Chennai Super Kings climbed to the top of the table in convincing fashion, as they outplayed Kolkata Knight Riders in match 33 of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, recording a 49-run win. Defending the highest score of this season, 235 runs, MS Dhoni’s bowlers were successful in restricting Kolkata to a total of 186/8.
Kolkata’s opening stand could not deliver yet again. Sunil Narine was sent up the order, but he got out for a duck in only the first over. In the next over, his partner Narayan Jagadeesan also followed suit after scoring just the one run.
Venkatesh Iyer and skipper Nitish Rana then built a 45-run third-wicket stand, but it was a partnership which did not quite bother Chennai, with both batters scoring at a rate much slower than what the situation demanded.
Iyer departed for a run-a-ball 20, before Rana was handed the return ticket when he was batting on 27 runs. Then reeling at 70/4, it seemed that the Knights’ innings will fold very soon, but that was not to be as Jason Roy and Rinku Singh constructed a rearguard.
The two batters combined to score 114 runs, with both of them bringing up half-centuries. However, Andre Russell was disappointing once again as he could contribute only 9 runs to his team's tally.
For Chennai, Maheesh Theekshana and Tushar Deshpande were the most successful bowlers with two wickets each, while Akash Singh and Matheesha Pathirana proved to be very economical.
Three Half-Centuries Power Chennai to Highest Score of the Season
Earlier, Chennai’s’ in-form batting department breached the 200-run barrier for the third time, as they unleashed every shot in their arsenal to record the highest score of the season. After being asked to bat first by Kolkata, MS Dhoni’s team scored a mammoth 235/4.
The foundation, yet again, was laid by the opening pair of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway. The first four overs produced only 31 runs, but a 14-run fifth over, off Namibian all-rounder David Wiese’s bowling, served as the trailer of the onslaught that was about to arrive.
Gaikwad looked on course to record his third half-century of the season, but young leg-spinner Suyash Sharma did not quite subscribe to that idea. Outfoxing the batter with a googly, Suyash earned the hosts’ first breakthrough in the eighth over.
Yet, that had a negligible effect on the scoring rate, with a former Knight, Ajinkya Rahane returning to haunt his previous employers. The first overs following the powerplay produced 35 runs, as Devon Conway brought up his fourth consecutive half-century in the tenth over.
With this achievement, the Kiwi batter became only the seventh player to score four or more back-to-back fifties in this competition.
His knock met its conclusion soon after, with Varun Chakaravarthy adding a wicket to his name in the 13th over, but for the second time in the game, the new batter received the memo and completely understood the instructions.
Shivam Dube was seen at his very best, as he struck consecutive sixes barely a minute after entering the 22 yards. Umesh Yadav returned to the attack and conceded 22 runs in the next over, with Rahane swapping roles and striking back-to-back sixes on this occasion.
The onslaught did not face any bumps on the road, as barring Suyash, every bowler received the same treatment and was dispatched to every possible corner of the ground.
Rahane took only 24 deliveries to bring up his half-century, before Dube took a cue out of his book and did the same in the next over.
Unlike the former, however, the latter could not stay till the end and departed after bringing up his fifty, but Ravindra Jadeja ensured that he not only matches what his predecessor did, but goes a step further. He scored 18 runs in only 8 deliveries, with Rahane remaining unbeaten on a 29-ball 71, helping Chennai accumulate 66 runs in the last four overs.
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