Chennai, (UNI) Sunil Narine starred with both ball and bat as Kolkata Knight Riders handed Chennai Super Kings a crushing eight-wicket defeat in their Indian Premier League clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Friday.
The veteran spinner first wreaked havoc with the ball, claiming 3 for 13 in his four overs to stifle CSK’s innings. Then, opening the batting, he smashed a whirlwind 44 off just 18 balls, studded with five towering sixes, to dismantle any hopes the hosts had of defending their paltry total.
Asked to bat first after losing the toss, CSK never found their footing and limped to 103 for 9 in their allotted 20 overs. Apart from Shivam Dube (31 not out off 29) and Vijay Shankar (29 off 21), the rest of the batting order faltered against a disciplined KKR attack.
Varun Chakaravarthy (2/22) and Harshit Rana (2/16) offered excellent support to Narine, while Moeen Ali and Vaibhav Arora chipped in with a wicket each.
In response, KKR raced to the target in just 10.1 overs. After Quinton de Kock (23) gave a brisk start, Narine tore into the CSK bowling, treating the Chepauk crowd to a six-laden spectacle. His dismissal in the eighth over did little to slow down the charge, as skipper Ajinkya Rahane (20 not out) and Rinku Singh (15 not out) completed the formalities with ease.
With this emphatic victory, KKR continue their strong run in the tournament, while CSK are left grappling with a fragile batting order and mounting pressure.
