11:15 pm: That’s it from us tonight. Stay tuned for report, analysis and more.

Player of the match, Faf du Plessis:

“It’s nice to contribute. Last night when I was preparing, mentally I was thinking about playing in Mumbai. I have done well at Wankhede and that helped. I just went into the changing room and asked the guys ‘how did we manage to win that!?’ Out there it felt like the game had slipped away. The guys at the end coming in and hitting the boundaries helped.”

MS Dhoni, the winning captain:

“I’m always happy when we win a game. I think Sunrisers bowled really well. Bhuvi was backed up by Rashid. It’s good to win a game like this, but the important aspect is to learn from this, and see how we can improve. This is the best bowling combination we have got. We will get hit some times, but we have to try and balance it out. The best bowlers were playing. [On Faf] That’s where experience counts. HE didn’t get a lot of games during IPL, but I always feel it’s about training your mind more than a body. To be mentally ready to step out and do the job and called upon and that’s where his experience came in handy. And he has been brilliant.”

Shardul Thakur: “I kept on telling my coaching staff that I can bat, and knew I could win the match fior the team if I got the chance.”

Kane Williamson: “It was a great game of cricket. It wasn’t a 140 wicket, we were 20 short. Most times we’d back ourself to defend that. It’s important that we learn from this and move on. Faf played a beautiful game. We are getting closer [to defeat CSK]”

WHAT A ROLLER-COASTER OF A MATCH: Take a bow, Faf du Plessis. Incredible. Finishes on 67 off 42 balls, one of the best innings in a run-chase in IPL.

19.1: Bhuvi to bowl, six runs to defend... and FAF DU PLESSIS HITS A SIX OFF THE FIRST BALL! What a match! CSK ARE THROUGH TO THE FINAL.

After 19 overs, CSK 134/8 - 6 needed off the last over

A wide by Sid Kaul, followed by a singles and doubles – Faf is trusting Thakur here. Gives him the strike for the last ball. Can Thakur find a boundary ? YES HE CAN! Straight down the ground and the equation is down to six off six balls. MAGNIFICENT FIGHTBACK BY CHENNAI!

Are CSK pulling off another heist? Equation down to 15 off 10 balls

18.1: FOUR! Sid Kaul goes for the wide yorker, and Thakur digs it through to third man.
18.2: FOUR! An inside edge to fine leg for four!

Big call: Sid Kaul and not Bhuvi, to bowl the 19th. Sunrisers have done this before. Will it work for them again?

After 18 overs, CSK 117/8 - WHAT AN EVENTFUL OVER, 20 runs and a wicket!

17.2: FOUR! A lofted cover drive for four by Faf.
17.3: SIX! Full ball, hit way into the stands by Faf, gets to his 50 off 37 balls! Wow. There’s still life.
17.4: FOUR! Heaves one, gets an inside edge to fine leg for four.
17.5: OUT! Rashid Khan, doing the star turn on the field. Great pick-up, and throw and Bhajji is well short.
17.6: FOUR! Faf, you magnificent fighter, you. Sees there is a boundary there for the taking, creams one through point.

After 17 overs CSK 97/7 - Great over, Sid Kaul

Just four from that over, Faf is exasperated at being unable to find the boundary. And boy, how has an opener faced only 35 balls till the 18th over?

Need 43 off 18 balls, do CSK. But before that, they need Bhajji (1 off 8 balls) off strike.

After 16 overs, CSK 93/7 - TAKE A BOW RASHID KHAN!

Rashid Khan just finished bowling another great T20 spell. It’s astonishing how he can do this so often. Four overs, 2/11, and the wicket of Dhoni. An opposition is happy to concede a one-run over when the required run rate is 10+. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the respect Rashid Khan has earned.

15.1: OUT!! OR is it? Rashisd Khan’s last over... massive moment in this game. And he gets a LBW decision in his favour against Faf! Reviewed immediately and the googly is spinning too much. MISSING LEG! Faf surives!

After 15 overs, CSK 92/7 - it’s all happening out there!

Back from the timeout, Chahar hits the first ball from Sandeep Sharma over square leg for six, Faf then creams one through cover for four. And off the last ball, Chahar hits one to long on and Brathwaite takes a tumbling low catch! Soft signal is out and saves the West Indian. Not enough evidence to say not out. Chahar gone. But CSK get 12 from that over.

After 14 overs, CSK 80/6 - 60 needed from 6 overs

And there’s the reminder again. Faf du Plessis saying ‘I am the South African captain and I am still around!’ He takes on the Bangladeshi skipper Shakib and finishes the 14th over with a four through midwicket and six over long on.

Chahar and Faf have to go at 10 RPO from here... can CSK pull this off?

After 13 overs, CSK 66/6 - JADDU GONE!

The knuckle-ball strikes. Sandeep Sharma went for plenty in his first over, but comes back and removes Jadeja with a knuckle-ball, that Jadeja lobs back to the bowler.

CSK have imploded at the Wankhede.

After 12 overs, CSK 61/5 - BRAVO GONE!

Too easy to say ‘Bravo, Rashid!” eh? But it is true. After a series of googlies, and skidders, Rashid bowls a proper leggie, well outside off and Bravo cuts it to Dhawan at slip. BRILLIANT BOWLING.

After 11 overs, CSK 56/4 - target 140

Shakib comes on to bowl. Just six from that over but sensible batting by Faf and Bravo. They need to keep going without losing a wicket now.

After 10 overs, CSK 50/4 - target 140

Superb over from Rashid, doesn’t look like Faf or Bravo are picking the googlies. But they survive. Just 2 singles in that over. Half-way stage, and CSK are about 20 short than where they would have wanted to be.

After 9 overs, CSK 48/4 - TIME OUT!

AND BREATHE! Phew. What a manic phase of play we have had. Eight runs from the over and a reminder from Faf that the South African captain is still around so the result is not a given - pulls Brathwaite over fine leg for a six.

After 8 overs, CSK 40/4 - DHONI GONE!

IS THAT THE GAME? Wow. Rashid Khan, who has been taken for plenty of runs in the two games against CSK, gets the big fish in his first over with a beaut of a googly. Great flight, great line. Dhoni leans in to play an off drive but it goes through the gate. Clean bowled!

After 7 overs, CSK 37/3

Time for Brathwaite, the man who’s cameo now looks like potentially a match-winning one. Just the three runs and a wide from that over. But CSK won’t panic as long as Dhoni and Du Plessis are in the middle. But the aim clearly now is to take this chase deep.

After 6 overs, CSK 33/3

Dhoni gets off the mark and it’s “the most improved shot” in his arsenal, reckons Clarke on air - a pull through square leg for four off Sid Kaul. 8 from that over as Dhoni and Faf consolidate.

After 5 overs, CSK 25/3

Well-left after well-left. Dhoni decides he doesn’t want to do anything with Bhuvi in that over, despite his record against him in the IPL. Brilliant tactical battle this now. MSD’s only focus there was to see Bhuvi out.

After 4 overs, CSK 24/3 - WHAT AN OVER BY KAUL!

It started with a bad full toss that was smashed for four, but finishes with sensational bowling by Kaul. GAME ON! And it’s Dhoni time as well.

CSK: 24/3 in 3.4 overs: DOUBLE WICKET! Terrific yorker from Kaul to get rid of Rayudu, the man who tormented SRH in their last two meetings againt CSK. He’s gone for a golden duck! WHAT A START!

CSK: 24/2 in 3.3 overs: KAUL STRIKES! Suresh Raina gets across his stumps, perhaps expecting a short ball from Sid Kaul, and pays the price. It’s full on the leg stumps and TIMBER!

After 3 overs, CSK 20/1

Faf finally faces his first ball in that over. Another decent over from Bhuvi, six from it, no boundaries. SRH need another wicket or two in the powerplay though. Who will step up?

Kaul from the other end...

After 2 overs, CSK 14/1

Wow, a world of difference to Bhuvi and Sandeep’s first overs. Three boundaries to Raina through the off-side field to begin that over. CSK’s Mr. Consistent is at it again.

After 1 over, CSK 1/1 - Watson gone for a duck!

Another opener dismissed in the opening over of the innings for a duck today, Watson just managed to face four more balls than Dhawan. What an over from Bhuvi to get things going. He gets the outside edge of Watson with the test-match length, the ball just shaping away - Watto had to play at it,

08:55 pm: Alright then, looks like Rayudu will have to be content with a middle order slot today. Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson out to open, like they did in Hyderabad earlier this year.

Innings break: Hopeful, SRH fans?

Innings break: Not Shardul Thakur’s night at his home ground

END OF SUNRISERS INNINGS, 139/7 - WHAT A FINISH BY BRATHWAITE!

43 off 29 balls for the man who’s name we will all remember from the World T20 2016 final. Thakur starts the final over well with a wide yorker but its mostly downhill from there. Two sixes and a four from that over!

Sunrisers have defended 118 this season at the same venue against MI and Brathwaite helps them get past that and then some! A bit of momentum heading into the dressing room.

After 19 overs, SRH 119/6

Ngidi continues to impress. A good old-fashioned fast bowler, without too many variations. He’s a treat to watch. Just 4 singles off that 19th over.

After 18 overs, SRH 115/6 - Big over for Sunrisers!

17.1: SIX! Brathwaite is fed on his pads by a full ball from Shardul, swings freely for the first six of the night.
17.2: SIX! Predicts that this is going to be short of length, heaved over long on for another six.

Just what the Sunrisers would have been hoping for. 17 runs from that over.

After 17 overs, SRH 98/6

So Bravo won’t be bowling the 20th over tonight after all, given he was taken apart in that game against Delhi Daredevils for 26 runs. End of a wonderful spell, the highlight being that stunning catch. 6 from his last over, made worse by two wides.

Bravo’s spell: 4-0-25-2

After 16 overs, SRH 92/6

Just 4 runs from Ngidi’s over. Brathwaite and Bhuvi stroking the ball into the gaps and nothing more.

After 15 overs, SRH 88/6

Update that catch compilation, Star Sports because DJ Bravo has just pulled off a stunner! Pathan mishits a straight drive, but still has enough power on it, it goes low to Bravo’s right - which is against his follow through - and he pulls off a sensational return catch! And does the Champyaan dance. BRAVO!

After 14 overs, SRH 80/5

Wow, another super-quick over from Jadeja, aided by the dot balls. He was ready to bowl there once even before the umpire was ready. A fantastic spell ends with a boundary as Pathan cuts one past point.

Jadeja’s figures: 4-0-13-1

After 13 overs, SRH 75/5

Lo and behold, the ball travels to the boundary! First hit to the fence in 6 overs for Sunrisers as Pathan flicks one over midwicket off Thakur’s last ball in the over. Just six from that over still.

After 12 overs, 69/5 - Pandey gone

The middle overs is usually where Dhoni excels in choking the opposition and SRH have already lost half their side in 12 overs. Soft dismissal, as Pandey lobs one back to Jadeja and his wretched run in the IPL continues.

After 11 overs, SRH 67/4

One of those rare instances where Chahar bowls an over after 10 overs are complete. And what an over. Shows he’s got the variations too - not just the away swingers. Good yorkers and slower balls. Just 3 from it and two of those wides.

Deepak Chahar tonight: 4-0-31-1

After 10 overs, SRH 64/4

Another Jadeja over that’s done with in a jiffy, just three from it.

CSK’s plan today:

After 9 overs, SRH 61/4

A 7-run over seems like a god-sent gift for SRH right now, it’s been tough going. Seems like Bravo has been instructed to bang the ball in short, and Pathan helps himself to a couple of doubles. Sensible batting.

After 8 overs, SRH 54/4

Jadeja comes on to bowl... the over is done. In the time it took to type that, pretty much. Just 3 runs from that. Boy, do SRH need a partnership now.

After 7 overs, SRH 51/4 - SHAKIB GONE!

Oh dear, oh dear. This is not the Sunrisers side we expected to turn up tonight. Bravo comes in to the attack and Shakib falls in a similar fashion to Williamson’s dismissal. Gloves a short ball going down legside and Dhoni takes a tumbling catch.

End of powerplay - SRH 47/3

Interesting incident in that over. Chahar tries the knuckle ball, it slips from his hand and loops over Shakib’s heads. But umpire rules that as a dead ball and not a no-ball. Shakib not happy with that.

Sunrisers are three down after the Powerplay overs. Pandey and Shakib have a huge task on their hands now.

After 5 overs, SRH 41/3 - WILLIAMSON GONE!

WOW - DREAM START FOR CSK! Was that a plan or just plain luck? Shardul Thakur bangs one in short, looked like an effort ball but it was down the leg side, but perhaps not as wide as Williamson thought - he gets cramped a bit and gloves it to Dhoni. Thakur goes crazy! And why not. The big fish is back in the dugout.

After 4 overs, SRH 34/2 - Goswami gone

Goswami was trying a bit too hard to muscle the ball in that Ngidi over, gets one boundary to show for it but Ngidi strikes back! Once again banged in hard, the ball rushes on Goswami, and he can only hit it back to Ngidi who takes a nice low return catch!

After 3 overs, SRH 28/1

And Williamson continues to play jaw-dropping shots - not in a ABD-Buttler sort of way, but just for the sheer class and elegance, textbook technique. A cut past point for four.

A missed chance for CSK though as Dhoni had a chance to get Goswami runout, but tries to get cheeky while gathering the throw from deep, tries a slam-dunk on the stumps but misses it by a distance. Had more time than he thought he did.

After 2 overs, SRH 18/1

Ngidi comes on to bowl and almost has a wicket off the last ball of his first over. A good length ball angling away from Goswami, who leaves his bat hanging - the outside edge flies past Watson at wide first slip though. Spoils a good over just a tad bit, that being a boundary.

After 1 over, SRH 12/1 - What an eventful start to the playoffs!

A wicket off the first ball, a hat-trick of fours off the last three - what a start! Kane the man, out in the middle under immense pressure one would think, gets going with three textbook shots for three boundaries - an elegant cover drive, a flick in front of square leg and a glance to fine leg. Stunning start by Williamson!

0.1 - 0/1! CHAHAR TO DHAWAN AND GONE! What a start. The shape that Chahar has got all through the IPL is there again, comes back into Dhawan and he chops it on to the stumps - Wankhede erupts!

06:58 pm: Alright then, Deepak Chahar with the ball in hand... Shikhar and Goswami out in the middle. Swing early?

06:50 pm: SRH’s top three (primarily Shikhar Dhawan and Williamson) have accounted for more than 60% of their total runs scored. The key for CSK, then, is early wickets.

06:45 pm: Playing XIs...

Sunrisers XI: Shikhar Dhawan, Sreevaths Goswami, Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Yusuf Pathan, Carlos Brathwaite, Shakib Al Hasan, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddharth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma

Super Kings XI: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Faf du Plessis, DJ Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi

06:40 pm: Williamson has contributed to 29.6% of Sunrisers’ runs this season and should eventually take over the orange cap from Rishabh Pant. He has played the sheet anchor when needed, and more impressively, has shown another side to his game, by starting his innings in fourth gear - as he did in the near-record run-chase against RCB followed by a breezy innings in the final group against KKR. And, if his side are reverse the trend of losing against CSK, Williamson will need to play a big role once again.

And he will up against the in-form seamers of CSK in Deepak Chahar and Lungi Ngidi.

06:35 pm: Williamson says his side his unchanged from the previous game, meaning no Alex Hales and Carlos Brathwaite retains his spot. Interesting call that. Chennai make one expected change with Shane Watson coming back in for Sam Billings with Faf du Plessis presumably moving to the middle order.

TOSS-TIME!

06:30 pm: MS Dhoni has won the toss and CSK will be bowling first. A 7 pm start means dew could come into play later on, say both captains.

06:24 pm: In the seven matches at the venue this year so far, 160-plus has been crossed six times by teams batting first, and 180-plus has achieved on four occasions. But if you are a Hyderabad fan, you could take heart from the fact that SRH defended 118 at this very venue.

And going by what we saw in the women’s T20 challenge that happened earlier, this could a slow wicket that might not see a very high-scoring game, which would also be in SRH’s favour.

06:20 pm: As we wait for the toss, here’s some reading for you on the remarkable transformation of KL Rahul.

When he got the Man of the Match award for scoring the Indian Premier League’s fastest fifty against Delhi Daredevils last month, KL Rahul said something that at the time seemed to be in half-jest. But after looking at his IPL numbers today, you realise he was making a statement.

These were his words: “I have been branded as a Test cricketer for 4-5 years, so it’s good for me to be up there creating history and breaking the record.”

These are his numbers in the tournament: 14 matches. 659 runs. Average 54.91. Strike rate 158.41. Six fifties. 66 fours. 32 sixes.

This has been, by far, Rahul’s best IPL season. This also ranks among the best IPL seasons any batsman has ever had.

06:15 pm: Chennai Super Kings have made the last-four stage in each of the 9 seasons they’ve competed in. Sunrisers Hyderabad have made the Playoffs in 4 of the 6 seasons they’ve competed in.

06:10 pm: Well, an intriguing battle is on the cards for sure at the Wankhede tonight.

A slight difference in the net run-rate difference separated the two teams that finished the league stage on 18 points.

The riveting contest at the Wankhede Stadium will spell out who goes straight to the May 27 final, also scheduled at this venue. The winner will be guaranteed a spot in the summit clash and the loser will have to play Qualifier 2 in Kolkata on May 25.

CSK have beaten SRH twice this season already, can they make it three in a row?

06:05 pm: Wishes from the erstwhile SRH captain to start things off tonight. How well has Williamson stepped up to the challenge, eh?

6:00 pm Alright then, we have reached the business end of the tournament. As usual, some great matches and greater cricketing moments. For Super Kings and Sunrisers it won’t be the end of the road if they lose tonight. But with a victory, they can avoid the hassle of playing an extra match – a knock out – to reach the final. CSK’s captain knows a thing or two about approaching a play-off game as he’s led his team in yellow to this stage whenever they have participated in the IPL. But Williamson’s Sunrisers are wounded and are on a three-match losing streak. Tonight’s the best time to halt that. He’s been one of the best captains this season. All in all, tonight promises to be a riveting encounter.