Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) lower order put up a brave fight but could not get their team past the finish line, as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat them by 18 runs in a high-scoring encounter of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.
With KKR reeling at 31/5 in 5.2 overs while chasing an imposing 221 for victory, it looked like CSK would win the match with ease.
However, Andre Russell (54 off 22 balls; 3x4, 6x6), Pat Cummins (66 not out off 34 balls; 4x4, 6x6) and Dinesh Karthik (40 off 24 balls; 4x4, 2x6) staged a remarkable fightback to take KKR to 201/9 in 19 overs.
But with 20 needed off the last over, last man Prasidh Krishna was run out off the first delivery as Cummins tried to steal a double to retain strike.
Chennai now have climbed to the top of the IPL standings with three wins in four matches, ahead of RCB who have played three games. KKR are sixth with one win in four outings
Kolkata’s chase didn't get off to the best of starts with Deepak Chahar picking two wicket in the first three overs- Shubman Gill out early once again, on first ball duck. Then it was Nitish Rana who was caught on 9 after playing 12 deliveries. KKR were 17/2 in 3 overs.
Kolkata’s top 5 batters in fact could not manage to get to the two figure mark with skipper Eoin Morgan out on 7, Sunil Narine on 4 and Rahul Tripathi on 8.
Dinesh Karthik and Andre Russel though started the fightback, smashing the CSK bowlers around the park during their 81-run 39 ball stint. Sam Curran ended their stand in the 12th over, picking the wicket of Russell after he had made 54 off just 22 deliveries.
In the overs between six and 16, KKR hammered 131 runs as the CSK bowlers looked completely out of sorts. Only pacer Lungi Ngidi looked good, picking up three wickets for 28 runs from his four overs, as his low full tosses and yorkers made the going tough for the KKR batsmen, including Cummins.
In the end, it was Pat Cummins and his big shots that got KKR close to the finish line, as they needed 28 off the last 2 overs. However, the Aussie bowler ran out of partners at the other end with Prasidh Krishna run out on the first ball of the 20th over.
Cummins unbeaten on a 33-ball 65.
Faf du Plessis's unbeaten 95 (off 60 balls) and his 115-run partnership with Ruturaj Gaikwad (64 off 42 balls) powered Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to 220/3 in 20 overs.
CSK had raced to 54 without loss in the first six overs as KKR's decision to open the bowling with spinner Varun Chakravarthy and Pat Cummins did not materialise. Cummins, in fact, was the hardest hit of all the KKR bowlers as he conceded 58 runs in his four overs, including 19 in the last over.
The South African du Plessis, who hit nine fours and four sixes, also shared a 50-run partnership with Moeen Ali (25 off 12 balls) as CSK reached 155/1 after the end of 16 overs.
After Ali's dismissal, skipper MS Dhoni chipped in with 17 runs off eight deliveries. The former India skipper hit a six and a four -- through an edge -- off India pacer Prasidh Krishna's bowling. But it was du Plessis who stole the show. He hit three consecutive fours off Andre Russell in one over in the 19th over and then followed it up with two sixes off Cummins in the last over.
Earlier, du Plessis and Gaikwad had taken 15 runs off Pat Cummins's first over.
KKR's decision to play Kamlesh Nagarkoti in place of Harbhajan Singh didn't pay off as the seamer conceded 25 runs in his two overs. Chakravarthy was the best bowler for KKR giving away 27 runs in his four overs and picking the wicket of Gaikwad. Sunil Narine took one for 34 in his four overs.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)