7.47 pm: Well that was all too easy for CSK. Once Brendon McCullum tonked like only he can, it was curtains for SRH, with MS Dhoni also helping himself to a brilliant half-century. Shikhar Dhawan started off really well and threatened to make a chase of it, but once he fell, Warner just could not cope on his own, with Sunrisers not helping themselves by making strange batting order decisions. The result might not have changed had Williamson come in at No.3, but it definitely would have been a lit closer.
So, a second win in two for CSK, and they look quite unbeatable at home. Plenty of work for SRH to do if they are to threaten in IPL 2015.
That's it from me, it's been fun, especially watching McCullum.
7.46 pm: The man of the match if of course Brendon McCullum. "I thought today's performance from us was really, really good. I thought it was a really thorough batting performance, but our bowlers really went well as well. We've got a really good team spirit amongst the Chennai boys, so it is really nice to make a big contribution. I was a little more circumspect, wickets in New Zealand are so pure you can go from the first ball.
"These wickets are a little different, I didn't give myself time in the first game, so I wanted to take my time."
7.44 pm: "We've been batting really well as a unit," says Dhoni. "The beauty was the way Brendon carried on. This weather he would have found hot, but he carried on, but because he batted 20 overs, we got 20-30 runs extra and that is always important. If you get a century in T20 it is a brilliant one.
"It is always important to win at home. Every team prepares the wicket differently according to what suits them. So, it's a good win for us and it looks like a settled side, and the fielding has gone up further."
7.31 pm: Mohit bowls the last over, with Williamson giving SRH just that bit of respectability with a couple of tonks – what on earth was he doing so low down the order, unbelievable decisions -- which takes SRH past the 160-mark. SRH finish on 164/6 in their 20 overs as CSK win by 45 runs.
7.26 pm: Williamson and Karn Sharma playing out the overs now as Bravo looks to finish his spell. Karn (4, 6b) goes for a big shot off the final ball, though, and he falls, as Raina takes a wonderful diving catch at long-off. SRH 150/6 in 19 overs.
7.22 pm: Dots, Singles, wides, twos, no boundaries from the Nehra over, the painful chase is nearly over, SRH 145/5 in 18 overs.
7.14 pm: The batsmen also seem to have thrown in the towel. The match is over and the players are just going through the motions. Bravo gets a yorker working, though, and he castles Bopara with a perfect delivery. Wicket, Bopara (22, 15b, 2x6) gone, SRH 136/5 in 16.4 overs. The Bravo dance follows as the match nears an end, SRH 138/5 in 17 overs, 72 in 18 balls.
7.10 pm: Williamson comes in at No.6, with the match over. More daft decisions are difficult to find. Ravindra Jadeja gets a bowl for the first time in IPL 2015. Bopara finally gets a shot off the middle of the bat and he pumps Jadeja for a six over long-off, before making it two sixes in two balls with a straighter hit to the sight screen. SRH 132/4 in 16 overs, 78 in 24 balls.
7.06 pm Pandey keeps it short and Warner does get a four with a guide to the vacant third man boundary, but those boundaries just have not flowed off his bat today has it. As I write that, Warner whacks one over cow corner for a big six with Pandey sticking to his short-ball length. Wicket, Warner (53, 42b, 1x4, 3x6) gone! Just not been Warner's or Sunrisers' day. Warner tries to deposit another short ball to the stands, but doesn't get the elevation and Smith takes a really good catch at midwicket on the jump. SRH 115/4 in 15 overs.
7 pm: Another switch hit is foiled by Ashwin, who has been absolutely brilliant here. The reverse-sweeps and switch hits are not working here and Ashwin has just finished with outstanding figures of 4-0-22-1. SRH 102/3 in 14 overs, 108 in 36 balls. Strategic timeout time.
6.56 pm: Bopara is nearly caught at mid-off as he goes for a jab-pull, but Bravo, with an athletic effort just can't get his hands under the ball. Just not happening for the Sunrisers Hyderabad, with boundaries drying up quicker than a puddle in a desert. Insult to injury added to Warner as well as a quick short ball from Pandey hits him on the helmet. SRH 99/3 in 13 overs, 111 runs in 48 balls.
6.52 pm: Ravi Bopara comes in, which makes one wonder what was the point of selecting Williamson at all. Strange decisions have been made this IPL 2015 when it has come to the batting order and that trend continues. SRH 93/3 in 12 overs.
6.49 pm: Warner gets to 2000 IPL runs with a two to the onside, but he still can't get those boundaries as Ashwin keeps it nice and slow. Wicket, Ojha (15, 11b, 1x6) gone! Goes for the big six straight, does not connect at all and Mohit Sharma takes a good catch in the deep. SRH 91/3 in 11.3 overs.
6.46 pm: One of the two batsmen has to go now, with just half the innings remaining. Warner is making good contact, but not quite finding the gaps well enough, and he is nearly run out as well as the two batsmen get into a major muddle, with only a poor throw from bowler Bravo saving the Sunrisers skipper. The strategy to Warner from Bravo is to bowl quite wide of the stumps with variations in pace. Decent over from the West Indian, just seven off it, SRH 88/2 in 11 overs, 122 from 54 balls.
6.41 pm: nice and slow and loopy again from Ashwin, with the batsmen struggling to read his subtle changes of pace. Ashwin gets five good balls in, and then drops it short, which Ojha climbs on it to pummel it over midwicket for a big six. SRH 80/2 in 10 overs.
6.35 pm: Bravo is given the ball. Expect plenty of changes of pace from the all-rounder. Warner punches hard to the offside for a two to start with, before a single is taken to the same area. Ojha takes a single to fine-leg to bring Warner back on strike. The Australian slices one to third man for another two, before another single is taken to long-off. Ojha takes a single off the final ball as well, SRH 69/2 in 9 overs. Strategic timeout time.
6.31 pm: Ashwin now, let's see if Warner takes him on. Slow and loopy balls to start, as Ojha and Warner take singles. Warner goes for the big shots, but the slowness of the deliveries makes it difficult with a switch-hit attempt also not producing the big runs. SRH 62/2 in 8 overs.
6.28 pm: Ishwar Pandey starts with a short ball and Warner says "thank mate" and pulls it for a six over midwicket. Still no sign of Kane Williamson as Naman Ojha comes in, a little strange, because Williamson's sense of calm is just what is needed at the moment. Warner gets a leg-bye four to finish the over, SRH 58/2 in 7 overs.
6.21 pm: Warner gets his first six with the pull off Mohit. Jadeja nearly catches it in the boundary, but having come perhaps a little too far in, all he can do is push it along for a maximum. Big appeal in the fifth ball of the over as the ball goes past Rahul's bat. Dhoni is quite confident, but the umpire shakes his head. Wicket, Rahul gone! It's been a struggle ever since he's come to the crease and Rahul puts himself out of his misery with a terrible shot. Goes for a slog across the line, doesn't pick the slower delivery from Mohit, and he is way too early on it, as the ball hits his pads and knocks down the stumps. SRH 46/2 in 6 overs. Powerplay done.
6.17 pm: Rahul is lucky to survive as an outside edge, off a cutter from Nehra, falls short of Ashwin in the slips, also gives him a four as the ball runs down to the boundary. not looking that great is the Karnataka man, but he needs to stay with Warner for a while to make a good fist of the chase. SRH 37/1 in 5 overs, 173 needed in 15 overs.
6.10 pm: For the second time Mohit bowls short to Dhawan to start his over, and the result is the same a pull shot for a boundary. Wicket, Dhawan (26, 18b, 5x4) gone! Mohit gets his India teammate out. Holds the ball back just a little, Dhawan goes for the drive, only gets an outer edge which flies to Jadeja at backward point. KL Rahul gets off the mark with a pull to fine-leg, before Warner finishes the over with a drive to deep point. SRH 32/1 in 4 overs.
6.06 pm: Dhawan taking most of the strike so far, with Warner facing just one ball going into the third over. Gets a couple in the Nehra over, and he takes them for singles, with Dhawan also taking a couple, while also helping himself to another four, with a glide down to the vacant third man boundary. SRH 24/0 in 3 overs.
6.01 pm: Dhawan looking really good. Gets another boundary, with a pull shot as Mohit Sharma drops it short, and then nearly gives a catch to Raina, with the ball dropping just short. A couple of drives follow, but Dhawan cannot find the gap, and it is a good over eventually from Mohit. SRH 15/0 in 2 overs.
5.56 pm: Nehra to bowl to Warner first up. Short ball and Warner helps it to fine-leg for a single. Dhawan's first ball is a beautiful cover drive which runs away for a boundary, not a bad start that from the India opener. More on the stumps from Nehra next and Dhawan defends, but not for long as that flowing blade of his comes into play again, this time a straight drive for four. SRH 10/0 in 1 over.
5.52 pm: And we're back. The second innings is about to start.
5.43 pm: Boy McCullum is fun isn't he? Some of those shots were just ridiculous, especially the dil-scoop six that got him from 89 to 95. A brilliant hundred with MS Dhoni also chipping in in some style to help CSK to the massive total. SRH will need Warner and Dhawan to go slam-bang like Smith and McCullum (100, 56b, 7x4, 9x6) did if they are to stand a chance of even making a game out of this.
5.40 pm: "Obviously very good wicket, and with Baz on form," says Boult. "Let's hope we can chase it down. It is pretty hot out there and there wasn't much swing on offer, but we have the batsmen, so let's hope we can get it."
5.38 pm: Can Baz get his hundred with three balls to go, 11 needed.You bet he can. A ridiculous dil-scoop gets him another six, and he goes for another lap shot again, Boult drops it shorter, but he somehow manages to swat it over the wicketkeeper for a four to move him to 99. Single taken off the last ball and Brendon McCullum gets to his hundred in 56 balls. CSK finish on 209/4 in 20 overs.
5.33 pm: Too many length balls from SRH to Dhoni. Another one, and Dhoni gets to his half-century, in just 28 balls, with a pull to the onside. Wicket, Dhoni (53, 29b, 4x4, 4x6) gone! Tries a thump to the offside this time, but he picks out Warner, who hangs on to a good catch in the ring. Jadeja now, and Jadeja gone, run out! Drops andruns as McCullum looks to get back on strike, Jadeja, though, is stranded and Boult, for the third time in this game, hits the wicket direct. CSK 198/4 in 19.3 overs.
5.31 pm: That last six from MSD was 95 metres, as McCullum begins the Bopara over with a single. Dhoni then thumps a short ball from Bopara for a four, before that change of pace gets a dot ball and nearly a run out as McCullum backs up too far with Bopara unable to find the target. Dhoni continues his assault as he picks the slower ball this time and clubs it to midwicket for a four to move to 48 off 25. Swings and misses next ball, before a single is taken off the final ball, meaning McCullum stays off strike. Dhoni on 49, CSK 194/2 in 19 overs.
5.27 pm: How about that for a shot to start the over. Dhoni charges down the track in a blink and pumps it straight back for a massive, massive six. Misses out second ball as Karn bowls it quick, but gets it right third ball, as he just uses those hands to help the ball to midwicket for another six. Single taken off the fourth ball, leaving McCullum a couple to get near his hundred. A pull shot to square-leg only fetches him a single, though, as Dhoni finishes the over with a humongous, and I mean huge, massive, six straight back past the bowler. CSK 184/2 in 18 overs.
5.23 pm: Dhoni starts the 17th over, from Bhuvneshwar, with a two to the onside, before jumping down the track and powering a six over wide long-on. Far from the middle that, but such is the power of the man that it just crept over the ropes. Bhuvneshwar comes back with a good slower delivery, which deceives Dhoni, who then takes a single next ball to get Baz on strike. Fourteen runs to go for his century, make that 13 with a single. CSK 164/2 in 17 overs.
5.17 pm: Final overs coming. McCullum is on 86 off 50, he has enough time to get to his hundred, so will he? It would be well deserved, because he has been outstanding, not just his throw-your-hands-at-every-single-ball usual self.
5.16 pm: Bopara continues to do a good job as a mishit pull from Dhoni nearly falls to a fielder. McCullum's turn then to nearly hit the fielder, as he backs up and clubs it to the offside, but Williamson cannot get his hands under the ball. Dhoni then gest his first boundary with a nice slice past backward point. CSK 152/2 in 16 overs. Strategic timeout time.
5.12 pm: MSD has not been at his attacking, six-hitting best of late. He's probably brought himself on looking to find that groove, knowing that with McCullum at the other end, he will have the time to settle in. Trent Boult, after his heroics in the field, is back, and bowls four dot balls to Dhoni, before the CSK skipper takes a two down to wide to third man. A single to finish off, CSK 143/2 in 15 overs.
5.07 pm: Bopara is back. Again, uses those dibbly-dobblers to good effect, especially considering the circumstances, and Wicket, Raina (14, 12b, 1x4) gone! Another outstanding direct hit from Boult. Raina hits the ball to the covers, takes off for a single, but is sent back by McCullum. Rahul, on the floor after stopping the ball, gets it out and hits that one wicket he can see brilliantly, with Raina well out of his crease. CSK 140/2 in 14 overs. Dhoni in.
5.03 pm: Karn Sharma now, and he brings a semblance of non-ridiculousness into the proceedings.....for three balls that is. Fourth ball, McCullum dances down the track and creams the ball straight back for an 85-metre six. Karn drops the ball short after the dance down the track, and McCullum pulls it for another six, stunning batting this, just stunning. CSK 133/1 in 13 overs.
4.59 pm: Ishant cannot-bowl-a-no-ball-again Sharma returns. McCullum, bored with whacking the ball straight back, gets the reverse-sweep out to Ishant, nearly gets a four, but Bhuvneshwar stops the ball at short third man. Ishant's decision to bowl around the wicket just isn't working, as McCullum gets a full toss on his pads and thumps it to the midwicket boundary to bring up his half-century in 38 balls.
Ishant wants to dig a hole and never come out right now as he bowls another no-ball, his fourth, with McCullum adding insult to injury with a open-blade carve through the offside for a four. The free hit is dil-scooped spectacularly for a six over the sight screen behind. Ishant will not bowl again this game, for sure, 23 runs off the over, CSK 119/1 in 12 overs.
4.52 pm: Just the one over for Bopara, despite conceding just three runs, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar is brought back. A quick single from Raina to mid-on gets McCullum on strike, but the ridiculous smasher gets a toe-end after dancing down the track and takes a single down to long-off. Bit of room given by Bhuvi, and Raina guides the ball past Williamson at point for his first four of the match. single after that, and CSK 96/1 in 11 overs.
4.47 pm: ParvezRasool's turn to take the pace off with his off-spinners. After a single from Raina, Rasool drops it short and McCullum just clubs it to wide-long on for a four. Can't get it away for the next couple of deliveries, but a full ball and he gets that bat working again, this time for a six to cow corner. CSK 89/1 in 10 overs.
4.44 pm: Bopara's taking the pace off deliveries does the trick for an over at least as McCullum also stays watchful, with Suresh Raina, obviously taking his time, to get in. Just three runs off it, CSK 78/1 in 9 overs.
4.40 pm: Wicket, Smith (27, 26b, 4x4, 1x6) gone! Run out of all things. McCullum dabs the ball down to short third, takes off for the single, Smith, though, cannot reach the striker's end in time as Boult hits the stumps direct. CSK 75/1 in 8.1 overs.
4.38 pm: The CSK openers just continue the belt the living daylights out of the bowlers. Pitched up from Karn Sharma, and Smith gets that gold swing out and plants the ball into the stands. Four singles follow and then a dot ball. CSK 75/0 in 8 overs.
4.33 pm: Powerplay is done but Smith and McCullum aren't done attacking. Smith starts the Ishant over with a gorgeous straight drive for four, before Ishant bowls another no-ball, his third of the match. Ridiculous stuff, even schoolboys won't make such silly mistakes, and the no-balls aren't small ones, they are huge. McCullum does not miss out on a second free hit, chips down the track and thumps it over cow corner for a six. Decent comeback from Ishant in the next ball, but a low full toss to finish with is thumped past the covers by McCullum for another boundary. All of 16 runs in the over, CSK 65/0 in 7 overs. Strategic timeout time.
4.28 pm: With McCullum the best option is always spin, and Karn Sharma comes in. Won't matter what pace it is, though, if you bowl short to McCullum and he belts Karn for an 86-metre six. CSK are setting the platform for a huge score here, and McCullum is actually blocking a couple. We didn't get to see that too much at the World Cup did we.
Takes a single to long-on fourth ball to get Smith on strike and the big West Indian takes a single to the onside himself, leaving the final ball to his opening partner, who blocks it. CSK 49/0 in 6 overs. End of Powerplay.
4.24 pm: No four straight overs for Bhuvneshwar as Ishant Sharma comes in for the first time. Let's see how he goes against McCullum. First ball step out and not quite enough contact made. Next ball, Ishant oversteps as McCullum swings and misses and that means a free hit. The last person you want to bowl a free hit to is McCullum, but Ishant bowls a brilliant yorker, which the Kiwi can only dig out for a single.
Beautiful ball first up to Smith, coming in and then just seaming away, Smith does well not to edge it. Down the track again, this time from Smith, and another swing and a miss, there have been plenty of those this innings already. Really bad this from Ishant, as he bowls another no-ball. Just twisting the knife into himself here, and the free hit is glided away past point for a boundary. Dot ball to finish, CSK 41/0 in 5 overs.
4.18 pm: Boult again, and those full in-swingers keep working. Smith takes a leg-bye second ball, and McCullum swings and misses as he steps out with the ball just going past legstump. Nice contest this between two players who were teammates a few weeks ago, looking to win the World Cup together. Now, that is just awesome from McCullum. No stepping out this time, just stand and delivery, straight bat and beautiful follow through with the ball flying past mid-on for a four. McCullum is looking in the mood and that is ominous for SRH. A single and then Smith finishes the over with a flick past short fine for a four. CSK 34/0 in 4 overs.
4.14 pm: Good first two overs from SRH, but they would have liked a wicket. Bhuvneshwar keeps it tight couple of balls and then comes a big bonus five runs for CSK. McCullum calls Smith for a quick single, and the West Indian is struggling to make it to the non-striker's end. Bhuvneshwar takes aim and cannot hit the stumps with the ball running past KL Rahul, who for some reason was haring down to the stumps, despite a teammate already being there, instead of backing up. McCullum uses that long handle to great effect then, coming down the track and whacking Bhuvneshwar for a huge six to wide long-on.
Much more ill-disciplined for Bhuvneshwar this over, thanks largely to some stepping out from the two batsmen. Expensive second over from Bhuvi, 13 off it, CSK 24/0 in 3 overs.
4.08 pm: First ball is an in-swinger that just tails down the legside for a wide. Overcompensates does Boult next ball, and the wide and full delivery is dispatched through the covers by McCullum. Swings and misses next ball – never a dull moment when he is at the crease, of course – and then takes a quick single to the offside. Boult will fancy swinging it in to Smith, and he does just that, with the ball hitting the pads, even if there is no appeal with the ball going well down leg. Tries the in-swinging yorker, which Smith digs out well to short fine for a single. McCullum then survives a big appeal from Boult as the ball hits him on the pads. CSK 11/0 in 2 overs.
4.04 pm: Trent Boult to bowl now to McCullum. Now that should be a good contest. Remember it is the New Zealander fast bowler's IPL debut and his first ball will be to his international captain.
4.03 pm: Nice movement for Bhuvneshwar in the first over. Getting it to swing in to Smith, who is prone to getting bowled and the lbw. After a couple of searching deliveries, Smith gets off the mark with a boundary. hardly a convincing one as a leading edge goes past the covers and hits the ropes. Moral victory for the bowler, but he would have preferred the leading edge looping up more and into the hands of a fielder. CSK 4/0 in 1 over.
4 pm: McCullum and Smith are out and so are the Sunrisers. Bhuvneshwar Kumar to bowl to Smith first. Smith plays and misses first ball.
3.59 pm: A nice little tribute paid to Richie Benaud as well, with a mike leaning on the wickets to symbolise what the great Australian was all about.
3.57 pm: SRH have gone in for Bopara ahead of Eoin Morgan, probably for his ability to bowl as well. Morgan, though, is the better T20 batsman, and it remains to be seen if the decision will prove to be right. A few minutes to go for the start of play in hot and seriously humid Chennai.
3.46 pm: Here are the teams: CSK: Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina, Faf Du Plessis, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, R Ashwin, Mohit Sharma, Ishwar Pandey, Ashish Nehra.
SRH: David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, KL Rahul, Naman Ojha, Ravi Bopara, Parveez Rasool, Karn Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Trent Boult. No Steyn for the Sunrisers.
3.42 pm: Still waiting on the teams. CSK will probably go with the same team, but, will SRH play Trent Boult?
3.35 pm: "Nice batting track and we're happy to put a total," says Dhoni. And Rameez Raja wonderfully forgets to ask the captains what the team is. So, no clue as of now I'm afraid. Ridiculous that.
3.34 pm: Dhoni flips the coin, Warner calls heads and it is heads. CSK win the toss and they will bat.
3.30 pm: Toss time. The captains are out on the field, waiting to do their respective interviews before that coin is flipped. They will be using the same wicket btw.
3.25 pm: Five minutes to go for the toss as Navjot Sidhu continues to give his whatever it is that he gives, meanwhile. Both teams will probably look to bowl second, which has been the norm so far in this IPL 2015, even if they might consider batting looking at the ridiculous heat in Chennai.
3.15 pm: The Sunrisers Hyderabad get their first crack in IPL 2015, and it is one of the most difficult games they could have asked for in the backyard of the Chennai Super Kings.
Welcome to IBTimes India's live coverage of this South Indian derby of IPL 2015, with hopes abound that we will have a match that will get us off those sofas and shout "man did you see that, that was ridiculous."
CSK were not that impressive against the Delhi Daredevils, in a game they should have really lost, but having come away with a win, just about, they will be in much more buoyant mood against the foreign-heavy Sunrisers.
Most of the big-name players for SRH in their batting are overseas players, and how they manage to fit them in will have a major impact on where they finish in this IPL 2015.
They were sixth last season, a year after making the playoffs in their IPL debut campaign, and the likes of David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan and Dale Steyn will want to put on a more assured show in IPL 2015.
Batting has been the weak department for SRH, so how they cope in the cauldron (in more ways than one let me assure you) that is the MA Chidambaram Stadium will probably have a huge bearing on where their batting goes the rest of the season.
If you are not just satisfied with reading the wonderfully entertaining blog, don't worry at all, we have all the information needed to watch this match live on TV or online across the world HERE
