Ravindra Jadeja Brilliance Guides CSK to Break KKR’s Early-Season Unbeaten Streak

Chennai Super Kings halted Kolkata Knight Riders’ early-season winning streak on a traditional Chepauk pitch. After suffering two defeats on the road, CSK returned home to a surface that favored spin, allowing Ravindra Jadeja to excel with figures of 3 for 18 in 4 overs. Mustafizur Rahman regained the purple cap on a track where batting was challenging, while Tushar Deshpande also made an impact. Ruturaj Gaikwad rediscovered his form, showcasing fluent strokeplay that had been missing in the initial matches.

KKR Takes Off in Typical Fashion, Soaring High Early On

KKR got off to their customary flying start, showcasing their proficiency in the PowerPlay yet again. Despite Tushar Deshpande dismissing Phil Salt with the first ball, Sunil Narine and Angkrish Raghuvanshi aggressively attacked, nullifying the early setback.

The initial over yielded just a single run, while Mustafizur Rahman conceded only six runs in the second over. However, Narine took on Deshpande in the third over, accumulating 19 runs. Shardul Thakur, in his return for CSK, began with a loose delivery in the fourth over, which Raghuvanshi capitalized on, adding 11 runs. Raghuvanshi and Narine then targeted Maheesh Theekshana, hitting a six each. Although Mustafizur contained Narine in the sixth over, giving away only six runs, KKR managed to score 56/1, marking the highest PowerPlay total conceded by CSK at home this season.

Chepauk Embraces Spin: Ravindra Jadeja spinning Magic

Chepauk once again proved to be a spinner’s paradise, with CSK benefiting from Ravindra Jadeja’s impactful bowling. In his initial overs, Jadeja managed to break KKR’s momentum. Angkrish Raghuvanshi attempted to take on Jadeja right from the start but fell victim to a reverse sweep, being trapped leg before. Shortly after, Jadeja dismissed Sunil Narine, inducing him to slice a full ball outside off-stump to Maheesh Theekshana at long off.

Ruturaj Gaikwad, at one point, could have bowled Jadeja out himself. The spinner claimed another crucial wicket, that of Venkatesh Iyer, with a seemingly innocuous half-tracker, finishing with impressive figures of 3 for 18, including 11 dot balls.

CSK maintained their dominance in the middle overs, applying a spin choke effectively, with Rachin Ravindra also contributing an economical over worth only four runs. In the 11th over, when Shreyas Iyer managed to hit a boundary off Jadeja, it marked the first in 34 deliveries. Subsequently, KKR struggled to find their footing after the PowerPlay, accumulating only 53/4 in the following 10 overs.

CSK’s Precision Bowling Contains Russell’s Late Onslaught

In the 18th over, Mustafizur Rahman excelled, conceding just one four and delivering four dot balls, including one from a free hit. Tushar Deshpande adjusted his angle by bowling around the stumps to Mustafizur and set up a packed off-side field. Despite this, Andre Russell managed to find the boundary with a four off the first ball. However, Deshpande responded with a short delivery on the next ball, and Russell attempted to clear the long-on boundary but was caught by Daryl Mitchell. This marked Deshpande’s third wicket of the match. Mustafizur continued his impressive spell by bowling an outstanding final over, claiming two more wickets and limiting KKR to a total of 137 for 9.

Ruturaj Gaikwad Regains Timing, Sparks CSK’s Batting Revival

Ruturaj Gaikwad, the new CSK captain, overcame his early-season struggles and rediscovered his timing during the PowerPlay. He showcased his prowess by elegantly driving and cutting through the covers and point, striking three boundaries off Anukul Roy. Gaikwad then confidently played a square drive off Vaibhav Arora, who had dismissed Rachin Ravindra in his previous over. With Gaikwad’s flurry of boundaries, CSK reached 52/1 in 6 overs.

Remaining Chase

The remainder of the chase proceeded smoothly. Daryl Mitchell claimed the wicket of Sunil Narine in his first over, while Varun Chakravarthy bowled three economical overs, conceding only 13 runs. Despite the challenging surface, Andre Russell started well, only for Ruturaj Gaikwad to execute a swivel-pull for a boundary in Russell’s first over. Narine, recovering swiftly from a costly first over, conceded just 10 runs in his next two overs and dismissed Mitchell.

Gaikwad continued to play his shots, achieving his highest score at the venue with an unbeaten 67 off 58 balls. Shivam Dube joined him and immediately made an impact by hitting Mitchell Starc for a boundary and then striking two sixes off Varun Chakravarthy, accelerating CSK’s victory. Dube’s dismissal in the 17th over brought MS Dhoni to the crease, to the delight of the Chepauk crowd. Dhoni arrived with only 3 runs needed and calmly finished the match with his successor in the next over.

Brief Scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 137/9 in 20 overs (Shreyas Iyer 34; Ravindra Jadeja 3-18, Tushar Deshpande 3-33, Mustafizur Rahman 2-22) lost to Chennai Super Kings 141/3 in 17.4 overs (Ruturaj Gaikwad 67*; Vaibhav Arora 2-28 ) by 7 wickets

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