Kolkata Knight Riders made a remarkable comeback after their defeat against Rajasthan Royals as they defeated Chennai Super Kings by seven wickets in Match 61 of PL 2023 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
KKR’s disciplined bowling attack led by Sunil Narine restricted CSK to 144/6, and then a composed batting performance from Captain Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh ensured a smooth run chase.
Earlier, CSK got off to a brisk start but lost Ruturaj Gaikwad in the Powerplay. They struggled to maintain momentum, losing wickets at regular intervals, with Sunil Narine cleaning up Ambati Rayudu and Moeen Ali in the 11th over.
Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube then got together to rebuild the innings, but KKR’s bowlers finished well, with Shardul Thakur giving away just five in the penultimate over, and Vaibhav Arora dismissing Jadeja (20 off 24) in the final over as CSK posted 144/6 from 20 overs.
KKR got off to a shaky start, losing Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the first over, but Impact Player Venkatesh Iyer tried to provide some impetus with two fours off Chahar. However, Chahar bounced back to have Iyer caught at slip in the same over, and KKR was struggling at 23/2.
Captain Nitish Rana stabilized the innings with a six over long leg off Chahar, but he lost Jason Roy soon after, caught at slip off a knuckleball from Chahar.
KKR reached 67/3 at the halfway mark, with Rana and Rinku Singh doing a commendable job of rebuilding the innings. They kept chipping away without taking many risks and then brought up the 50-run stand in the 12th over.
The duo then upped the ante, with Rana hitting back-to-back fours off Moeen Ali. Rinku Singh smacked a six off Jadeja, and Rana took on Theekshana for a couple of fours to bring the required run rate below six with 28 needed off 30.
Rinku Singh brought up his fifty off 39 balls with a four off Pathirana as KKR took nine runs from the over.
Rana brought up his fifty off 38 balls as the duo took six singles off Theekshana in the 17th over. With a stunning direct hit run out to send Rinku Singh (54 off 43) back, Moeen Ali ultimately ended the 99-run stand.
Rana (57* off 44) and Russell finished off the chase with nine balls to spare, ensuring a comfortable victory for KKR.
Overall, KKR’s skilful and disciplined performance in both bowling and batting secured them two crucial points, moving them up in the standings and boosting their confidence for the remainder of the tournament.
Also Read: IPL 2023: RCB Roars Back With Dominant Win Against Rajasthan Royals
