Chennai Super Kings’ clash with Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday was a one-sided affair till about two-thirds of ...
Chennai Super Kings’ clash with Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday was a one-sided affair till about two-thirds of the way in. Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Co were asked to bat first and they dominated for a long period. But such was the drama in KKR’s fightback in the final third of the match that we were left with a classic Indian Premier League thriller.
Chennai came into the contest full of confidence having won their previous two games at the same venue. And they did well to complete a hat-trick and beat KKR by 18 runs to go top of the table, but not before getting a mighty scare just when most thought the match was done and dusted.
Having posted a formidable total of 220/3, the Super Kings seemed to have killed the contest when they had KKR tottering at 31/5 in 5.2 overs. However, what happened from there on turned what looked like a straightforward CSK victory into perhaps the match of the tournament so far.
The outcome of the game was determined by three key phases: CSK’s massive first-wicket partnership, their utter domination with the new ball, and KKR’s unexpected belligerence with the bat at the end.
Here’s a closer look at these three phases:
Big opening
Faf du Plessis and...
