IPL 2022: CSK vs KKR Review – Kolkata begin with a thumping win
The repeat fixture of the last final, CSK against KKR in the tournament opener this season ended in the favour of the KKR side. CSK were to put into bat first after losing the toss and they had a poor start as they lost Ruturaj Gaikwad for a duck in the first over. Devon Conway followed him soon as well while Robin Uthappa managed to find the boundaries from one end.
However, there was no stable partnership as wickets kept falling around and it was down to MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja to take the team to a respectable score. Both the batters took a lot of time initially but Dhoni started to tee off towards the end and got to his half century as well in the process.
CSK scored 47 runs in the last three overs and got to 131 for 5 in their 20 overs which looked improbable at a moment. However, despite the flourish towards the end, the score looked par.
In reply, the KKR side started off exceedingly well with Ajinkya Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer giving a solid start at the top of the order. Rahane, who top-scored with 44 in particular, was ready to take the risk in the powerplay and played some beautiful shots which eased the pressure. Nitish Rana, who came in at the fall of Iyer, took on the left-arm spin of Santner and Jadeja.
Contributions from Sam Billings, Shreyas Iyer and Sheldon Jackson got the required run rate down and, in the end, the KKR side chased off the target with six wickets in hand in just 18.3 overs.
Top Performers of the match
Umesh Yadav
Umesh Yadav bowled some beautiful lines and lengths with the new ball and he got the two important wickets of Gaikwad and Conway. He bowled a lot of outswingers and used the help from the wicket to his advantage. The 34-year-old finished with 2 for 20 in his four overs.
MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni finally brought up his first half century since the 2019 edition and it came at an important time. The veteran batter struggled at the start of his innings but came off really well towards the end and found a lot of gaps in the final overs.
What next for the two teams?
KKR will head to the Dr. DY Patil Sports Academy, Navi Mumbai to play RCB in their next encounter on March 30. CSK, on the other hand, will play the Lucknow Super Giants in their next game on the March 31 at the Brabourne Stadium.
