Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 32 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday, April 14. This win takes Chennai to number 8 in the points table, surpassing arch-rivals Mumbai Indians. On the other hand, KKR are at the bottom with four losses in five matches.
On Tuesday, KKR won the toss and invited CSK to bat first. Ruturaj Gaikwad's The disappointing form continued and he departed in the third over. However, Sanju Samson and Ayush Mhatre helped CSK dominate the power play by making a partnership of 47 runs in 22 balls.
Mhatre and Samson scored 38 and 48 respectively as KKR pulled things back with their spinners. Sunil Narine once again performed brilliantly, making life difficult for the CSK middle-order. However, Dewald Brevis and Sarfaraz Khan did well as they stitched a 51-run partnership off 29 balls to keep CSK in search of a score of over 200.
However, Karthik Tyagi bowled brilliantly in the death overs as the Knights restricted the Men in Yellow to 192/5 in 20 overs.
In reply, Finn Allen was once again out cheaply. Sunil Narine, who was promoted to open the batting, tried to play his natural game and scored 24 runs in 17 balls. Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi were dismissed once each, but they could not make CSK pay.
From 79/2, KKR slipped to 90/6 as Noor Ahmed and Akeal Hosein produced exemplary performances in the middle overs. Rovman Powell and Ramandeep Singh put on a partnership of 63 runs off 40 balls, but it was not enough for the visiting team as they eventually stopped at 160/7. For them, Ramandeep played an inning of 35 runs in 23 balls.
talking points
Noor Ahmed is back in the wickets
Noor Ahmed's return to form was important for CSK. This charismatic spinner from Afghanistan had taken only one wicket in the first four matches of the season and his economy rate was 11.31. However, on Tuesday he was bowling at his best. He finished with excellent figures of 3/21 from four overs and won the Player of the Match award.
Young players do wonders for CSK
Over the years, CSK has relied on experienced players to deliver success. However, in recent seasons, they have favored youth, and it paid off on Tuesday. First, it was Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis who played the aggressive first innings, paving the way for the five-time champions to post a challenging score. Then, it was Noor Ahmed who laid the net for the KKR batsmen.
KKR has a problem with Cameron Green.
KKR added Cameron Green for Rs 25.20 crore in the IPL 2026 mini auction. The three-time champion would have been expected to replace Andre Russell. However, the Australian all-rounder is far from his best. On Tuesday he bowled two overs and gave 30 runs. With the bat, he was demoted to number 6, and Noor Ahmed dismissed him for a golden duck.
who said what
Ajinkya Rahane, Kolkata Knight Riders Captain:
No real movement with the bat. Absolutely. I thought we pushed back really well with the ball. 190 runs on this wicket was really good, especially they got 70 runs in the powerplay. After that, getting back to 190 was an amazing job by our bowling unit. I initially thought that with our batting, we would have scored just 36 or 37 runs in the powerplay. I thought that was really important. It was a bit challenging to hit the spinners in the middle stage, but apart from that, the wicket was really good. We needed a batsman to bat deep and then take it in the end. I think it's hard at the moment. Yes, we are not winning matches, it is difficult. It's important for all of us as a group to stay positive, keep your head high, keep your chin up, just focus on the moment. Yes, we have to sit in the dressing room, think of combinations. We will have to make any changes. Sometimes you support players, if the results are going in your favour, then it is fine. But if the results are not going as per your wish then you will have to think about the combination. But other than that, I thought it was all about being positive and keeping my head up. (On Tyagi) I think all the credit goes to him. I mean, he is working really hard in the nets. He is bowling really well and is a great talent. The speed at which he is bowling at the moment is amazing. So I'm really happy for him. Game by game, he is improving his skills. (On their spinners) Yes, all three spinners. I mean, if you look at CSK's spinners too, they bowled really well. It was not easy for the batsmen to hit big sixes unless you bowled really well. it was easy. Otherwise, putting it back and then crossing was not an easy option for the batsmen. So I thought from both sides, the spinners bowled really well. Like I said, we just have to keep our heads up and stay positive and have self-belief.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Chennai Super Kings captain:
Definitely feeling good, to be honest. Again I think, we defended a good score. I thought it was an even score, given that, you know, the first, I would say, wicket changed a lot after seven or eight overs. Started moving around a bit, started stopping a bit. So, you know, we were thinking about 220, 210 earlier, but then, we thought anything around 190, 180 would be a good score and I think after that, we have to get a good power play in the bowling. After that, it was about maintaining that run rate. (Talking about the teams' bowling) Yes, it was good. You know, slowly, slowly, it's starting to come together, I think. Everyone knows what their role is, which overs, what to bowl and what length to bowl. So I think they are adjusting and adapting really well as per the needs of the team. Like I said, slowly, slowly, we are getting better and better. And this is a good sign for us. Yes, you know, we thought so, you know, since we wanted to use Noor when we were short of padding, but we thought, we had that covered and Akhil was coming in the second innings, as a power play bowler. But, with Sunil Narine opening the batting, we thought, it was still entertaining. So with two right-handed batsmen in the middle, he can still get us good overs. So I think he bowled really well, went under the radar, but I think he bowled really well. Yeah, I think we left out everything that came, just took one or two, but still, I thought, I thought it was kinda okay. Today my hands are sweating a lot. No excuses, but of course you'll want to improve. As long as there's energy, intention behind every ball and like I said, attitude behind it, we're fine, even if we drop a few. First of all, I think it's good to be on the winning side after a long time. Even when I was batting I felt it coming to my mind, but after the last game I felt a bit relaxed and I think I am feeling really good. Just make sure to do whatever the team needs, whatever the situation. And I'm feeling mentally as well, I'm feeling really good, feeling positive, and just have a big, big innings coming, but as long as other guys are covering for me, definitely I'll do that when needed.
Noor Ahmed, Player of the Match:
First of all, really happy to contribute to my team. Yes, there was dew, and there was moisture, so just try to keep your fingers dry and yes, that helped me a lot to hit the right area. It was all about that. Yeah, really happy with the pitch. I think the ball was not really coming on the bat well and yes, it was good to take advantage of that. (Talking about confidence) Yes, definitely it gives a lot of confidence. Yes, I will keep trying my best to contribute for my team in the coming matches. I think it's best to keep changing the pace everywhere and on every wicket and tonight, 90 over 90 is good.
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