Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Chennai Super Kings registered back-to-back wins after handing Kolkata Knight Riders a 32-run loss in match 22 of the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League , which was being played at the iconic Chepauk Stadium, on April 14. CSK have overtaken the with this win and have climbed to the 8th spot.
On the other hand, KKR are stuck at the bottom of the points table. Meanwhile, MI have fallen to the 9th spot.
This has got to be an extremely disappointing start to the season for the Knights. They only have one point from five matches, and that point also came after rain washed out their match with Punjab Kings. Their condition in that match was questionable, too. On the other hand, the Chennai side seems to have regained their groove after losing the first three games.
There were lots of questions about the team’s stability and performance in the absence of legendary MS Dhoni. However, Ruturaj Gaikwad’s form and the consistency of their batters is still a major concern for the team, which they would like to overcome in this phase of the tournament.
CSK Register Back-2-Back Wins
After giving CSK the much-needed wicket of Rahane, Noor Ahmad removed Green in the very next delivery. This put strain on the Kolkata Knight Riders during the chase and the Knights ultimately lost the game by 32 runs after posting 160/7 at the end of their 20 overs. In an unexpected decision at the beginning of the chase, the Knight Riders promoted Sunil Narine to open alongside Finn Allen. The team lost both Allen and Narine cheaply in the chase of 193, therefore, the move did not work. Allen was taken out by Anshul Kamboj, and Narine was taken care of by Khaleel. Rahane and Raghuvanshi then developed a fantastic partnership that forced KKR to rejoin the chase. Ajinkya Rahane, the captain of the KKR, appeared committed to making a crucial knock.
Dewald Brevis joined Sanju Samson in the center following Mhatre’s departure. KKR made a strong comeback with defensive bowling and lowered the scoring rate while they attempted to maintain the attacking mindset. As the pressure increased, Sanju Samson scored 48 runs off 32 deliveries before being bowled by Kartik Tyagi. Following this, KKR used some outstanding bowling to establish control of the match. Chennai lost all of their momentum and was unable to raise their scoring percentage in a timely manner. Ultimately, they were only able to reach 192/5 after 20 overs.