IPL 2024: CSK hammers KKR to secure hat-trick of wins at home

CHENNAI: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) managed to hand over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) its first defeat of the season when they crossed the line with seven wickets and 14 balls to spare here at Chepauk on Monday.

Coming into the game after back-to-back defeats, CSK were under huge pressure as they were up against the powerful sluggers of the ball, including the likes of Phil Salt, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, and many others. More than individual performances, they (KKR) collectively pose a fear to its opponents with its batters, particularly this season.

With Matheesha Pathirana still not available to join the team, CSK had another blow as Deepak Chahar had a niggle and was unavailable for selection. This meant Tushar Deshpande and Mustafizur Rahman were the main pace attack for the super kings. They had additional support from Shardul Thakur, who played his first game for the team this season.

Winning the toss, Ruturaj Gaikwad put KKR to bat, and it turned out perfectly well for CSK as they managed to restrict them to just 137 runs at the end of the first innings, picking up nine wickets.

Tushar Deshpande erupted the Chennai crowd very early on, as he got the wicket of Phil Salt in the first ball of the game. But Narine and Angkrish Raghuvanshi stuck together and used the powerplay to hit some boundaries to get KKR 56 runs at the end of six overs.

When everything seemed to be going well for KKR, Ravindra Jadeja came to reverse the fortunes as he struck twice in his first over, dismissing Narine and Raghuvanshi. He also got the wicket of Venkatesh Iyer in his next over. It is also to be noted that this is the first match CSK spinners managed to take a wicket here at Chepauk this season.

It was a typical Chepauk pitch today, which everyone was used to in past seasons. The ball came on to the bat well in the new ball, but as the overs went by, the old ball seemed to have done the trick, especially for the spinners.

In the chase, Gaikwad registered his first fifty as a captain, nurturing his 67 runs, not out innings, to stand as a guiding force for CSK in chasing the modest target.

Alongside him, Daryl Mitchell scored 25 runs, and Shivam Dube, who walloped the KKR bowlers with a series of thunderous strokes, sending the ball soaring over the boundary ropes with aplomb, scored 28 runs off 19 balls.

When he (Dube) got out in the last ball of the 17th over, a deafening roar swept through the stadium as Dhoni strode to the crease for the first time as a batter in Chepauk this season. But it was Gaikwad who finished the proceedings for CSK to defeat KKR by seven wickets.

The spin attack of the men in yellow was the only cause for concern, as they didn’t manage to fire up in the first four games. But it was overlooked only because CSK is known for winning games because of its spin dominance, and this match proved to be the first time this season where spinners handed over CSK its win.

The next game, CSK faces its arch-rivals Mumbai Indians, away from home on Sunday.