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It started sloppily -- Sunil Narine and Venkatesh Iyer dropped absolute sitters in the Powerplay, letting CSK off the hook. But what followed was a complete reversal.
The CSK batters turned the rest of the innings into catching practice, picking out fielders with unerring accuracy. And when it mattered, Vaibhav Arora and Varun Chakaravarthy stepped up with two outstanding grabs.
In the 18th over, Noor Ahmad became the next to fall as KKR tightened their grip. Vaibhav Arora bowled a short, rising delivery, which Noor tried to pull blindly. The ball took a top edge and ballooned towards short fine leg. Varun Chakaravarthy sprinted across, dived full stretch, and completed a stunning tumbling catch.
Once considered a weak link in the field, Varun showcased his improvement with a moment of brilliance.
With both ball and fielding, Varun delivered a near-flawless performance on the night.
In the 15th over, CSK's collapse at their home ground continued. Varun Chakaravarthy, staying calm and clinical, bowled a skiddy length delivery on middle stump. Deepak Hooda attempted a flick but mistimed it completely, sending the ball straight to short midwicket.
Vaibhav Arora dived forward to take a sharp, low catch with ease. Varun didn't celebrate -- just turned around and walked back to his mark, all business. Hooda was dismissed for a duck, leaving CSK struggling at 72 for 7.