Mumbai Indians claimed back-to-back Indian Premier League wins with a stunning final-ball success against top-of-the-table Gujarat Titans, with Daniel Sams giving up just three runs in a thrilling final over.

Ishan Kishan (45) and Rohit Sharma (43) made it a good start for Mumbai with the bat, but the IPL's bottom side suffered a succession of losses midway through their innings as they reached 177-6.

The Titans appeared to be well on their way to chasing down that target, as Wriddhiman Saha (55) and Shubman Gill (52) fired them to 106 before their first loss.

However, the Titans suffered their own middle-order collapse, with Sams eventually producing a terrific final over to deny them the nine runs they needed for victory.

Having been put in to bat, Mumbai began strongly, with their classy top-order pair holding out until the eighth over before Rohit was dismissed by Rashid Khan following a review.

While Ishan went in the 12th over, Suryakumar Yadav (13), Tilak Varma (21), and Kieron Pollard (four) struggled to make inroads as Khan recorded another wicket and two catches, before Tim David hit 44 off 21 balls to set a respectable target for the Indians, who claimed their first victory of the season last time out after losing their first eight contests.

Having watched the Mumbai top-order produce a strong display, Saha and Gill went even better until the 13th over when both fell to Murugan Ashwin, before Sai Sudharsan and Hardik went for 14 and 24 respectively as Mumbai set up a tense finale.

Having failed to take a wicket in his two previous overs, Sams took the ball for the decisive final moments, denying David Miller (19 not out) a crucial boundary with the final two balls as the Indians belied their dreadful season to limit the Titans to 172, claiming a dramatic win.

Ashwin eliminates dangermen to kick-start comeback

Ashwin's two wickets were crucial in instigating Mumbai's fightback, taking down Saha and Gill when the table-topping Titans looked certain to cruise to victory, recording his seventh and eighth wickets of the campaign.

Indians share the scoring with the bat

Neither Ishan nor Rohit have reached top form this term, averaging just 30.00 and 19.80 respectively, but their combined 88 established a foundation for Mumbai's victory, while David's quickfire 44, his highest score of the campaign, provided just enough impetus to get Mumbai over the line.

David Warner was in inspirational form as he spearheaded the Delhi Capitals to a 21-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad to boost their playoff hopes in the Indian Premier League.

Warner issued a rallying cry to the Capitals' top order on Wednesday with the franchise in danger of missing out on a spot in the next round.

And it was as if he felt the need to lead by example as he produced a stellar showing, hitting 92 not out to break the record for most T20 half-centuries in history as the Capitals set a significant target of 207-3.

It was just as well Warner was so sharp as the Capitals endured a difficult start when fellow opener Mandeep Singh was removed for a duck by Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1-25) on the fifth ball – Mitchell Marsh (10) did not last much longer.

Captain Rishabh Pant proved a reasonable partner to Warner with 26 off 16 balls before falling to Shreyas Gopal (1-34), but that would prove to be the final Capitals wicket to tumble.

Rovman Powell (67 not out) and Warner put on a stand of 122 as the Capitals surpassed 200, with Umran Malik (0-52) and Kartik Tyagi (0-37) in particular toiled with the ball.

Sunrisers' chase did not start especially well as Abhishek Sharma and Kane Williamson put on just 11 between them – Rahul Tripathi at least managed double that figure, but they needed more.

Aiden Markram (42) and Nicholas Pooran (62) at least offered some resistance with their 60-run stand, but hope dissolved after the former skied a delivery from the excellent Khaleel Ahmed (3-30) into the hands of Kuldeep Yadav.

Although Pooran managed to reach his half-century, no one else added more than 10 as Sunrisers fell well short at 186-8.

Warner makes history

This was Warner's fourth half-century of the season and comfortably his biggest total (by 26 runs), but the focus was on his new record as he surpassed Chris Gayle (88) for the most 50s in T20 cricket.

After managing a disappointing three last time out, Warner's display here was a timely response against his former team. His haul came from just 58 balls and included 15 boundaries, three of which were maximums. Warner certainly did not do it all himself, as Powell's contribution was significant, but it was some showing.

All pace no precision?

Malik recorded the second-fastest ball in IPL history in the 20th over of the Capitals' innings, the delivery clocking 157 kilometres per hour. But, in general, he did not enjoy a great day.

The Capitals totalled 52 runs against him, more than any other bowler, and he did not claim a single wicket.

Royal Challengers Bangalore claimed a 13-run win over Chennai Super Kings to boost their playoff hopes and leave those of the defending Indian Premier League champions hanging by a thread.

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.

Kagiso Rabada and Shikhar Dhawan inspired Punjab Kings to an eight-wicket victory over Indian Premier League leaders Gujarat Titans on Tuesday.

The Titans had won five matches in a row – no side has managed a longer run this season – but could only crawl to 143-8 from their 20 overs after electing to bat first.

Rabada returned to his best form as he took the wickets of Wriddhiman Saha (21), Rahul Tewatia (11), Rashid Khan (0) and Lockie Ferguson (5) to finish with figures of 4-33.

Only two Titans players scored more than 11 runs, with Sai Sudharsan at least giving his side hope with an unbeaten 65.

The Kings' reply got off to a shaky start when losing opener Jonny Bairstow (1) early on, but Dhawan and Bhanuka Rajapaksa mounted an 87-run stand for the second wicket.

Dhawan powered to a half-century and finished with an unbeaten 62 off 53 balls, which included eight fours, while Rajapaksa went for 40 from the bowling of Ferguson.

It was left to Liam Livingstone to get the Kings over the line and ensure that his side remain in contention for the playoffs with an impressive 30 off just 10 deliveries.

Shikhar shines again

Dhawan has now topped the scorecard 51 times for Punjab, putting him level with Rohit Sharma and behind only David Warner (57) in IPL history.

He now has three half-centuries this season and his 369 runs from 10 innings is the third most of any player, behind only KL Rahul (451) and Jos Buttler (588).

Livingstone lives up to his billing

After Dhawan and Rajapaksa had laid the foundations, big-hitting Livingstone struck three sixes in quick succession to light up DY Patil Stadium.

That included a monstrous 117-metre drive off Mohammed Shami's delivery, making it the biggest six of this season's IPL thus far.

The Kolkata Knight Riders ended a run of five consecutive losses in the Indian Premier League, with Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh impressing as they chased down the Rajasthan Royals for a seven-wicket win.

The Royals set a below-par target of 152-5 after top-order batsmen Jos Buttler (22) and Devdutt Padikkal (2) struggled to make headway early on, although captain Sanju Samson's half-century dragged them into contention.

Although Kolkata's own top-order fared little better as Baba Indrajith (15) and Aaron Finch (4) succumbed to early dismissals, Rana (48) and Rinku (42) fell narrowly short of half-centuries to end the Knight Riders' dire form.

Despite Samson's haul, the Royals have now fallen to back-to-back IPL defeats, missing the chance to go second in the standings with four matches remaining. 

Having won four of their last five coming into the contest, the Royals were put in to bat after Kolkata skipper Shreyas Iyer won the toss, and made a nightmare start when losing Padikkal for just two runs.

Things went from bad to worse when Buttler, the IPL's leading batsman with 566 runs prior to Monday, was caught by Shivam Mavi for just 22, way down on his season average, in the ninth over.

Samson put in a talismanic captain's performance as his knock of 54 put the Royals in contention, but was caught by Rinku in the 18th over after Karun Nair (13) and Riyan Parag (19) were also sent packing.

The Knight Riders did not have it all their own way immediately when taking up the bat, losing Indrajith and Finch to Prasidh Krishna and Kuldeep Sen before the sixth over was through in a flat start.

However, Iyer's 34 set the tone for a vast improvement in the second half of Kolkata's innings, with Rana and Rinku's outstanding partnership leading them to what proved to be a routine win as the Royals paid the price for their errors with the bat.

Below-par Buttler sets the tone

Buttler has been key to the Royals' hopes after averaging 65.33 this season, hitting a magnificent century in a crushing win over the Delhi Capitals less than two weeks ago.

However, his dismissal at the ends of Tim Southee set the tone for a miserable outing for Buttler's side, with Southee adding the wicket of Parag in the 17th as Kolkata clinched a crucial victory.

Rana and Rinku combine in style

A five-match losing streak had left Kolkata stranded near the bottom of the IPL table, but Rana and Rinku combined for 90 in a brilliantly efficient display to drag the Knight Riders to an important win and lift them to seventh in the standings, within four points of the Royals.

MS Dhoni has claimed the Chennai Super Kings captaincy "burdened" Ravindra Jadeja and "affected his mind" after a period of "spoon-feeding" in a brutal assessment of his team-mate.

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."

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway combined for the highest partnership of the Indian Premier League season as Chennai Super Kings dented Sunrisers Hyderabad's play-off hopes.

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.

Mohsin Khan starred with the ball and KL Rahul made another half-century as Lucknow Super Giants moved up to second in the Indian Premier League with a six-run defeat of Delhi Capitals on Sunday.

Rahul blasted 77 off 51 balls and Deepak Hooda (52 from 34) also made a half-century as the Super Giants posted an imposing 195-3 at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

The Capitals fell short on 189-7 in a run-fest, seamer Mohsin claiming outstanding figures of 4-16 from his four overs as Lucknow extended their winning run to three matches to sit two points behind leaders Gujarat Titans in a dream start for the two new franchises.

Axar Patel smashed a rapid unbeaten 42, while Rishabh Pant (44), Mitchell Marsh (37) and Rovman Powell (35) chipped in but sixth-placed Delhi slumped to a fifth defeat.

Captain Rahul and Hooda put on 95 for the second wicket after Quinton de Kock departed for 23.

Hooda was caught and bowled by Shardul Thakur soon after reaching his half-century, but Rahul continued to motor - hitting five sixes before he was dismissed by the same bowler in the penultimate over.

Thakur (3-40) was Delhi's only wicket-taker and their run chase got off to a nightmare start, with Prithvi Shaw and David Warner failing to made double figures.

Marsh and Pant put on 50 before Krishnappa Gowtham had the Australia all-rounder caught behind and the Capitals were 120-5 with seven over remaining after Mohsin cleaned up the India wicketkeeper-batter.

Lusty blows from Powell and Axar left Delhi needing 21 off the last over from Marcus Stoinis and although he was launched for two sixes, the all-rounder also bowled three dot balls to deny Pant's side.

Rahul leading by example

Captain Rahul has been outstanding for Lucknow, with only Jos Buttler (566) having scored more runs than his total of 451.

The India batter has registered two hundreds and as many half-centuries, averaging 56.38 from his 10 innings.

Mohsin the machine

Left-armer Mohsin claimed the huge scalps of Warner and Pant before returning to send the dangerous Powell packing and remove Thakur.

He bowled 15 dot balls and conceded just the one boundary in a match that was otherwise dominated by the batters.

MS Dhoni has taken over as Chennai Super Kings captain once again after Ravindra Jadeja decided to step down.

Jadeja was named skipper just before the tournament started last month after the long-serving Dhoni opted to relinquish the captaincy.

Defending champions CSK are second-bottom of the table with only two wins from eight games.

Jadeja has taken only five wickets – three of those coming in one match against Royal Challengers Bangalore - and scored just 112 runs at an average of 22.40.

The Super Kings on Saturday announced that the India all-rounder has decided to hand over captaincy duties in order to try and rediscover his form.

A statement released by the franchise said: "Ravindra Jadeja has decided to relinquish captaincy to focus and concentrate more on his game and has requested MS Dhoni to lead CSK.

"MS Dhoni has accepted to lead CSK in the larger interest and to allow Jadeja to focus on his game."

Former India captain Dhoni led CSK from the start of the IPL in 2008 before bringing his reign to an end, guiding the franchise to four titles and losing five finals.

The 40-year-old wicketkeeper-batter lifted the trophy in Dubai last year after his side beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 27 runs in the final.

Gujarat Titans' inaugural Indian Premier League season goes from strength to strength after David Miller and Rahul Tewatia inspired a six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bangalore.

The table-topping Titans have now won eight of their opening nine games, chasing down a target of 171 as half-centuries from Virat Kohli (58) and Rajat Patidar (52) proved to be in vain for RCB.

That pair put on 99 for the second wicket after Faf du Plessis went for a duck in the second over but Glenn Maxwell (33) was the only batter to provide a key contribution after Patidar top-edged to square leg and Kohli was undone by a Mohammed Shami yorker.

Wriddhiman Saha (29) and Shubman Gill (31) laid the platform for a successful chase for Gujarat, which Miller (39 not out) and Tewatia (43 not out) ensured despite Shahbaz Ahmed (2-26) trapping Gill lbw and then removing captain Hardik Pandya (3) to reduce the Titans to 78-3.

Their 50 partnership came in just 29 balls and RCB looked increasingly forlorn as they attempted in vain to break up their stand.

Indeed, it is now three defeats in five for RCB, Miller and Tewatia finishing with an unbeaten stand of 79, the latter lofting a cover drive to the boundary to wrap up the win in style.

Wanindu Hasaranga impressed with 2-28, but it was not enough to halt the Titans.

Kohli finds his form

Averaging 20.66 in the IPL this year, Kohli's half-century was his first of the season. He was not able to record another 100 partnership, having put on 118 alongside Du Plessis against Punjab Kings last month. RCB will be hoping he can produce more performances of this ilk to inspire them to a top-four finish.

Miller and Tewatia magic

The Titans needed 36 off the final 18 balls, with a dramatic finish seemingly in the offing. However, Miller and Tewatia took 17 off the 18th over and 12 from the 19th, with a four apiece off the helpless Josh Hazlewood in the final over finishing the job.

Lucknow Super Giants moved to within two points of the Indian Premier League summit as Quinton de Kock's stand helped see off Punjab Kings by 20 runs.

Opener De Kock scored 46 from 37 balls as the Super Giants reached 153-8 from their 20 overs on Friday.

That was despite the efforts of Kagiso Rabada, who took 4-38, including the early wicket of Super Giants captain KL Rahul.

Yet after Rahul's dismissal, De Kock – with the assistance of Deepak Hooda (34) – guided the Super Giants from 13-1 to 98-2 before falling to Sandeep Sharma (1-18).

Deepak was run out by Jonny Bairstow in the next over to kick-start a middle-order collapse, but Dushmantha Chameera's 17 from 10 balls and an unbeaten 13 from Mohsin Khan added vital runs.

Mohsin went on to impress with the ball for the Super Giants, taking 3-24 from his four overs, which included a maiden.

Mayank Agarwal (25) and Bairstow (32) tried to get Punjab going, but both fell to Chameera (2-17) before Khan sent dangerman Liam Livingstone packing on 18 to all but end the Kings' hopes – Rishi Dhawan's flurry of 21 proving too little, too late.

De Kock back to form

Rabada gave his best but it was fellow South African De Kock who was the difference in this match.

The wicketkeeper-batsman had only scored a combined 13 runs across his previous two appearances but was the anchor of the Super Giants' innings here, with his 46 coming at a strike rate of 124.32 and including six boundaries – two of those were sixes.

Mohsin shows his worth

After adding a useful tally to the Super Giants' score, Mohsin – who had only taken one wicket this season before Friday's match – delivered with the ball, taking the key wicket of Livingstone (who has scored 60+ three times already this season) before dismissing Rabada and Rahul Chahar in the 18th over.

Rovman Powell hit 33 off 16 balls to ensure the Delhi Capitals sealed a four-wicket victory against the Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday.

A knock of 42 from David Warner had helped to set the table for Powell, with the Capitals condemning the Knight Riders to their fifth straight loss in the Indian Premier League.

Kolkata mostly struggled with the bat themselves, with captain Shreyas Iyer the only man to show any resistance in the early stages with 42, while Nitish Rana added a much-needed 57 later on.

Apart from Rinku Singh's 23, no other Knight Rider managed double figures, and they were only able to reach 146-9 from their 20 overs.

Prithvi Shaw was out first ball for Delhi in reply, caught and bowled by Umesh Yadav (3-24), but Warner was able to guide his team through the early overs to build a base for the chase.

The Capitals did enter panic mode slightly as they went from 82-2 to 84-5, with skipper Rishabh Pant out for just two.

However, Powell and Axar Patel (24) calmed things down, with Powell the aggressor with one four and three sixes as he saw his team home with an over the spare.

Batting woes for Knight Riders

If you bat first in T20 cricket, you better set a big total, even if just to put an element of doubt in the chasing team's minds.

It's not that 146 is a poor total, but that almost all the runs came from just three batsmen was the real issue for Kolkata.

Six others came and went without making more than six runs, with Sunil Narine, Andre Russell and Tim Southee all falling for ducks.

Tight bowling the difference

It would be harsh to dismiss those batting failures without crediting the bowling that caused them. Delhi's attack was fierce at the Wankhede Stadium.

Mustafizur Rahman (3-18) and Kuldeep Yadav (4-14) were particularly impressive, with the former bowling 14 dot balls in his four-over spell.

Umran Malik's first IPL five-for was overshadowed by Sunrisers Hyderabad's remarkable collapse to lose to Gujarat Titans from the final ball.

Umran has impressed all with his outstanding pace bowling in 2022 and took another step forward on Wednesday with a dazzling 5-25, including what seemed to be the big wicket of Wriddhiman Saha (68).

But Sunrisers, protecting a target of 196, fell apart after the 22-year-old completed his four overs, undone by their former bowler Rashid Khan.

Rashid had not performed anything like he would have hoped with the ball, with figures of 0-45 as Sunrisers scored well through Abhishek Sharma (65), Aidan Markram (56) and Shashank Singh (25 off six).

Yet he then stepped up in the final over of the match, with Saha long gone and Marco Jansen having just about manoeuvred Rahul Tewatia (40 not out) off the strike.

Rashid hit three sixes off the final four balls to lift the Titans to 199-5, an incredible five-wicket win and first place in the standings.

Tale of two young bowlers

This has been a breakout season for Umran, of which this match should be the undoubted highlight, regardless of the result. With 15 wickets – including all five Sunrisers took here – he is up to second in the standings, behind only Yuzvendra Chahal (18).

However, Jansen, one year his team-mate's junior, was the man tasked with getting Sunrisers over the line and fell desperately short. His economy of 15.75, with figures of 0-63, told the whole story.

Batsmen surprisingly on top

This was expected to be a battle between two elite bowling line-ups – the top two in terms of bowling average coming into this clash – yet Jansen was not the only man to struggle at the death.

Lockie Ferguson matched Jansen in giving up 25 runs off the final over of the first innings, including three sixes in a row from Shashank that put the Titans in the sort of position from which they required a sensational turnaround.

Riyan Parag scored an unbeaten 56 and Kuldeep Sen took 4-20 as Rajasthan Royals defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by 29 runs despite Jos Buttler's struggles. 

Buttler has been in immaculate form in the Indian Premier League, scoring successive centuries in the previous two matches, but he lasted just nine balls in Pune on Tuesday. 

The England international's score of eight included one boundary before he was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood (2-19) in the fifth over. 

Sanju Samson struck an entertaining 27, including three sixes, to get the Royals back on track, though it was Parag who ultimately dragged them through. 

Having anchored the back half of the Royals' innings, Parag let rip in the final over, plundering two sixes and a four to get his side to 144-8. 

Faf du Plessis elected to go with Virat Kohli at the top of the order, but RCB's former captain went for nine in the second over. 

Du Plessis tallied up 23 before he fell to Sen, who had Glenn Maxwell for a golden duck with the next delivery. 

Ravichandran Ashwin (3-17) joined the party, dismissing Rajat Patidar, Suyash Prabhudessai and Shahbaz Ahmed, while Dinesh Karthik was run out. 

Wanindu Hasaranga (18) offered some resistance for RCB, though their hopes of avoiding a second straight defeat ended when Sen wrapped up the tail as Rajasthan went top of the IPL on 12 points. 

Parag takes up the mantle

With Buttler failing to ignite, Parag initially showed great composure before that explosive final over when he reached a 29-ball half-century. Harshal Patel, who took 1-33, was the unlucky bowler, with 18 runs coming from those last six balls. 

More frustration for Kohli

It was another bad day at the office for Kohli, who has failed to reach double figures in five of his nine IPL innings in 2022. Indeed, it was a bad day all round for the Challengers, who could have gone top with a win, with only Du Plessis scoring above 20. 

Shikhar Dhawan led the Punjab Kings to an 11-run Indian Premier League win over Chennai Super Kings with a brilliant half-century.

The Kings posted a imposing 187-4 after Ravindra Jadeja won the toss and put them in on Monday.

Ambati Rayudu made a blistering 78 off 39 balls, but was dismissed in the 17th over as the struggling reigning champions were condemned to their sixth defeat in eight matches, leaving their play-off hopes in tatters.

The Kings were unable to get off to a flyer and lost captain Mayank Agarwal for 18, Shivam Dube taking the catch off the bowling of Maheesh Theekshana.

Dhawan, however, became the third-highest scorer in the 2022 IPL with a terrific knock, supported in excellent fashion by Bhanuka Rajapaska (42) until he also fell victim to a catch from Dube for Dwayne Bravo.

Liam Livingstone made a rapid 19 from seven balls as Punjab produced a late flurry of runs.

Robin Uthappa (1), Mitchell Santner (9), and Dube (8) fell cheaply to leave CSK in trouble on 40-3 from seven overs, before Rayudu's talismanic efforts threatened to be the catalyst for a stunning win.

Agarwal caught Ruturaj Gaikwad for 30, before Rayudu was cleaned up by the impressive Kagiso Rabada, who claimed excellent figures of 2-23.

Chennai's hopes of chasing down their target looked slim after Rayudu was sent packing, with Jadeja (21 not out) and MS Dhoni (12) unable to get them home.

Dhawan sets the tone

Dhawan's classy knock went a long way to ending the Kings' two-match losing run and Punjab are in sixth spot with four wins and as many defeats.

The India opener struck two sixes and nine fours, shifting through the gears after a watchful start.

Rayudu goes close for out-of-form Super Kings

Chennai's miserable IPL title defence continued after their top order was decimated early on, but Rayudu was unfortunate to taste defeat after single-handedly dragging his side into contention.