Under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) avenged the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 final defeat with a comprehensive win over defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK). KKR chased down the 132-run target with nine balls to spare, registering a six-wicket victory at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on March 26.
Rahane makes it count
After playing the role of a backup opener for Delhi Capitals (DC), Ajinkya Rahane got the perfect opportunity to make it count as he anchored the run chase till the 12th over. Rahane scored 44 runs from 34 deliveries including six fours and one six. The hero of last season, Venkatesh Iyer lost his wicket just after the completion of powerplay overs. Nitish Rana got off to a good start but got out after scoring 21 runs. Both Venkatesh and Rana lost their wicket to veteran Dwayne Bravo.
Shreyas finishes it off
Skipper Ravindra Jadeja and Mitchell Santner kept a lid on boundaries after the two quick wickets and tried to force a rash shot from Shreyas and Sam Billings but the duo dealt in singles and built a partnership. Billings accelerated once the fast bowlers were brought back and ensured that the four-time winners CSK don’t make a late comeback. However, the Englishman did not finish the match and became Bravo’s third victim of the day as the Caribbean all-rounder Lasith Malinga’s record for most IPL wickets. Bravo’s spell could not save CSK from the loss as skipper finished the match with a boundary off the third delivery of penultimate over. He remained unbeaten for 20.
Horrendous start
Earlier CSK got off to a disastrous start with the bat. The forgettable batting display at Wankhede Stadium led to CSK posting a below par total of 131/5 on the board.
CSK got off to a poor start in the powerplay overs. The Orange Cap winner of the previous season, Ruturaj Gaikwad got out for a three-ball duck in the first over as he edged one to first slip off Umesh Yadav’s bowling. CSK’s new Kiwi recruit – Devon Conway – made an unimpressive IPL debut. Conway mistimed one to mid-on fielder off Yadav’s bowling in the third over.
More wickets
Robin Uthappa and Ambati Rayudu looked like getting the innings back on track but Varun Chakravarthy got the former stumped out in the eighth over. Uthappa scored a 21-ball 28 including two fours and as many sixes. In the next over, CSK lost another wicket in the form of run out. Rayudu was left stranded in the middle after a poor call from Ravindra Jadeja. Shivam Dube did not make an impact on his captaincy debut as well as he departed after scoring just three runs.
Dhoni turns back the clock
At 61/5 in the 11th over, former CSK skipper MS Dhoni walked out to bat. New KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer brought spinners into the attack against Dhoni. The wicketkeeper-batter struggled against spin. Skipper Jadeja held the fort but did not score a single boundary till the final ball of the innings. Dhoni accelerated in the death overs and got a flurry of boundaries. The wicketkeeper-batter targetted Andre Russell and Shivam Mavi in the death overs and got to his half-century off 38 deliveries. The former CSK skipper became the oldest Indian player to hit an IPL fifty and ended his drought of half-centuries after two seasons. On the other end, Jadeja remained unbeaten for 26 off 28 deliveries.
