Kolkata: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have notched up two wins in their last two games after starting with none in their first three. It may or may not mean that the five-time IPL champions have shrugged off a poor start but about this there can be no doubt: this is turning out to be annus horribilis for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Tuesday’s 32-run loss provided confirmation. It also meant that CSK defended the lowest target in IPL 2026. Early indications of spin playing a decisive role came when KKR restricted CSK to 192/5. But what KKR did, Noor Ahmad did better. The globetrotting left-arm wrist spinner derailed KKR’s reply with figures of 4-0-21-3, the good spell becoming great when the 21-year-old Afghanistan player dismissed Ajinkya Rahane and Cameron Green off successive deliveries.
Epitomising KKR’s season is Green. Bought at ₹25.20 crore, which made the Australian the most expensive player in IPL history, he has struggled with the bat and ball. Ayush Mhatre took 20 off him swinging the big Australian for two pulled sixes after creaming him for two boundaries on the off-side. With the bat, Green failed to trouble the scorers, being bowled first ball after Ahmad cramped him for room.
Even with the dew and CSK spilling three catches, of Sunil Narine, Angkrish Raghuvanshi and Rahane, KKR struggled to get going. Green’s dismissal and that of Rinku Singh in the 13th over meant that with KKR around, even a T20 match can meander to a tame finish. Still looking for their first win after five matches, KKR tried opening with Sunil Narine, dropping Rahane and Green down the order but nothing has worked.
With a mixture of spin and speed, KKR had ensured that the torrent of runs became a drizzle. They would have been more than happy with how things panned out after CSK’s innings began with a hattrick of boundaries and also had three successive fours in the last over of the Powerplay, both bowled by Vaibhav Arora.
Narine was again economical and unlucky to not get Dewald Brevis early after the swashbuckling South African speared a carom ball that had four fielders converging on it but eluding them all. KKR pulled things back well after CSK had galloped to 72/2, their highest Powerplay score of the season.
Narine and Varun Chakravarthy’s efforts were complemented by Kartik Tyagi and some smart left-arm spin from Anukul Roy. Tyagi beat batters with pace but mixed 145kph deliveries with slower ones. The one that disturbed Sanju Samson’s furniture was clocked at 148.1kph and Brevis was lured into going for a swing to one that was a lot slower.
With CSK batters moving towards the leg-side, KKR also aimed wide of off-stump which despite the 10 wides made scoring difficult. Only two big overs after the Powerplay, the 14th off Chakravarthy and the 16th by Arora that went for 20, meant that CSK could not change gears.
Mhatre’s brisk knock of 38 (17 balls; 6×4; 2×6) and Samson’s 32-ball 48 where most of his big shots, including the first three boundaries, were square of the wicket on the off-side, had provided them with a platform. Brevis (41) and Sarfaraz (23) got starts but could not really get going. Little did KKR know it would be a sign of things to come.
Brief scores: CSK 192/5 (Sanju Samson 48, Dewald Brevis 41, Kartik Tyagi 2/35). KKR 160/7 (Rovman Powell 31*, Ramandeep Singh 35, Anshul Kamboj 2/32, Noor Ahmad 3/21). CSK won by 32 runs.