The Kolkata Knight Riders failed to breach the Chennai Super Kings den as the hosts kept their slate clean at home in the ongoing IPL season.
At the start of the CSK vs KKR match, the pitch was pegged to be a 200 run belter, but the Chennai bowlers had other plans as they put up a wonder show led by Ravindra Jadeja.
On the day, when the CSK bowlers kept their lines tight and ripped through the KKR line-up, the Knight bowlers were a far cry from the usual self, eking out a below-par performance. Jadeja's match-winning performance saw CSK pick up a seven wicket win over KKR.
The best spells bowled during the Chennai Super Kings-Kolkata Knight Riders match in Chennai on Monday, April 8, 2024:
Ravindra Jadeja
The spinner came into play after the Powerplay and he turned the match on its head.
After Tushar Deshpande's first ball strike, the Knights were cruising with Sunil Narine and Angkrish Raghuvanshi adding 56 off 36 for the second wicket. With the pair threatening to power KKR to a big score, Jadeja struck in his first over.
Not just his first over, but on his very first delivery as Raghuvanshi fell playing the reverse sweep. The veteran outsmarted the young batter as he picked up his first wicket of the evening.
Jadeja triggered KKR's collapse as he removed Narine in the same over. The left-arm spinner kept the ball away from Narine's arc, but the opener attempted to smash it anyway. Instead he was picked up by Maheesh Theekshana. Jadeja began his spell on a cracking note, picking up two wickets and conceding just five runs.
In his second over, Jadeja once again delivered as he cut short Venkatesh Iyer's stay at the crease. Jadeja picked up three wickets in his first eight deliveries, a blow the Knights could not recover from. While he conceded seven runs in his third over, he was economical in his final over conceding just three runs.
Jadeja, who picked up two catches as well, turned in sizzling figures of 3/18 at an economy of 4.50.
Tushar Deshpande
Deshpande handed CSK the perfect start. Entrusted with the new ball, Deshpande struck on the very first delivery of the match, to remove Phil Salt for a golden duck.
KKR openers have been in rampaging form and Deshpande's strike was just the start CSK needed.
Deshpande began his spell with a brilliant over, conceding just one runs and picking up a wicket.
Though Narine avenged the first strike hammering Deshpande for 19 runs in his next over.
After his two contrasting overs in the Powerplay, Deshpande came back into the attack on the 17th over and once again handed CSK a big scalp.
The slow ball did the trick as the stumps lit up, ending Rinku Singh's knock. Known to be destructive in the death over, Rinku departed for just 9 runs off 14 balls. In his third over, Deshpande kept the Knights in check, conceding just four runs and picking up a wicket.
In his final over, after being hit for a boundary, Deshpande removed the dangerous Andre Russell to pick up his third scalp of the night. A fullish ball, with the pace off and Russell mistimed it with Daryl Mitchell completing the catch and Deshpande celebrating his three-wicket haul.
Deshpande produced his best figures in the IPL, 3/33.
Mustafizur Rahman
After missing out the previous match, Mustafizur Rahman returned to the CSK line-up and continued his fine show, walking away with the purple cap at the end of the night.
Sharing the new ball with Deshpande, Mustafizur began with a quiet over, conceding just six.
While Narine and Raghuvanshi milked the other bowlers for runs in the powerplay, Fizz kept the KKR batters quiet, conceding just six runs in his second over. His two overs in the Powerplay went for just 12.
On a day when CSK conceded their most expensive Powerplay at home in IPL 2024, Fizz's two overs helped contain the KKR batters.
Ruturaj Gaikwad brought Fizz into the attack in the 18th over. In his third over, he successfully kept the big-hitting Andre Russell and Shreyas Iyer quiet. He would have gotten onto the wickettakers list, but M S Dhoni dropped Russell on 5.
He saved his best for the final over. Bowling the 20th, Fizz picked up two wickets. Striking on the first ball of the over he removed the set Shreyas Iyer, who became Jadeja's 100th IPL catch and then picked up his second, removing Mitchell Starc for a duck. A brilliant final over saw him pick up two wickets and conceding just two runs.
Fizz, who tops the wicket-takers chart after the match, turned in figures of 2/22 at an economy of 5.50.
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