Chennai: Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) cruised to a comprehensive eight-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, chasing down a modest target of 104 with 59 balls to spare. The result deals a major blow to CSK’s playoff hopes, leaving their campaign hanging by a thread.
Chasing 104, KKR lost just two wickets and completed the chase in 10.1 overs. Sunil Narine led from the front with a blistering 44, while Quinton de Kock contributed a steady 23. Anshul and Noor Ahmad were the only wicket-takers for CSK.
CSK Batting Falters on Home Turf
Earlier, CSK’s batting order collapsed after being put into bat, managing just 103 for 9 in 20 overs — a below-par score on their home ground. The top order failed to fire, with only Shivam Dube (31* not out) and Vijay Shankar (29) making notable contributions.
Skipper MS Dhoni, leading the side for the first time this season, was dismissed for just 1 run. Other batters including Rachin Ravindra (4), Devon Conway (1), Rahul Tripathi (16), Ravichandran Ashwin (1), Ravindra Jadeja (0), Deepak Hooda (0), Noor Ahmad (1), and Anshul (3) failed to deliver, disappointing the home crowd.
KKR Bowlers Shine
KKR’s bowling unit delivered a clinical performance. Sunil Narine was the pick of the bowlers with 3 wickets. Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana claimed 2 wickets each, while Moeen Ali and Vaibhav Arora chipped in with a wicket apiece.
With this victory, Kolkata Knight Riders have strengthened their position in the points table, while Chennai Super Kings will now require a near-perfect run in their remaining matches to stay in the playoff race.