Chennai Super Kings (CSK) played the role of party spoilers, delivering a significant blow to Kolkata Knight Riders‘ (KKR) playoff aspirations in the ongoing Indian Premier League.CSK defeated KKR by two wickets in a nail-biting match that went down to the wire. This victory also ended CSK’s four-match losing streak. It was a disappointing conclusion for KKR in their final home game of the season, as their campaign now hangs by a thread.Chasing 180, CSK had half of their side back in the pavilion within the powerplay. At one stage, they were struggling at 60 for 5.Another batting collapse seemed imminent. However, Dewald Brevis (52 off 25 balls), who has impressed this season, came in with aggressive intent and smashed Vaibhav Arora for 30 runs in a single over, turning the game on its head.Despite a few late twists, Shivam Dube‘s calm innings (45 off 40 balls) and the reassuring presence of MS Dhoni at the crease helped CSK cross the finish line. Two late wickets in the 19th over did not deter Dhoni, who smashed a trademark six in the final over to all but secure the win.Earlier, KKR scored 179 for 6 after opting to bat first. Captain Ajinkya Rahane top-scored with 48, while Andre Russell and Manish Pandey contributed 38 and 36 not out, respectively.For CSK, Noor Ahmad was the most successful bowler, taking four wickets.The Afghan spinner disrupted KKR’s rhythm immediately after the powerplay, striking twice in one over.
First, he dismissed Narine (26 off 17 balls; 4×4, 1×6), who was beaten in flight and brilliantly stumped by MS Dhoni. Four balls later, Angkrish Raghuvanshi edged one behind, giving CSK a double breakthrough.KKR’s momentum further dwindled as boundaries dried up – at one stage, they went 24 balls without a single four – in the middle overs.Who’s that IPL player?Their hopes rested on Andre Russell, fresh from a match-winning fifty in the previous game.The explosive Jamaican shifted gears, smashing Ravindra Jadeja for two fours and a six, and then launched Ahmad into the stands with a massive six off a googly.But Ahmad had the last laugh, deceiving Russell (38 off 21 balls) with another well-disguised googly to end his dangerous knock.In his final over, Ahmad also removed Rinku Singh, wrapping up a terrific spell that broke KKR’s backbone.Brief ScoresKKR: 179 for 6 in 20 overs (Ajinkya Rahane 48, Andre Russell 38; Noor Ahmad 4/31).CSK: 183 for 8 in 19.4 overs (Dewald Brevis 52, Shivam Dube 45; Vaibhav Arora 3/48,Varun Chakaravarthy 2/18).
