By Neil Manthorp.
A rampant batting display by the Chennai Super Kings, with three rapid top-order half-centuries, saw the men in yellow coast to a comfortable 49-run victory against the Kolkata Knight Riders after posting a daunting total of 235 for four in their IPL match at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday night.
Facing a record run-chase, the home side lost openers N. Jagadeesan (1) and pinch-hitter Sunil Narine (0) with just a single on the board and, although there was some lusty counter-punching, the mountain was far too high to climb and they succumbed to 186 for eight.
England opener Jason Roy, batting at No 5 because of injury, smashed 61 from 26 balls with a quintet of fours and sixes, and Rinku Singh muscled 53* from 33 balls with a trio of fours and four sixes, but the target was never within reach, or even sight.
Earlier, CSK opener Devon Conway’s 56 from 40 balls (4×4, 3×6) was made to look pedestrian by Shivam Dube, who struck five sixes and a pair of fours in his 20-ball 50 and Ajinkya Rahane who top-scored with a glorious, unbeaten 71 from only 29 deliveries with six fours and another five sixes.
Yet another profitable opening partnership (73 in 7.3 overs) saw Conway score his fourth consecutive half-century after Ruturaj Gaikwad was bowled for 35 from 20 balls by 19-year-old legspinner Suyash Sharma, who was the only bowler to emerge unscathed with figures of 4-0-29-1.
Conway then smashed senior legspinner, Varun Chakravarthy, hard and flat to David Wiese at long-off but the platform for a mighty total had been well laid, with the South African turned Kiwi displaying an immaculate mix of invention and convention in his shot-making.
It was an astonishing, sustained batting attack which featured improvisation as much as selflessness with each member of the top five batters putting the team’s interests above their own and the KKR bowlers withered under the assault, with five of them conceding over 11 runs per over.
Ravindra Jadeja belted two more sixes in his 18 from eight balls but it was an innings to forget for the home side, who had the added indignity of a crowd which appeared to be substantially in favour of the visitors.
Chennai now move to the top of the log with 10 points from five wins, just ahead of five other teams with eight points from four victories.
At the end of Match 3️⃣3️⃣ of #TATAIPL 2023, here’s how the Points Table stands! ?
Where does your favourite team rank in this? ? pic.twitter.com/EW4DqyTpw7
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 23, 2023
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS: N Jagadeesan (wkt), Jason Roy, Nitish Rana (captain), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, David Wiese, Kulwant Khejroliya, Suyash Sharma, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (captain/wkt), Matheesha Pathirana, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana.
Meanwhile the Royal Challengers Bangalore beat the Rajasthan Royals by seven runs in a tightly-contested IPL fixture in Bengaluru on Sunday.