KKR 137/9 in 20 overs (Shreyas Iyer 34(32); Jadeja 3/18 in 4 overs) lost to CSK 141/3 in 17.4 overs (Gaikwad 67*(58); V Arora 2/28 in 4 overs) by 7 wickets.
The Kolkata Knight Riders took on the Chennai Super Kings in the fourth league game of the season at the iconic Chepauk Stadium. After bagging 3 exquisite victories in their last 3 games, KKR’s bandwagon reached Chennai and the Knights looked to stay unbeaten by clinching their fourth consecutive win. They were up against CSK at their den and KKR looked to breach the fortress of Chepauk just like they did last year. This game promised to be an exhilarating contest as the fans were excited to cheer their favorite Knights.
KKR were put into bat after the CSK skipper won the toss. KKR didn’t have the best start as they lost Phil Salt quickly yet their young star Angkrish alongside the veteran Sunil Narine looked to shift the momentum towards KKR. Both played delightful strokes and looked to make the most of the powerplay. After a terrific recovery, KKR lost the Angkrish and Sunil’s wicket in the same over. The batters lost momentum as the pitch got slower and slower. The ball didn’t seem to come onto the bat yet skipper Shreyas displayed grit and determination on the tough wicket. Despite the best efforts of the batters, KKR’s innings never picked up momentum and they finished on a target of 138 at the end of their innings.
KKR looked to take the aggressive route while defending the total and looked for some early wickets. CSK started off steadily and scored some quick boundaries to start their chase. However a well-executed plan from Vaibhav Arora helped KKR pick up the wicket of Rachin Ravindra as they looked to bounce back in the game. KKR looked for optimum utilisation of their bowling resources to pick up a few wickets and put pressure on the CSK batters. Despite their efforts, CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad held his nerves and played a great knock to steer CSK to victory. KKR will be looking to regroup as quickly as possible and comeback strong in their next game. All in all it was atough hard-fought contest for KKR tonight and despite the loss, they will have plenty of positives to pick from and take into the next game.
