It was one of those bad days for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and the most important day for hosts Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to make a steady progress in the tourney.
Before the start of the match, it was expected to be a cracker of the contest. But once the match started, it was all a one-sided affair.
Unfortunately, Super Kings never showed the desperation for the victory which was perfectly used by Knight Riders in the second innings in particular.
CSK innings: Batsmen failed in converting starts, Spinners wrecked havoc –
Initially, it was Dinesh Karthik, who won the toss and asked the visitors to put on a total for the chase.
Chennai openers accepted the task in a great way by smacking the KKR bowlers to all corners of the park. Faf du Plessis played with more intent to hand his side a flashy start.
However, the canny Piyush Chala brought back KKR into the game by bowling a lovely googly to make a pavilion way for du Plessis.
Shane Watson tried to carry the impetus but Sunil Narine was at his best to see the other side of the things.
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The in-form batsman Ambati Rayudu and Suresh Raina tried to steady the ship but it was exciting Kuldeep Yadav, who joined the party by scalping the prized wicket of Suresh Raina which was quickly followed by Narine’s stunner to Ambati Rayudu.
It was again Mahendra Singh Dhoni who took the onus of the first innings. His superb unbeaten 43* off 25 balls gave a tally of 177 runs on the board for CSK bowlers to defend. Earlier, Watson scored 36 off 25 balls.
KKR innings: Shubman Gill rose to the occasion & Karthik shows his skills –
In reply to the chase, Kolkata got the initial jolt in the form of Chris Lynn, who was dismissed in the bizarre fashion by Lungi Ngidi.
Narine, who got a reprieve in the back-to-back deliveries by Jadeja smashed an entertaining 32 runs off 20 balls.
Meanwhile, Robin Uthappa once again failed to show his mojo. The experienced batsman Uthappa left all the responsibility on the young shoulders of Shubman Gill and Rinku Singh respectively.
Both the youngsters formed a steady partnership in the middle by tackling out the CSK spinners efficiently.
However, Harbhajan Singh provided the breakthrough for the team by sending Rinku back to the hut. The skipper, Karthik joined Shubman to complete the final rituals of the game.
Gill has been thoroughly impressive in his unbeaten innings of 57 off 36 deliveries. When it looked like KKR are missing their plot, the teenage sensation stood tall in the run chase.
All in all, it was a lovely evening for Kolkata Knight Riders who strengthened their position. The Kolkata-based franchise moved to the third spot in the points table.
Whereas, Super Kings need to head back to drawing rooms – to figure out the flaws in the bowling department.
Also, Read: IPL 2018: 33rd Match, KKR vs CSK – Knight Riders Players Rating