Chennai: Kolkata Knight Riders’ spinners led a disciplined bowling display to restrict Chennai Super Kings to just 103/9 in their allotted 20 overs at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Friday in the ongoing Indian Premier League 2025 season.

After winning the toss, Knight Riders' captain Ajinkya Rahane chose to field first. The Super Kings sent in left-handers Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway to open the innings. However, the pair managed only 16 runs before Conway (12 off 11 balls) was dismissed in the fourth over by Moeen Ali.

Rachin (4 off 9 balls) soon followed in the fifth over, bowled by Harshit Rana, leaving the hosts in early trouble at 16/2.

Middle-order collapse

Rahul Tripathi (16 off 22 balls) and Vijay Shankar tried to stabilise the innings, putting together a 43-run stand off 33 deliveries. Just as CSK seemed to find some rhythm, Varun Chakravarthy struck in the 10th over, removing Shankar (29 runs), breaking the partnership and triggering a collapse.

After that, CSK lost wickets in quick succession. Ravichandran Ashwin (1), Ravindra Jadeja (0), impact substitute Deepak Hooda (0), and captain MS Dhoni (1) all failed to contribute significantly.

Dube’s late resistance

Amid the flurry of wickets, Shivam Dube stood firm. The left-hander remained unbeaten on 31 runs from 29 balls, offering some resistance and helping CSK cross the 100-run mark. He was joined by Anshul Kamboj, who remained not out on 3 off 3 balls as the innings ended at 103/9 after 20 overs.

KKR bowlers shine

Kolkata’s bowlers kept a tight hold throughout the innings. Sunil Narine was the pick of the bowlers, claiming 3 wickets for just 13 runs. Harshit Rana and Varun Chakravarthy took 2 wickets each, while Vaibhav Arora and Moeen Ali chipped in with one apiece.

Brief score:

Chennai Super Kings: 103/9 in 20 overs (Shivam Dube 31*, Vijay Shankar 29; Sunil Narine 3/13) vs Kolkata Knight Riders

ANI