Chasing a low-scoring total on Wankhede Stadium’s high-scoring pitch, KKR got off to a flying start, with Venkatesh Iyer and Rahane hitting 44 runs for the first wicket. Iyer, last year’s discovery of the season for KKR, scored 16 runs in 16 balls with two boundaries before being removed.
Rahane, on the other hand, who was playing his debut match for KKR, was in fine form. He and Nitish Rana took KKR’s total past 70 runs to ensure that they were able to aid their team move close to the target. Bravo sent Rana back, and Mitchell Santner took out Rahane on 44 in the next over.
CSK appeared to be regaining control of the game, but KKR’s new skipper Shreyas Iyer and Sam Billings kept the pursuit alive. Bravo claimed another wicket in the name of Sam, but Iyer ensured that KKR walked away with two points and a strong start to the season.
Earlier, despite a fighting fifty by former skipper MS Dhoni, a magnificent bowling performance by Umesh Yadav (2/20) and Varun Chakravarthy (1/23) helped KKR restrict CSK to 131-5. (50 off 38). Former skipper Dhoni played a couple of legendary strokes, scored a timely half-century, and helped CSK put a solid total on the board. Ravindra Jadeja, who was leading the CSK for the first time, seemed under duress while batting.
When CSK were given the opportunity to bat first, they got off to a poor start when KKR pacer Umesh dismissed Ruturaj Gaikwad for a duck in the first over of the innings. Robin Uthappa then joined Devon Conway, another CSK opener, at the crease. Uthappa seemed in great form from the start, hitting a few home runs.
Rayudu subsequently joined Uthappa in the middle, and the two attempted to revive CSK’s innings. In the final over of the powerplay, KKR captain Varun Chakravarthy introduced Rayudu, who got a lucky boundary to take CSK to 35/2 at the end of the 6th over.
CSK lost another wicket just as it appeared that the stand between Uthappa and Rayudu was coming together. Uthappa (28) went after a wide delivery thrown by Varun mindlessly, only to miss it and get stumped by wicketkeeper Sheldon Jackson in a flash.
CSK, who was already in difficulty, then lost Rayudu (15) to a mix-up between him and skipper Jadeja. The next batter, all-rounder Shivam Dube, couldn’t do much and was removed by Andre Russell for a duck.
In his post-match presentation, Kolkata captain Shreyas Iyer stated that there is always tension when MS Dhoni is at the crease and that the last three overs were a bit difficult to control him due to dew and the ball being difficult to grasp.
The surface was spongier than they expected, and he knows the wicket inside-out, so he expected it to be flat, but it wasn’t, but the bowlers bowled exceptionally well. He expresses his delight at seeing Umesh Yadav perform so well again, and they are looking forward to the next match.
As a result, Kolkata appeared to be in for a simple chase, and with the groundwork, their openers, Venkatesh Iyer and Ajinkya Rahane, had laid, half the job was already done. Rahane played well but fell short of a century.
A couple of fast wickets fell in the middle overs, but captain Shreyas Iyer and Sam Billings kept whacking the ball around. When the target was in sight, the big guns came out, and Kolkata reached the finish line without Narine or Russell’s help, despite Billings’ late exit. The new skipper will be pleased with his team’s performance after hitting the winning runs.
Published By : Ankit Singh
Edited By : Khushi Thakur
