After Chennai Super Kings (CSK) went down to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by six wickets at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday, skipper M.S. Dhoni felt that dew made a massive difference in trying to defend a moderate 144/6.
Four-time champions CSK had a fantastic chance to seal their Playoffs’ berth in front of their home crowd as pacer Deepak Chahar scalped three wickets in Power-play before KKR skipper Nitish Rana and batter Rinku Singh stitched a 99-run partnership off 76 balls for the fourth wicket to guide their side home with nine balls to spare.
“The minute we bowled the first ball in the second innings, we knew we needed 180. But there was no way we could have got 180 on that pitch. The dew made a big difference in the second innings. We can’t really blame any of our bowlers. Just that the conditions had a big impact on the game. Very happy with what Shivam has done, but important that he is not satisfied and keeps improving. Chahar swings the ball, he knows what fields to take, and he bowls accordingly,” Dhoni said after the game ended.
While skipper Rana remained unbeaten on 57 off 44 balls, Rinku was impressive in scoring 54 off 43 balls as the duo also achieved the distinction of stitching the highest-ever stand for the fourth wicket partnership against CSK at their own backyard.
“Said at the toss that if all 3 departments do well, our chances are good. Have to give credit to Chandu sir (coach Chandrakant Pandit) for this — I wasn’t in favour of taking heavy roller but he insisted to go for it. I feared the pitch might break up. But that didn’t happen and the ball didn’t turn much. Every team has a home advantage except KKR,” added Rana.
Rinku, who received the Player of the Match Award for being the architect of the win, said the plan was to make the most out of bad deliveries.
“Lost some wickets early. When I went in, Nitish bhaiyya said it’s a tough wicket. Will knock it around for singles and capitalise on loose balls. I bat in the same position in domestic cricket and play the same way. I eat well and have always had the power. A lot of hard work behind it.”
The win also kept KKR alive in the race to Playoffs, while Chennai, still in second place, need a victory in their last league match against Delhi Capitals on May 20 to seal a spot in the top four.