Chennai Super Kings demonstrated a return to form in a spectacular fashion. With stellar performances from Tushar Deshpande, Mustafizur Rahman, and Ravindra Jadeja, followed by impressive innings by Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) secured a convincing 7-wicket triumph over the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 encounter at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Monday. CSK continued their dominance at their home ground, cruising to victory and ending KKR’s unbeaten streak in the tournament. Chennai’s skipper Gaikwad remained unbeaten on 67 runs as he clinched the winning runs for the team.
The entry of MS Dhoni to the crease further fueled the excitement among CSK supporters, resulting in such uproar that KKR’s Andre Russell had to cover his ears to block out the noise.
Opening the 138-run chase, Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra set a blistering pace, putting immense pressure on the KKR bowlers right from the start.
Vaibhav Arora struck early for KKR by dismissing CSK opener Rachin Ravindra for 10 runs. Daryl Mitchell, the incoming batsman, received a lifeline when he was dropped by Ramandeep at deep backward square leg in the 6th over.
Mitchell and Gaikwad continued their onslaught, punishing the KKR bowlers at regular intervals. CSK captain Gaikwad reached his fifty in 45 balls.
In the 13th over, Sunil Narine ended the 70-run partnership between Mitchell and Gaikwad by dismissing Mitchell for 25. Shivam Dube joined Gaikwad at the crease, and the duo played some remarkable shots, propelling CSK closer to victory before Dube fell to Vaibhav Arora for 28 off 18 balls.
Dube’s dismissal paved the way for MS Dhoni’s entry, triggering thunderous chants from the crowd as the beloved wicketkeeper-batsman stepped onto the field. In the 18th over, Gaikwad sealed the victory with a boundary, securing a 7-wicket win for CSK.
Earlier, Ravindra Jadeja’s exceptional spell of 3/18 restricted KKR to 137/9 in their 20 overs. Gaikwad won the toss and opted to bowl first.
KKR lost their in-form opener Phil Salt on the first ball of the innings. Despite the setback, Sunil Narine and Angkrish Raghuvanshi guided the Knight Riders to the 50-run mark in the fifth over.
However, KKR suffered a collapse in the seventh over, losing both Narine and Raghuvanshi to Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling. Shreyas Iyer and Venkatesh Iyer attempted to stabilize the innings but could only manage a partnership of four runs before Venkatesh was dismissed for three runs.
Subsequent wickets fell at regular intervals, with Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, and Andre Russell all failing to make significant contributions. Shreyas Iyer top-scored with 34 runs.
In the bowling department, besides Jadeja’s three wickets, Tushar Deshpande and Mustafizur Rahman also impressed, claiming two wickets each.
In summary, Kolkata Knight Riders scored 137/9 in 20 overs, with Shreyas Iyer contributing 34 runs, while Chennai Super Kings chased down the target with ease, finishing at 141/3, with Ruturaj Gaikwad leading the charge with 67 runs, supported by Shivam Dube’s 28 runs. Vaibhav Arora was the pick of the bowlers for KKR, finishing with figures of 2-28.
Nithin Rosh 
Sekar Rao 
Nisham Ismail