KKR Innings Falters after Promising Start against CSK
Kolkata Knight Riders got off to a flying start after being put into bat by Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk, but their innings fell apart against the spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Maheesh Theekshana as they could only manage 155/9 in their 20 overs.
Openers Sunil Narine (27 off 20) and Angkrish Raghuvanshi (24 off 18) after salt gone for a duck, gave KKR a blazing start, putting on 43 runs in just 4.1 overs. However, the introduction of Jadeja turned the tide as he dismissed both set batters in his very first over.
Narine looked in ominous form initially, smashing 3 fours and 2 sixes, but a shoulder niggle seemed to bother him as the innings progressed. Raghuvanshi continued his good form, playing some crisp strokes before being trapped LBW by Jadeja trying to reverse sweep.
KKR’s middle order failed to capitalize on the start provided by the openers as the likes of Venkatesh Iyer (3), Ramandeep Singh (13) and Rinku Singh (9) all got starts but failed to convert them into substantial scores.
Spinner Theekshana complemented Jadeja well, bowling an economical spell of 4-0-28-1 and dismissing the dangerous Ramandeep Singh.
Shreyas Iyer top-scored for KKR with a patient 34 off 32 balls, but ran out of partners at the other end. Some late hitting by Andre Russell (10 off 10) took KKR past the 150-run mark.
For CSK, Jadeja was the pick of the bowlers returning brilliant figures of 4-0-18-3, while Tushar Deshpande picked up 3/33. KKR will feel they missed out on posting a more competitive total after the blistering start they got.
CSK vs KKR – Batting performances
- Sunil Narine gave KKR a blazing start, smashing 27 off 20 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes before falling to Jadeja.
- Angkrish Raghuvanshi continued his good IPL form, making 24 off 18 balls with 3 fours and a six. He looked good until being dismissed LBW by Jadeja.
- Shreyas Iyer top-scored with 34 off 32 balls, but couldn’t capitalize on the start provided by the openers.
- The middle order of Venkatesh Iyer (3), Ramandeep Singh (13) and Rinku Singh (9) all got starts but failed to convert them.
CSK vs KKR – Bowling Performances
- Ravindra Jadeja was the star with excellent figures of 4-0-18-3. His first over turned the momentum as he dismissed the set openers Narine and Raghuvanshi.
- Tushar Deshpande gave CSK a dream start by dismissing Salt on the very first ball. He ended up with 3/33 from his 4 overs.
- Spinner Maheesh Theekshana was economical, going for just 28 runs in his 4 overs and dismissing the dangerous Ramandeep Singh.
- Mustafizur Rahman was also tight with the new ball, conceding just 21 runs in his 4 overs.