scored only two, in a sloppy display in the field following such a great start.

All-rounder Bravo took 2-36 before Unadkat added a brisk unbeaten 19 and Daniel Sams dismissed Ruturaj Gaikwad with the first ball of the run chase.

Sams (4-30) also saw the back of Mitchell Santner, Shivam Dube and Ambati Rayudu, with Mumbai favourites when Chennai were 106-6 in the 16th over following Jadeja's departure for only three.

Dwaine Pretorius made 22 and the ice-cool Dhoni stepped up when CSK needed him, making 28 not out off 13 balls to leave the Indians rooted to the bottom of the table after losing all seven games.

. 

Choudhary gives CSK dream start

Left-arm seamer Choudhary rocked Mumbai by removing both openers in the first over, with Rohit taken by Santner at mid-on off the second ball and Kishan losing his off stump.

Dewald Brevis became Choudhary's third victim off the final ball of the third over, reducing the Indians to 32-3.

CSK's fielding did not match the standard of their early bowling, captain Jadeja guilty of two of their dropped catches as they let Mumbai off the hook to an extent.

Dhoni still leading by example

He may have handed the captaincy over to Jadeja, but Dhoni showed he will always be a leader as he steered the holders home.

They needed 28 off two overs and 16 from deliveries after Unadkat trapped Pretorius leg before. 

Step forward the 40-year-old Dhoni, who clattered the left-armer for a straight six and struck the next ball for four, then scampered through for two before dispatching the last delivery into the leg side for a match-winning boundary.

Fifth-placed Delhi missed a chance to move two points behind Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals at DY Patil Stadium, where CSK registered only a fourth win of the tournament.

Conway blasted 87 off 49 balls with support from Ruturaj Gaikwad (41) and Shivam Dube (32) as the Super Kings racked up 208-6 after Rishabh Pant won the toss and put them in.

The Capitals were all out for 117 in reply, Moeen Ali claiming brilliant figures of 3-13 from four overs in a one-sided contest on Sunday.

New Zealand opener Conway and Gaikwad got CSK off to an excellent start, taking them to 57 without loss at the end of the powerplay.

Anrich Nortje (3-42) ended an opening stand of 110 when he dismissed Gaikwad with the last ball of the 11th over, but Dube was dropped by Axar Patel on 14 during a partnership of 59 with the prolific Conway.

Khaleel Ahmed, the pick of the bowlers with 2-28, denied Conway a century when he had the left-hander caught behind by Pant before MS Dhoni added a quickfire unbeaten 21.

Delhi – without Prithvi Shaw after he was hospitalised with a virus – lost openers Srikar Bharat and David Warner early in their reply before Mitchell Marsh, who top scored with 25, and Pant (21) got starts but failed to push on.

Moeen saw the back of that dangerous duo in quick succession and the wickets continued to tumble, with Delhi all out in the 18th over.

Conway making hay at the top of the order

Conway only needed 27 balls to reach his latest half-century, hitting five sixes and seven fours in a scintillating knock.

He has scored 231 runs from four innings, averaging a mammoth 77.

Masterful Moeen puts Delhi in a spin

England all-rounder Moeen not only took three wickets, but also bowled 16 dot balls in a fine display of spin bowling.

Moeen conceded just one boundary (a six) as CSK dominated with bat and ball.

Four months after the season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, the tournament restarts at Dubai International Stadium on Sunday. 

Mumbai, eyeing a third successive title, had won back-to-back games to move up to fourth place when the decision was made to halt the IPL and will be out to pick up where they left off against second-placed CSK. 

With India unable to stage the competition, the remainder of the action over the next month will be staged in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. 

Delhi Capitals are the franchise to catch at the top of the table, although the Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore are only two points behind them with a game in hand. 

Stats Perform take a look at the state of play ahead of the resumption. 

What is the schedule and where will the games take place?

There will be 31 matches contested in the space of 27 days and fans will be allowed in to watch, starting with the showdown between two of the top four. 

Dubai will stage 13 games, including the final on October 15, with 10 contests taking place in Sharjah and eight in Abu Dhabi. 

The first qualifier of the post-season will be played in Dubai on October 10, with the eliminator and second qualifier taking place in Sharjah on October 11 and 13 respectively. 

Pant continues to captain leaders Delhi

Delhi lost to Mumbai in the final last year but responded impressively, winning six of eight matches to top the table this season. 

They return to action against bottom side Sunrisers Hyderabad in Dubai on Wednesday with Rishabh Pant retaining captaincy duties. 

The Capitals revealed Pant will continue to lead the side despite Shreyas Iyer's return from a shoulder injury. 

Pant had extra time to rest his legs after he was among the India Test players who flew to the UAE earlier than expected, with the final match at Old Trafford dramatically called off due to concerns over a COVID-19 outbreak in the tourists' camp. 

Star men absent

While there will be an array of star quality on show, there will also be a number of notable absentees. 

England World Cup winners Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes will not feature, and the same goes for Dawid Malan. 

Australia paceman Pat Cummins will also be absent, while India all-rounder Washington Sundar was ruled out due to injury. 

Ground to make up

Sunrisers will be desperate to salvage some pride, having won only one of seven matches. 

Second-bottom Kolkata Knight Riders, who have signed Tim Southee with Cummins unavailable, also have a lot of work to do. 

Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals are two points behind fourth-placed Mumbai. 

In the 17^th over of CSK’s successful chase of KKR’s 171-6, Russell completed an athletic save on the midwicket boundary and appeared to have injured himself.

"He said he felt something pop in his leg, his hamstring. We've got the best medical staff in the business so they'll tend to him and hopefully, it's nothing too serious, because he's a key part of our team,” said team mentor David Hussey afterwards.

“He's been playing very, very nicely with the bat, the ball, and in the field. So hopefully nothing too serious and he can come back and light the competition up like we know Andre Russell can do."

The severity of the injury is yet to be determined but Cricket West Indies will be hoping for the best as Russell has been named in the West Indies squad for the ICC T20 World Cup set for next month. The West Indies begin the defence of their title on October 23.

Russell has suffered from a raft of injuries over the past few seasons and underwent knee surgery following the West Indies disastrous ICC ODI World Cup in England in June 2019.

Where there is a will, and where hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake, there is usually a way.

And IPL chiefs have taken extreme measures to ensure the 2020 campaign goes ahead, taking the league and its teams to the United Arab Emirates for the next eight weeks.

The tournament that brought new levels of razzmatazz to Twenty20 cricket is set to begin behind closed doors, with Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah staging the games.

Can defending champions Mumbai Indians defy the pattern of their previous odd-year successes and retain the trophy, and if not then who will come through?

Here is a look, using Opta numbers, at what we should be looking forward to during the 13th edition of the game-changing league.

The oddest of years is an even year. Does that spell trouble for Mumbai?

Mumbai Indians have become the IPL's dominant franchise, and it is they and Chennai Super Kings who are most widely fancied to take the silverware this year.

Saturday's opener between those sides is a re-match of last year's astounding final, when Lasith Malinga pinned Shardul Thakur lbw from the final ball to nail a one-run win for Mumbai.

Two statistics leap out ahead of the reunion: Mumbai have beaten Chennai in eight of their last nine IPL clashes, including the last five; however, Mumbai have lost their last seven season openers.

Mumbai's last season-opening win came in 2012 – an eight-wicket success against... Chennai Super Kings.

In the last seven IPL seasons, Mumbai have been champions four times, but each time they have followed a title success with a relatively fallow year, finishing fourth, fifth and fifth again between their 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019 success. If the pattern of triumphing in odd years and missing out in even years holds, we are looking for another team to hoist the trophy in November.

Only one team have successfully defended the IPL title, with Chennai achieving back-to-back triumphs in 2010 and 2011.

Will we have new champions?

Of the five franchises to appear in every IPL edition, three of them are yet to win to the competition: Delhi Capitals, Kings XI Punjab and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

It is worth bearing in mind the IPL has visited the UAE before, when 20 games were moved to avoid a clash in 2014 with India's general election.

And Kings XI Punjab will look on that time fondly, having won all five of their matches in the UAE. Mumbai, in stark contrast, lost each of their five contests during that sojourn.

Delhi, as they prepare to begin their 2020 campaign, are three defeats away from becoming the first team to lose 100 matches in the competition.

Are there records on the line?

Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner and Kings XI Punjab showman Chris Gayle are two of the most exhilarating players in the league. Warner last year matched Gayle's record feat of scoring 600-plus runs in three separate IPL seasons when he scored 692 in just 12 innings, so the race is on to see if either man can go above 600 for a fourth time.

Mumbai's Rohit Sharma is 102 short of becoming the third batsman to reach 5,000 runs in his IPL career, while Warner is 294 away from that landmark. The all-time leading run-scorers in the competition are Virat Kohli (5,412) and Suresh Raina (5,368).

Can you keep a tight line?

In a format known for its ferocious hitting, is it possible to stifle teams late in an innings?

Yorker specialist Jasprit Bumrah found a way for Mumbai in 2019, bowling a competition-high 172 balls at the death (overs 17-20) and recording a highly respectable economy rate of 7.7 in those games.

His figures of 2-14 from four overs in last year's final were testament to his talent for keeping run-hungry batsmen tied down. More of the same could keep Mumbai competitive in 2020.

Off the back of two defeats in their last three outings, the Super Kings needed a victory, and an impressive bowling display allowed them to easily chase down the Royals' total with 10 balls to spare on Sunday.

After the Royals won the toss and opted to bat first, openers Jos Buttler and Yashavi Jaiswal got Rajasthan off to a solid start before the latter was dismissed in the seventh over with 43 runs on the board.

Buttler lost his wicket less than two overs later, and though Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag somewhat steadied the ship, Chennai's bowlers continued to make runs difficult to come by.

Parag top-scored for Rajasthan as he finished unbeaten on 47, but the Royals could only muster 141-5 from their 20-over allocation.

Chennai overcame the loss of opener Rachin Ravindra in the fourth over to set themselves up for victory, despite all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja being dismissed for obstructing the field having added just five runs.

Captain Gaikwad guided his team over the line, finishing with 42 not out from 41 deliveries as Chennai wrapped up the win without needing MS Dhoni, who could have played his last IPL game at Chepauk.

The victory leaves Chennai third with one game remaining against Royal Challengers Bangalore, while Rajasthan miss the chance to go level on points with IPL leaders Kolkata Knight Riders, though their playoff place should still be safe with a four-point gap between them and the fifth-placed Delhi Capitals, who face RCB later on Sunday.

Data debrief: Chennai bowlers shine

The Super Kings had previously come out on the wrong end of the result in their last four meetings with the Royals, but a strong performance from their bowlers allowed them to end that losing streak.

Simarjeet Singh was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with figures of 3-26, while Tushar Deshpande (2-30) also impressed. While Jadeja did not get a wicket, his four overs only amounted to 24 Rajasthan runs.