Top order batsman Ajinkya Rahane’s 71 off 29 balls carnage helped CSK smash KKR at home on Sunday. Chasing 236 runs KKR were restricted to 186 for 8 in the 33rd match of the cash rich league turned out to be their fourth on the trot.
Fifties from Rahane, Devon Conway and Shivam Dube powered Chennai to 236 for 4 and in reply Kolkata. Rahane showcased sensational stroke-play which was complemented in equal measure by the muscular Dube (50 off 21 balls) and ever-consistent Conway (56 off 40 balls) with CSK scoring an imposing total.
With Jayson Roy pulling a hamstring the likes of Akash Singh (1/29 in 4 overs),Matheesa Pathirana (1/27 in 4 overs) and Tushar Deshpande (2/43 in 4 overs) along with seasoned spinners Moeen Ali (1/20 in 1 over), Maheesh Theekshana (2/32 in 4 overs) and Ravindra Jadeja (1/34 in 3 overs) helmed the men in yellow take over opponents.
Meanwhile, Maheesh Theekshana and Tushar Deshpande were in good bowling form for CSK and scalped two wickets each.
After their win, CSK climbed to top of the table with 10 points in seven matches. Rajasthan Royals are second, followed by Lucknow Super Giants in third, Gujarat Titans in fourth, Royal Challengers Bangalore in fifth and Punjab Kings in sixth position. The teams from second to sixth position have eight points, with net run rate being the deciding factor.
Earlier in the day, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) carried forward the winning momentum as they edged Rajasthan Royals (RR) by seven runs in the IPL 2023 clash at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Glenn Maxwell hammered 77 off 44 balls while Faf du Plessis contributed 62 off 39 balls to guide RCB to a par score of 189 for nine after being sent in to bat.
Requring 190 to win, Rajasthan lost their star opener Jos Buttler for 0 but a solid hand by Devdutt Padikkal and Yashasvi Jaiswal got their innings back on track. The pair added 98 runs for the second wicket, before Padikkal stitched 98 runs for the second wicket against David Willey. Yashasvi 47(37) and Sanju Samson 22(15) were also removed shortly. Shimron Hetmyer failed to find the big hits and was run-out for 3(9), however, a late cameo by Dhruv Jurel kept Rajasthan in hunt. With 20 required in the final over, Jurely only got to face the final delivery, when the match was already out of RR’s hand as they managed to add 182/6 in 20 overs.