Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will play their 25th Indian Premier League (IPL) game in Chennai’s Chepauk.
The famous MS Dhoni has taken back his leadership duties for CSK, leading the team in front of the home crowd after Ruturaj Gaikwad was ruled out of the tournament owing to an elbow fracture.
Ajinkya Rahane, the captain of KKR, chose to field first after winning the toss. The CSK batting squad was under tremendous duress as KKR’s bowlers controlled the action from the first over. Spencer Johnson was replaced by Moeen Ali in the starting lineup, and the change was successful right away. In his second over, the off-spinner struck, breaking CSK’s top order early and removing Devon Conway.
Harshit Rana, a right-arm pacer, produced a vital eighth over as CSK attempted to regroup. He misled CSK’s middle-order batsman Vijay Shankar with a well-disguised slower delivery on his second ball. The right-handed batter chipped the hit tamely towards mid-wicket after mistiming it.
Venkatesh Iyer was in a wonderful position when the ball got to him, but he unexpectedly missed the easy catch. After the miss, Iyer indicated that he might have lost sight of the ball by pointing to the floodlights. Harshit Rana, who was obviously not impressed, could only stare at it with annoyance.
Even with the decline, KKR maintained their lead. With 15 overs played, CSK was struggling to stay in the game at 72 for 7. With Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, and Sunil Narine each taking two wickets, KKR’s bowling attack was booming. Moeen Ali’s efficient four-over session saw him add one to his total.
To give their bowlers something to defend, MS Dhoni and Shivam Dube are working to stabilise the innings at the crease and help CSK to a reasonable total.
Home