Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) outplayed MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their last home game of IPL 2023 on Sunday. Despite CSK setting a target of 145 runs, KKR achieved the victory with six wickets and nine balls to spare, thanks to the match-winning half-centuries of captain Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh. After losing their first three wickets for 33 runs in the fifth over, Rana and Rinku's partnership proved to be the highlight of the match. Rana remained unbeaten at 57 off 44 balls, while Rinku made 54 off 43 deliveries, leading KKR to victory.
Legend signs legend
In the post-match lap of the Chepauk to give goodies to the fans, former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who is currently part of the commentary team for IPL 2023, took the opportunity to take the autograph of CSK captain MS Dhoni on his shirt. The two cricketing legends shared a warm hug after the moment.
After getting Dhoni's autograph on his shirt, Gavaskar said on-air: "Please give me a new pink shirt for the remaining games".
KKR win opens up playoff battle
KKR chased down a target of 145 with six wickets and nine balls to spare. Rinku Sing and Nitish Rana's partnership was one of the highlights of the match, and Rana's performance was noteworthy as he made the most of a dropped chance.
The spin duo of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine played a crucial role in helping KKR restrict CSK earlier in the match. They picked up two wickets each and bowled superbly to keep the run-scoring in check.
The defeat for CSK puts their chances of sealing a playoff berth on hold as they are currently in second place with 15 points. On the other hand, KKR moved to 12 points with a match to play, but their hopes of reaching the playoffs rest on other results.
