The Chennai Super Kings kick-started their IPL campaign with a win over Kolkata Knight Riders by 2 runs. The match was swivelling between the two sides till the last ball. Srikkanth Anirudha was awarded with the man of the match for his brilliant performance of 64.
M.S. Dhoni won the toss and chose to bat first on the hard and dusty pitch at Chepauk. Anirudha proved to be a good substitute to Matthew Hayden and capitalised on opening opportunity. He played a crucial knock of 64 which included six boundaries and two sixes.
On the other hand, Murali Vijay fell cheaply on the bowling of Iqbal Abdullah. Suresh Raina continued his purple patch- he scored 33 in 29 deliveries which included four boundaries. Just when he was settling down, he was dismissed off a wide outside off stump line delivery by Yusuf Pathan. He tried to hit the ball over midwicket only to find a fielder in Sarabjit Ladda. The score was 80-2.
Dhoni and Anirudha put up a 49 run partnership with Dhoni striking a boundary and a six in his innings of 29. He was dismissed when he tried to hook a slow bouncer from Jacques Kallis but ended up being caught by wicket-keeper. Anirudha was bowled by a magnificent yorker by Kallis. Some gutsy blows by Albie Morkel in the last over saw the Chennai Super Kings reaching to a total of 153 in 20 overs.
With the batting line up and the confidence Kolkata showed in the first innings, it looked like a walk in the park for the Kolkata Knight Riders. A surprise move by Gautam Gambhir witnessed Manvinder Bisla opening the innings with Kallis. The openers put up a solid 64 run stand in 8.5 overs before Bisla was dismissed for 27.Yusuf Pathan played with the same aggression as always. A huge six in the initial deliveries showed his intent. But he was run out after scoring 11 to a hesitation by both batsmen and a brilliant throw from Dhoni.
Meanwhile, Kallis continued to be resilient at the other end. Eventually, he was dismissed for 54 (7X4) after a failed paddle sweep attempt which ended up as a simple catch at short fine leg. Kolkata needed 39 of 20 deliveries at this point. Eoin Morgan was sent back to the pavilion after a combined effort of a fine stumping by Dhoni and clever bowling tactics of Raina. The scoreboard showed 119-4. This became 120-5 due to a horrible mix up and great backing up by Scott Styris. Gambhir made the long walk after scoring one run and his team struggling.
The match saw a twist. Manoj Tiwary struck two blistering sixes in debutant Suraj Randiv’s over and pulled the game back. But Randiv used his arm ball at the right time which induced Tiwary to come outside his crease but he missed the shot. Dhoni knocked the stumps in a flash. Kolkata were reeling at 145-6.
Tim Southee showed his death over bowling skills and took the wicket of Laxmi Shukla too. With four needed of the last ball, Southee bowled a yorker to give a leg bye. Dhoni’s men in yellow did it again and continued their winning streak after the Champions League.
They face Kings XI Punjab in the next game and Kolkata would look to get themselves back on track with their next encounter against Deccan Chargers. Such a thriller finish has surely ensured a good start to the tournament.
Pictures © AFP
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