IPL 2023 | Twitter in awe as CSK bring misery to KKR in the City of Joy with bullish 49-run triumph

Chennai Super Kings registered a third win on the trot on Sunday to get their points tally into double digits with what was their fifth win of the season in seven games. Rivals Kolkata Knight Riders continued to struggle with their team combinations and took a massive hit in net ren rate to put a severe dent in their play-off hopes, succumbing to a fourth successive defeat.

Batting first, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway laid the foundation for CSK with a 73-run stand in just 7.3 overs before the former departed to a peach of a googly from Suyash Sharma, who was KKR's best bowler on the day with figures of 4-0-29-1. Thereon, Ajinkya Rahane took the reins and unleashed onto his opponents a flurry of boundaries, studding his unbeaten 29-ball 71 with six boundaries and five maximums. Once Conway departed for his 56 off 40 deliveries, Shivam Dube carried on from exactly where the Kiwi had left off, taking just 20 deliveries to reach his half-century. An 18-run cameo off eight balls from Ravindra Jadeja further compounded KKR's misery and left them with their work cut out.

In response, the hosts had to send Sunil Narine out to open alongside Narayan Jagadeesan after Jason Roy took a knock while fielding but the tactic backfired as the Caribbean spinner lasted just three deliveries. Nitish Rana and Venkatesh Iyer tried to steady the innings with scores of 20 and 27 respectively but both had to return to the pavilion while attempting to change gears. Roy did emerge to bat thereafter and gave the home crowd some hope with a blistering 61 off 26 deliveries but it proved to be too little too late for the Purple Army as Maheesh Theekshana eventually bowled over the Englishman, eventually returning an impressive 2/32. A late outburst from Rinku Singh saved the team the blushes as his unbeaten 33-ball 53 took the side to a respectable 186/8. 

Ravi Shastri is not happy!

Fuming

Unexpected

Angry Ravi

True

Table topper

The real Kings

Good old times

Thala

Just CSK things