Sam Billings fashions CSK’s second consecutive win

Needing 17 off the last over, Dwayne Bravo carted a six off a no-ball from Vinay Kumar. With four needed off two balls, Ravindra Jadeja blasted a six over long-on to seal the issue. 

Englishman Sam Billings came up with a valiant rearguard action of 56 off 23 balls and by the time he was dismissed, the fate of the match was still hanging in the balance. 

CSK required 27 runs off the last two overs when Billings struck a six to reach his fifty but got out attempting another one neatly held by Robin Uthappa off Tom Curran.

Earlier, A late blitz from allrounder Andre Russell who remained unbeaten on 88 (36b, 1x4, 11x6) helped Kolkata Knight Riders set Chennai Super Kings a daunting target of 203. At one stage, with KKR tottering at 89 for five, it looked like it would settle for anything in the proximity of 150. 

But Russell changed the game’s complexion with brutal power-hitting that saw his team raise 79 runs in the last five overs to finish at 202 for six. 

Put in to bat, KKR openers Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine scored 18 off Deepak Chahar’s first over. Left-hander Narine struck two sizes in that over to make his intentions clear. The home team’s skipper MS Dhoni introduced spin in the second over through Harbhajan Singh and the move paid dividends immediately as the 38-yearold off-spinner removed the dangerous Narine who offered a simple catch to Suresh Raina at mid-off. Harbhajan could very well have added another wicket off the next ball, but Chahar, positioned at square leg, spilled a tough chance.

Robin Uthappa walked in at number three and got into run-scoring act quickly with a delicious flick off his pads for boundary off Shane Watson helping him get off the mark. 

Dhoni adopted the ploy of using five different bowlers for the first five overs but apart from the surprise element, it didn’t yield much for the home team. 

From a healthy 50 for one in the fifth over, KKR slid to 89 for five in the tenth over and at that stage it looked like KKR would struggle to get beyond 150. In the eighth over of the innings, things took an ugly turn when a spectator hurled shoes in the direction of Ravindra Jadeja, who was fielding at long on. The two miscreants, responsible for that indiscretion, were quickly detained. 

That KKR managed to reach the score it did was possible due to the bludgeoning batsmanship of Russell who was in a punishing mood. 

The 29-year-old was particularly harsh on Dwayne Bravo and struck three towering sixes in the 19th over. In all, Russell hit six sixes off Bravo and one landed outside the stadium. Bravo, known for his deathover skills, had a forgettable time with the ball conceding 50 runs off three overs.