CSK vs KKR Man of the Match: The fast bowler from Kolkata Knight Riders won the match award for his match-winning spell.
Advertisement
During the first match of the ongoing 15th season of the Indian Premier League between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium, Kolkata Knight Riders beat Chennai Super Kings by 6 wickets in the tournament opener.
Chasing a mediocre 132-run target, Kolkata sealed the chase with captain Shreyas Iyer (20*) hitting a boundary off Adam Milne in the penultimate over.
Making his debut for KKR much like his captain, opening batter Ajinkya Rahane top-scored for his team scoring an eye-catching 44 (34) comprising of six fours and a six.
Never putting the amount of pressure needed to defend a low score, Super Kings did pick four wickets but didn’t look like dominating at any point in time tonight. With bowling figures of 4-0-20-3, veteran Chennai all-rounder Dwayne Bravo was the pick of their bowlers.
CSK vs KKR Man of the Match
Iyer’s decision to bowl first was well-supported by his bowlers as they reduced Super Kings to 131/5 in 20 overs. Had it not been for an unbeaten 70-run partnership for the sixth wicket between Ravindra Jadeja (26*) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (50*), CSK would’ve struggled to put on board a competitive total.
Beginning his second stint for Kolkata, fast bowler Umesh Yadav was their best bowler in the first innings dismissing Ruturaj Gaikwad (0) and Devon Conway (3) with the new ball. While Yadav returned with figures of 4-0-20-2, spinner Varun Chakravarthy and all-rounder Andre Russell picked a wicket apiece.
Congratulations @KKRiders @ShreyasIyer15 for winning the first game against @ChennaiIPL well played @ajinkyarahane88 well bowled @y_umesh
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) March 26, 2022
Unsold in IPL 2021 auction, Yadav celebrated his IPL comeback by registering a match-winning performance. Having begun his second stint with Kolkata in this manner, Yadav would be looking to persist with this rhythm for he hasn’t played a lot of white-ball cricket of late.
“Wickets in the powerplay are important. Team’s role is what I carried out today. Usually I’ve been focusing on my rhythm. I’m thankful to my trainers for keeping me in shape,” Yadav told Star Sports after winning the ‘Man of the Match’ award tonight.
![Most Expensive Player In IPL 2024 Auction [FULL LIST]](https://cdn-wp.thesportsrush.com/2023/12/ae43af1b-pat-cummins-world-cup.jpg?format=auto&w=384&q=75)