New Delhi: Kolkata Knight Riders IPL The campaign took another hit Chennai Super Kings Beat them by 32 runs on a hard, two-paced pitch. Chasing 193, KKR never looked in control and eventually ended at 160/7. The defeat exposed problems in their batting style and overall planning, with the team now having lost four of their first five matches.
KKR’s batting failed under pressure
KKR’s chase got off to a poor start and kept slipping as wickets fell. Noor Ahmed A brilliant spell turned the game around, removing key batsmen including Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh and Cameron Green, as KKR collapsed from 79/2 to 90/6. Aqeel Hussain also kept things tight, adding to the pressure.Rahane (22 off 28) and Angkresh Raghuvanshi (19 off 27) put on a 50-run stand, but their sluggish attitude hurt the chase, especially on a pitch where scoring was not easy. An early blow from Anshul Kamboj and Khalil Ahmed removed Finn Allen and Sunil Narine, further damaging KKR’s hopes.Rowman Powell (31 off 22) and Ramandeep Singh (35 off 23*) tried to fight back with a late partnership, but by then the required rate had climbed too high.
CSK build up, then control the game
Earlier, CSK got off to a flying start, scoring 72/2 thanks to Sanju Samson (48 off 32) and Ayush Mahatre (17 off 38) in the powerplay. Mahatre’s aggressive strokeplay, with two sixes and a “Kapildev-style Nataraj shot”, provided the early momentum.After the powerplay, KKR’s spinners, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy and Varun Chakraborty, effectively slowed things down for just 68 runs in 10 overs. Karthik Tyagi also impressed with his speed and variations at the death.Dewald Brews (41 off 29) and Sarfaraz Khan (23 off 18) ensured CSK reached a competitive total of 192/5.CSK’s balanced performance with both bat and ball proved to be very strong, while KKR’s outdated batting approach and poor performance cost them dearly.
