Chennai Super Kings defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 2 runs in a close finish in the inaugural fixture of the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League.
Kolkata were very much on their way to chasing down the total set by Chennai but lost wickets at crucial stages of the innings and as a result fell short by a narrow margin.
Chasing a very competitive total at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, the visitors were off to a flying start and were cruising through their openers Manvinder Bisla and Jacques Kallis. Both of them had accumulated 64 runs when Bisla was dismissed in the 9th over of the innings.
Kolkata had high hopes from Yusuf Pathan but they faced a huge setback when the hard-hitter was run out cheaply. Manoj Tiwary played a little cameo but none of the other batsmen succeeded in making an impression on the match and as a result, Kolkata managed only 151 runs in their 20 overs for the loss of 7 wickets.
South Africa international Jacques Kallis remained the top scorer as he made 54 runs off just 42 balls with the help of 7 boundaries. Bisla and Tiwary scored important 27 runs each but failed to carry on and convert their start into a big knock, which was needed in the run chase.
The disappointing thing for the Knight Riders was the fact that two of their best players Gautam Gambhir and Yusuf Pathan were run out, which turned out to be the deciding factor between both the teams.
Tim Southee, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shadab Jakati, Suraj Randiv and Suresh Raina claimed a victim each to halt Kolkata’s progress.
Srikkanth Anirudha of Chennai Super Kings was named as the Man of the Match for his brilliant innings of 64 runs from 55 deliveries.
Chennai are defending their title in the IPL and their captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni looks all set to secure another triumph for his team.
Kolkata on the other hand have a different outlook this season and the management would be hoping to do well in the cash rich tournament.
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