Narine’s all-round performance powers KKR to thumping win over CSK

CHENNAI: Sunil Narine turned in a match-winning all-round performance to help the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) return to winning ways with a commanding eight-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at Chennai on Friday.

Bowling first, Narine was exceptional with the ball, finishing with impressive figures of 3/13. His spell played a crucial role in restricting CSK to 103/9. The seasoned spinner picked up key wickets and applied the brakes during the middle overs, never allowing the CSK batters to settle.

Narine’s impact didn’t stop there. Opening the batting alongside Quinton de Kock, the West Indian went on a rampage right from the outset. The duo added 46 runs for the first wicket, laying a solid foundation for the chase. Narine smashed a blistering 44 off 19 balls, laced with two boundaries and five towering sixes, providing KKR with the momentum they needed.

de Kock fell for 23, bowled by Anshul Kamboj, who was playing his first game for CSK, while Narine was dismissed by Noor Ahmad on the very first ball of his spell. However, the damage had already been done. Ajinkya Rahane (20*), leading the side, played a composed knock and built a 39-run partnership with Narine before being joined by Rinku Singh.

Rinku (15*) finished the match in style with a towering six in the 11th over, helping KKR chase down the target in just 10.1 overs. They ended at 107/2, not only sealing their third win of the season but also giving a significant boost to their Net Run Rate. With this victory, KKR climbed to the third spot on the points table with three wins in six games.

CSK’s campaign continues to falter, as they suffered their fifth consecutive loss, and remain in the ninth position in the standings.

Apart from Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Moeen Ali’s bowling performance restricted the five-time champions Chennai Super Kings to 103/9 in their 20 overs at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.

The Knight Riders’ skipper, Ajinkya Rahane, won the toss and elected to bowl first at the Chepauk.

Left-hand batters Rachin Ravindra (4 runs off 9 balls) and Devon Conway (12 runs from 11 balls) came in the middle to open the innings for the hosts. Both players added just 16 runs, as Conway was sent back to the pavilion in the fourth over on the bowling of off-spinner Moeen Ali.

After Conway’s dismissal, right-hand batter Rahul Tripathi (16 runs in 22 balls) came out to bat in the middle, along with Rachin. In the fifth over, at the score of 16, the Super Kings lost their second wicket as Rachin was sent back to the dressing room by right-arm seamer Harshit Rana.

Following Rachin’s dismissal, right-hand batter Vijay Shankar came out next for the CSK team. Both players scored the team’s 50-run mark in the 8th over. Tripathi and Shankar built a partnership of 43 runs from 33 balls as Shankar was sent back in the 10 over on the bowling of mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy.

Batters Ravichandran Ashwin (1), Ravindra Jadeja (0), impact player Deepak Hooda (0) and franchise skipper MS Dhoni (1) failed to make the mark in the clash as they were dismissed cheaply.

In the end, the left-hamd batter Shivam Dube (31* runs off 29 balls) scored some crucial runs for the hosts, which took them to over the 100-run mark. After the completion of 20 overs, the Chennai-based franchise finished at 103 runs for the loss of nine wickets with Dube and Anshul Kamboj unbeaten on the crease (3 runs from 3 balls).

For the visitors, three wickets were snapped by Sunil Narine (3/13), two wickets each were grabbed by Harshit Rana (2/16) & Varun Chakravarthy (2/22) and one wicket each was bagged by Vaibhav Arora (1/31) & Moeen Ali (1/20) in their respective spells of four overs.

Brief Score: Chennai Super Kings 103/9 in 20 overs (Shivam Dube 31*, Vijay Shankar 29; Sunil Narine 3/13) vs. Kolkata Knight Riders 107/2 in 10.1 overs (Sunil Narine 44, Quinton de Kock 23; Noor Ahmad 1/8). (ANI)