Kolkata Knight Riders’ hopes of making it to the Indian Premier League play-offs suffered a huge blow. The latter, they suffered a historic loss to Chennai Super Kings. Her innings turned the historic Eden Gardens into a cauldron. Despite KKR’s record total of 179 runs, CSK successfully chased down the target and won the match in a nail-biting finish by two wickets.
Ajinkya Rahane was the mainstay of KKR’s batting with a solid 48-run knock. His efforts were not enough to earn the team a victory. Andre Russell clouted 38 off just 20 balls, while Manish Pandey held fort with an unbeaten 36. Collectively, they inspired KKR to 179 for six in their 20 overs.
On the bowling side, spinning all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was CSK’s trump card. He ended the day with one for 34. With this performance, he went past Dwayne Bravo to become CSK’s all-time leading wicket-taker in IPL with 141 wickets. Jadeja’s performance was crucial in restricting KKR’s scoring and maintaining pressure throughout the innings.
It was the Chennai Super Kings’ tail that provided the best illustration. When day one ended, they were in dire straits at 60 for five. Dewald Brevis proved the game-changer after being dropped on 20 off 16 balls. He fully capitalized on the chance handed to him, blasting 52 runs in 25 balls. It was this show of class that took CSK ever-closer to their target.
Shivam Dube too played a big part in propelling the chase with a composed 45 runs. As the innings progressed, MS Dhoni finished unbeaten on 17, helping to guide his team over the finish line in a tense conclusion to the match.
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