Clinical KKR hammer CSK by six wickets to keep slim playoffs hopes alive

Tags: Indian T20 League 2023, Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 61st Match at Chennai, May 14, 2023, Chennai XI, Kolkata XI

Published on: May 15, 2023

Scorecard | Commentary | Graphs

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by six wickets in match number 61 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, May 14. Bowling first after losing the toss, KKR did a good job of restricting Chennai to 144/6. Kolkata chased down the target in 18.3 overs. With the win, KKR kept their faint hopes of qualification for playoffs alive.

Batting first, Ruturaj Gaikwad was out for 17, while Ajinkya Rahane was dismissed for 16. Both batters fell to Varun Chakaravarthy. Devon Conway scored 30 off 28, but was dismissed by Shardul Thakur. Sunil Narine then joined the wicket-taking act by cleaning up Ambati Rayudu (4) and Moeen Ali (1).

Shivam Dube (48 not out off 34) and Ravindra Jadeja (20 off 24) added 68 for the sixth wicket. The stand was broken when Vaibhav Arora dismissed Jadeja. Narine impressed with 2/15, while Chakaravarthy ended with figures of 2/36. Thakur also impressed with 1/15 from three overs.

In the chase, Deepak Chahar dismissed KKR’s top three. The CSK pacer got the wickets of Rahmanullah Gurbaz (1), Venkatesh Iyer (9) and Jason Roy (12) to reduce KKR to 33/3 in the fifth over. However, Nitish Rana (57 not out off 44) and Rinku Singh (54 off 43) added 99 runs for the fourth wicket. The stand confirmed an easy win for KKR, although Rinku was run out by Moeen before KKR could get past the finish line.

Speaking after the defeat, CSK skipper MS Dhoni said, “One of those days when you win the toss and bat first and the moment the first ball was bowled in the second innings, you realize it is a 180 wicket. Batting first, I don't think we could have got anywhere close to 180. I think the dew made a big difference.”

He continued, “If you compare the first innings to the second innings, there was a lot more purchase for the spinners in the first innings and that's what really got to us, Whenever there is no certainty about dew that is when the decision (toss) becomes slightly tricky. And as I said, you win the toss and you bowl first and you realize there is no dew in the second innings, chasing 150 against their spinners could have been tough too.

--By A Cricket Correspondent

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