IPL 2024: CSK End KKR's Unbeaten Start With Seven-wicket Win at the Den to Remain Perfect at Chepauk

Chennai Super Kings got back to winning ways as they returned to the MA Chidambaram Stadium with a seven-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday.

CSK, who won the toss, opted to field first and managed to limit KKR to a paltry score of 137 for nine as Tushar Deshpande and Ravindra Jadeja claimed three wickets each while Mustafizur Rahman picked up two wickets to reclaim the purple cap. Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad’s unbeaten 67-run knock to helped the hosts over the line with 14 balls to spare.

The Chennai crowd were treated to a warm welcome as the Super Kings returned to the Den with a strike off the first delivery of the game as Deshpande removed KKR opener Phil Salt for a golden duck with Ravindra Jadeja taking a sharp catch at point.

However, Sunil Narine and young gun Angkrish Raghuvanshi rebuilt the KKR innings with a 50-run stand for the second wicket in the powerplay overs before Jadeja dismissed the teenager for 24 off 18 deliveries catching him plumb in front of the wicket as the KKR batter went for a reverse sweep.

Narine followed his teammate back in the hut in the very same over as Jadeja picked up his second wicket in his opening over of the night, before going on to complete his three-wicket haul with the scalp of maverick southpaw Venkatesh Iyer, who went cheaply for an 8-ball 3 as Daryl Mitchell pulled off a spectacular catch in the deep.

Ramandeep Singh accompanied his skipper Shreyas Iyer for a 21-run stand before being castled by a Maheesh Theekshana delivery that knocked off the bails.

The spinner chocked the flow of runs for the visitors in the middle overs as the Kolkata side took over 15 overs to reach triple figures on the scoreboard. The noise levels went through the roof as Deshpande struck again with the scalp of the dangerous Rinku Singh, who pulled a delivery outside off onto his stumps after adding just 9 runs.

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Big-hitting Andre Russell fell prey to Deshpande as the pacer joined Jadeja on the list of three-fers. Mustafizur, who returned to the fold after missing the previous game, claimed the wickets of Shreyas and Mitchell Starc to extend his lead in the wicket-takers tally as CSK kept KKR to a below par total.

Chennai were off to a steady start to the chase as they opened with the usual pairing of Rachin Ravindra and skipper Gaikwad. The duo put up a 27-run stand before the Kiwi fell to Vaibhav Arora. He was replaced at the crease by compatriot Mitchell, who was promoted up the order on the day.

Gaikwad kept the scoreboard ticking with his strokeplay picking one gap in the field after another to bring the team past fifty runs before the end of the powerplay. Mitchell joined the party with his wide array of shots as he thrilled the crowd with an elegant reverse sweep to the ropes after a majestic maximum down the ground off Narine.

Mitchell and Gaikwad brought up their fifty-run stand in just over 35 deliveries as Chennai were cruising to victory. Skipper Gaikwad brought up his first fifty as CSK captain before Mitchell became Narine’s victim who clipped the bails of the Kiwi batter with a quicker delivery.

Shivam Dube delighted the audience with a couple of maximums off Varun Chakravarthy to support his skipper. The southpaw brought CSK close to the target with a massive six over the cow corner off Arora, before the home fans got what they came for.

In walked Mahendra Singh Dhoni to a raucous ovation as the Dhoni-crazy Chepauk went into a frenzy. The former captain ensured the Madras faithful walked back home in joy as he graced them with his presence at the crease before Gaikwad closed out the win with a boundary to remain unbeaten at 67 runs.