In Chennai Super Kings’ innings, not a single batter reached a fifty, yet the team still compiled 192 for 5 — the second-highest IPL total ever without a 50-plus score from any individual. Kolkata Knight Riders never truly threatened the chase, finishing on 160 for 7 as CSK marked Tamil New Year with a win on April 14, their third consecutive victory.
Brief scores: Chennai Super Kings 192/5 in 20 overs (Sanju Samson 48 off 32, Dewald Brevis 41 off 29, Ayush Mhatre 38 off 17; Kartik Tyagi 2/35) beat Kolkata Knight Riders 160/7 in 20 overs (Ramandeep Singh 35 off 23, Rovman Powell 31* off 22; Noor Ahmad 3/21, Anshul Kamboj 2/32) by 32 runs.
Who turned the match for CSK? Noor Ahmad. With the openers dismissed during the Powerplay, KKR’s hopes depended on the middle order taking the initiative. CSK denied that plan through Noor’s regular breakthroughs, while Akeal Hosein also applied pressure from the other end to keep the required run-rate moving.
A strong start despite the opening stand not lasting
For the fourth time in five matches, CSK’s opening partnership failed to see the third over. And for the fifth time this season, Ruturaj Gaikwad did not stay long. The CSK captain began with a sharp boundary, hitting Cameron Green past the slips, before attempting a slog sweep off Anukul Roy — only for the ball to carry to deep midwicket. Soon after, Samson had already set the tone in the opening over from Vaibhav Arora, striking a hat-trick of fours.
Ayush Mhatre, who had been retired out in the previous game, came in with intent and kept finding boundaries consistently. He also struck two sixes off Green, helping CSK surge past the fifty mark within four overs. Samson continued his rhythm, smashing his first six of the innings off Anukul in the fifth over, picking up where he left off last time.
Arora bowled the final over of the Powerplay but once again allowed runs. Mhatre produced another hat-trick of fours, yet he was dismissed off the last ball of the sixth over for 38 off 17 deliveries.
Brevis makes an early impact
The South African, who had not batted in the previous match, delivered immediately. Brevis struck a six off Sunil Narine in his first over. Meanwhile, Varun Chakravarthy, back in the playing XI after missing two games, was punished by Samson for a four. On the next ball, the bat slipped from Samson’s grip and he switched gloves after the over.
Brevis then earned a leading edge off Narine that cleared the fielders. Samson’s six off Kartik Tyagi helped CSK move past 100 in the 10th over. Varun made a strong start to his spell, keeping things quiet and conceding only 11 in his first two overs. Samson attempted to ease the pressure with another six off Tyagi, but he was dismissed shortly after, falling just short of a fifty.
KKR did manage to string together a few controlled overs. Still, CSK regained momentum in the 14th over when Sarfaraz Khan struck a six and Brevis added two fours off Varun.
Why CSK didn’t reach 200
Key wickets and timely bowling prevented CSK from going all the way. Narine and Tyagi combined for crucial breakthroughs: although Arora went for 20 in the 16th over, Narine removed Sarfaraz and then conceded only seven in his last over. Tyagi followed up by taking Brevis’s wicket in a six-run over.
Arora supported the effort with a nine-run 19th over, and Tyagi finished strongly, giving away just eight. After that, the final four overs produced only 30 runs, with Shivam Dube and Jamie Overton managing just a single boundary each.
A stuttering start for KKR
Narine opened the chase alongside Impact Player Finn Allen and struck a six off Khaleel Ahmed in the first over. He was soon given a reprieve by the CSK captain and added another six, plus a boundary, to his tally. However, CSK controlled the Powerplay. Allen edged a delivery from Anshul Kamboj into play, and Narine also got an edge off Khaleel.
Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi began slowly, leaving KKR with 36 for 2 — the third-lowest Powerplay total of the season.
How spin triggered KKR’s collapse
Once the Powerplay ended, KKR looked more comfortable. Raghuvanshi and Rahane found boundaries and even struck up a half-century stand. They also benefited from a couple of moments: Brevis spilled a difficult chance while running, sparing Raghuvanshi, and Sarfaraz dropped Rahane.
But Akeal Hosein brought the story to an end for Raghuvanshi, with Brevis taking a catch this time. Noor Ahmad then ended Rahane’s stay, followed by dismissing Green for a first-ball duck. Noor continued by removing Rinku Singh in his next over, leaving KKR in deep trouble at 90 for 6 in the 13th over.
From there, Rovman Powell and Ramandeep Singh could only trim the gap, but the defeat remained decisive.
Different ends, different pressures
Bowling from the V. Pattabhiraman Gate End posed problems for KKR, as CSK managed 121/3 from that end at a run-rate of 12.1. At the other end — the Anna Pavilion End — CSK were at 71/2 with a run-rate of 7.1. Spinners were especially effective from the Anna Pavilion End, taking 2 wickets for 45 runs in eight overs, while conceding 23 without a wicket in two wicketless overs from the Pattabhiraman end.
KKR’s batting also reflected the uneven split: from the Anna Pavilion End they scored 80/4, and from the V Pattabhiraman Gate End they were 80/3.
What’s next for the franchises?
After two straight home wins, CSK travel to Hyderabad to face SRH on April 18. Still without a win after five matches, KKR head to Ahmedabad to take on GT on April 17.
