Chennai Super Kings (CSK) reached the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for a record sixth time as they defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by three wickets in the Qualifier 2 of the tournament at the JSCA International Cricket Stadium in Ranchi on Friday.
Put in to bat, two-time runners-up RCB could only manage a modest total of 139/8 with left-handed opener Chris Gayle top-scoring with 41. Sarfaraz Khan also played a handy innings of 31. Left-arm pacer Ashish Nehra was the pick of the bowlers for CSK as he picked up 3/28 from his four overs.
In reply, two-time champions CSK were driven by a patient knock from veteran Michael Hussey, who scored 56 from 46 balls. The left-hander shared a useful 47-run stand with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (26) to help his side reach home with three wickets and a ball to spare.
With this win, CSK set up Sunday's title clash with Mumbai Indians (MI), who won the Qualifier 1 against the same opponents on Tuesday.
IPL MATCH CENTRE
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Playing XIs
Chennai Super Kings (CSK): Dwayne Smith, Michael Hussey, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain and wicketkeeper), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Pawan Negi, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohit Sharma, Ashish Nehra.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB): Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli (captain), AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper), Sarfaraz Khan, David Wiese, Mitchell Starc, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sreenath Aravind.
