Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) registered a comprehensive seven-wicket win to hand Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) their first defeat of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Gaikwad scored his maiden half-century as CSK captain and played the anchor role in the run chase at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
Narine’s fiery start
Earlier, Gaikwad won the toss and opted to field first. In absence of Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande got the wicket of Phil Salt with the first ball of the innings. In his second over, Deshpande took a beating from Sunil Narine. The Caribbean all-rounder smashed him for two fours and a six. Angkrish Raghuvanshi joined Narine and hit Maheesh Theekshana for a six. Despite Salt's early wicket, KKR were 56/1 after powerplay overs.
Batting collapse
Gaikwad introduced Ravindra Jadeja after the powerplay overs. He trapped Raghuvanshi in front of the stumps. He departed for an 18-ball 24. In the same over, he got the wicket of Narine as well. The opener scored 27 runs from 20 balls. In his next over, Jadeja ended Venkatesh Iyer's sluggish knock. Skipper Shreyas Iyer ended the boundary drought with a four off Jadeja in the 11th over. Theekshana returned to dismiss Ramandeep Singh who hit him for a six off the previous delivery.
KKR’s dull finish
Boundaries dried up once again despite Rinku Singh's arrival. In the 17th over, Deshpande got the better of Rinu. The big-hitter departed for a single-digit score. Andre Russell’s catch was dropped by MS Dhoni early on in his innings. In the penultimate over, Deshpande dismissed Russell. He contributed with a run-a-ball 10. Mustafizur Rahman bowled a brilliant final over. First, he dismissed Iyer with a off-cutter. The captain scored 34 runs from 32 balls. He dismissed Mitchell Starc for a three-ball duck and conceded just two runs. KKR managed to post a below par total of 137/9.
Ideal start to run chase
CSK's run chase got off to a decent start. In the third over, Rachin Ravindra hit Starc for three fours. His cameo was ended by Vaibhav Arora. He departed for an 8-ball 15. Gaikwad took on impact player Anukul Roy and hit three fours in the fifth over. Daryl Mitchell got an early reprieve as Ramandeep dropped his catch off Arora's bowling. After powerplay overs, CSK were 52/1.
Gaikwad leads CSK home
Mitchell negated Narine threat early on by hitting him for a six and a four. In his first over, Varun Chakaravarthy conceded just a single. Narine and Chakaravarthy slowed down the scoring rate. In the 12th over, Gaikwad reached his half-century from 45 balls. Narine in his third over got the breakthrough. Mitchell got bowled for a 19-ball 25. In the 16th over, Shivam Dube smashed Chakaravrthy for two sixes. He hit Arora for a six as before getting bowled and took CSK to doorstep of victory. Dhoni came out to bat at no.5 and scored a single. Gaikwad finished the run chase with a boundary. He remained not out for a 58-ball 67 as CSK won the game by seven wickets and 14 balls to spare.
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