Chennai Super Kings v Kolkata Knight Riders (Recap + Analysis of the players)
This year the Indian Premier League (IPL) could not have asked for a better opening match than the one between Kolkata http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Knight-c71599 Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings. A country that is still basking in the glory of winning the ICC World Cup 2011, the 8th
April match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai was just the game to get the attention. As Chennai Super Kings out of nowhere bounced back in a game which looked well within the hands of KKR. Chennai grabbed a sensational two runs victory on the last delivery
of the match.
Having a total of 153 runs in front of them, KKR began their innings in splendid fashion as opener Jacques Kallis once again proved that he can bat at any order in the batting lineup. The prolific South African scored 54 runs off 42 deliveries including
seven boundaries. When KKR openers Kallis and Manvinder Bisla, who had scored 27 runs, were on the crease the Riders seemed well on their way to their first victory in the opening match of the fourth season of the IPL.
However, on a total of 64 runs KKR suffered the loss of Bisla’s wicket owing to a marvelous stumping by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shadab-Jakati-c2475. This was the opening Chennai was looking for as the Dhoni led team had their tails up right from
the time they got their first wicket. But as long as Kallis was on the other end a win was always going to be near impossible for Chennai.
In the 12th over KKR lost yet another wicket of the hard hitting, Yusuf Pathan after adding just 11 runs in the tally, as he was run out by Dhoni off a slinging throw at the stumps. At this stage KKR were on 93 runs. The efforts of the Chennai
bowlers paid off as they got the prized wicket of Kallis in the 15th over. Kallis tried playing a sweep shot but ended up giving a catch to Subramaniam Badrinath at short fine leg. This was perhaps the beginning of the end for KKR, as the team owned
by Bollywood star, Shahrukh http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Khan-c71319 seemed to have fallen in to disarray. While the target was not big enough to rattle a side batting second, the Knight Riders seemed totally jinxed on the loss of their ace batsman.
Perhaps panic had prevailed in the team which looked well set to successfully chase a total. The time when Kallis left the field, Kolkata were on 112 runs. The 25-year-old http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Manoj-Tiwary-c1890 then clobbered 27 runs off just 15 deliveries. His innings included two
6s’. However, his partner Eoin Morgan failed to impress and went back to the pavilion after scoring just six runs. He was stumped by Dhoni.
After adding just one run to the total, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Gautam-Gambhir-c58623 got himself run out. This was the point where perhaps, Kolkata knew that they had made a mess of a game that was well within their grasp.
However, the game went down to the wire, when in the last over Kolkata needed just eight runs from the last over. They still had a chance to win the game, if it were not for the rapidly falling wickets. Dhoni showed confidence in the young New Zealand pacer,
Tim Southee and gave him the over. Southee lived up to the expectations, as he bowled the best over of his cricketing career by taking a wicket and restricting the opposition from reaching the target. KKR needing a boundary off the last delivery failed to
improvise and lost the game.
Earlier, Chennai’s skipper, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MS-Dhoni-c2028 won the toss and chose to bat. Opener, Srikkanth Anirudha was the highest scorer from his side as the youngster piled up 64 runs off 55 deliveries. He was awarded Man of the Match for his impressive innings.
Chennai’s hard hitting batsman, Suresh Raina played a knock of 33 runs off 29 deliveries, making him the second highest runs getter in the team, while Dhoni scored 29 runs off 21 balls. South African, Albie Morkel and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754’s Scott Styris remained
not out by scoring 15 and 5 runs respectively.
From KKR, Kallis took two wickets in his three overs, while Yousuf Pathan grabbed one wicket in three overs. From Chennai, even after having a horrible first spell, Tim Southee came back well in the match and if it were not for his awesome bowing in the
death, Kolkata might have easily won the match.
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