Rinku Singh, Nitish Rana silence Chepauk and hold Kolkata Knight Riders alive
Kolkata Knight Riders 147 for 4 (Rana 57*, Rinku 54, Chahar 3-27) beat Chennai Super Kings 144 for six (Dube 48*, Conway 30, Narine 2-15, Varun 2-36) by six wickets
Kolkata Knight Riders tripped Chennai Super Kings of their final house recreation of the league season, out-spinning them and out-batting them on a tough Chepauk pitch to remain in competition for the playoffs. CSK would have develop into the primary group to seal a playoffs spot if that they had received; they’re nonetheless in a great place to undergo, however this defeat could have damage their possibilities of a top-two end.
KKR’s thriller spinners performed an enormous position in proscribing CSK to 144 for six, with Varun Chakravarthy persevering with his wonderful season and Sunil Narine returning to wicket-taking methods after taking only one in his final eight video games. KKR had been at all times favourites from there, significantly with dew setting in, however they saved the competition attention-grabbing by shedding three wickets throughout the powerplay earlier than Rinku Singh and Nitish Rana put them again on high with a 99-run stand for the fourth wicket.
KKR finally received with 9 balls to spare. They could have hoped for a extra complete win, however Rinku and Rana had little alternative however to place NRR issues on the again burner after KKR misplaced three early wickets.
Varun, Narine dominate after Dhoni chooses to bat
Interviewed on the finish of the sport, MS Dhoni stated CSK would have wanted 180 to have any probability of defending a complete as soon as dew set in, however there was no method they may have scored 180 within the situations that prevailed via the primary innings.
It was, in fact, Dhoni’s determination to bat first. Their innings started promisingly sufficient, with the primary two wickets placing on 31 and 30 respectively. Varun ended each partnerships, together with his carrom ball turning considerably each instances to have Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ajinkya Rahane caught off miscues.
Rahane’s wicket sparked a collapse, as CSK slumped from 61 for 1 to 72 for five, with Shardul Thakur dismissing a scratchy Devon Conway for 30 off 28 balls earlier than Narine struck twice within the eleventh over to ship again Ambati Rayudu and Moeen Ali.
Dube repairs CSK innings from one finish
With the odd ball stopping on the batter or turning sharply, or each, and with not lots of batting to return, Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja lower out risk-taking and regarded to take the innings deep. But whereas Dube nonetheless discovered the boundary once in a while, Jadeja stagnated; he hit simply the one six and no fours whereas scoring 20 off 24 balls.
Dube, although, ensured CSK handed 140, hitting Suyash Sharma for 2 sixes, and clearing his entrance leg to clatter Varun for one more within the 18th over. He discovered a approach to rating even when Varun bowled his usually strangulating lengths, working the ball between long-on and deep midwicket for a pair of doubles in that 18th over.
Chahar picks up an uncommon three-for
At the innings break, it felt as if the end result would hinge on how KKR handled CSK’s spinners. As issues occurred, although, the powerplay was all-pace, with Deepak Chahar from one finish and Tushar Deshpande from the opposite. Chahar struck in every of his overs, however this was no classic show of swing bowling: the wickets, as a substitute, got here off catches to deep level, brief third and brief third.
Rinku and Rana bat CSK out of the sport
By the time the powerplay was performed, Rana and Rinku had already confirmed indicators of rhythm. Rana had whipped Chahar off his hip for six within the fifth over, and Rinku had hit Deshpande for a straight six to finish the sixth over.
Spin got here on instantly, with Dhoni bringing on his two offspinners in opposition to the 2 left-handers. They started effectively, conceding simply seven runs throughout the seventh and eighth overs, earlier than Rinku relieved the stress with a pair of fours off Moeen Ali within the ninth.
Moeen continued to go for runs thereafter, with Rana hitting him for 3 fours throughout his third and fourth overs – a reverse-sweep and two inside-out drives. In all, he took 34 off 22 balls in opposition to the offspin pair of Moeen and Maheesh Theekshana. It was an indication of a widely known truth, that Rana is among the many finest left-hand batters in opposition to offspin within the IPL.
Rinku often prefers tempo onto the bat, however on today he was wonderful in opposition to the spinners too, and made certain that he dominated his beneficial match-up, hitting Jadeja for 2 sixes.
It did not assist Super Kings that they put down the one probability they acquired to interrupt this partnership when it may have nonetheless mattered, with Matheesha Pathirana placing Rana down at deep backward sq. leg when he miscued a sweep off Moeen within the eleventh over. Rana was on 18 at that time.
Both batters went on to convey up their fifties earlier than Rinku was run out within the 18th over, making an attempt to take a good single that may have introduced up the century stand. By then, the competition was all however over, with KKR needing simply 13 from 17 balls.
Karthik Krishnaswamy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo