Chennai Super Kings played beautifully restricting KKR in the low scoring pitch of M.A.Chidambaram Stadium. Chennai started winning the toss and choosing to chase, with a very good inning, getting wickets in short intervals. Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn started the match struggling to even score a single. The first over seemed to be working in KKR’s favor as, after 3 dot balls they finally get a boundary off an overthrow, but in the last ball of the 1st over, Lynn (0 out; 5b) was trapped in an LBW by Chahar. Narine (6 out; 5b) departed in the second over, trying to hit Harbhajan off for a boundary, and getting caught by Chahar; KKR 8-2. Rana (0 out; 3b) succumbs to Chahar in the third over, putting KKR in a very tight spot with just 9 runs off 3 overs and with the early loss of 3 wickets. However, Uthhapa and Karthik were just starting to settle down, Uthhapa (11 out; 9b; 2X4) shot back-to-back boundaries, and in the fourth ball of the 5th over, looking for a maximum goes straight into Kedar Jadhav’s hands. Karthik and Gill were moving on with the score until, Karthik (19 out; 21b; 3X4) impatiently looking for a boundary, gets caught on short mid-wicket. Within 9 overs, KKR lost half of his men scoring putting 44 runs on the board. The rest of the team put on a feeble performance, unable to score and secure their wickets. The lone man standing in the KKR innings was Andre Russell (5X4, 3X6), coming to bat at 6, contributing 50 runs off 44 balls, when other players falling prey to the lethal attacks of CSK, Russell saw KKR through the end of the innings, putting up 108 runs on the board with the loss of 9 wickets.
It was clear that KKR needed early wickets in order to defend their struggling total on board. However, Knights put up a good fight when in the 3rd over Shane Watson (17 out; 9b; 2X4, 1X6) looking for a big shot succumbed to Narine’s spell, and a good catch taken by Piyush Chawla. Du Plessis and Raina continued to take predominant singles to keep the score ticking. In the fifth over Naine strikes again, as Raina tries to hit big and only finds Piyush Chawla at long-on, CSK 35-2. KKR’s efforts were subdued by CSK singles and occasional boundaries. In the start of the 15th over, Radayu (21 out; 31b; 2X4) chipped the ball, trying to hit a boundary, but Yusuf Pathan drops the catch. However, Chawla got Rayadu’s wicket in the third ball of the same over, CSK 85-3, at the end of 15 overs’. Jadhav and Du Plessis made sure Chennai get their due runs to reach the top position at the points table. The second ball of the 18th over Narine bowls wide which travels all the way to the boundary giving away the last runs to seal the victory for Chennai.
