CSK vs KKR IPL 2026: Spinners do the trick to help Chennai Super Kings outplay Kolkata Knight Riders Twenty-one games into this edition of the Indian Premier League, and not once had a team successfully defended a sub-200 total.
That was until Chennai Super Kings flipped that script. The five-time champion secured a 32-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday to break the streak.
The 33,000-plus crowd did not have to wait long to celebrate Tamil New Year as Sanju Samson set a blistering PowerPlay tone, opening the innings with three consecutive fours off Vaibhav Arora.
While a lack of early aggression has often plagued CSK, Samson provided the ideal antidote. The momentum briefly stalled when Anukul Roy struck with his first delivery, tempting Ruturaj Gaikwad with a slow, full ball that drew a slog sweep straight to deep midwicket.
It was a familiar sight for the CSK skipper, who has now fallen early in four of his five outings this season. With an average opening stand of just 24.8—the lowest this season—the recurring top-order failures point toward a reshuffle.
Ayush Mhatre, however, quickly wrested back control. He dismantled Cameron Green in a 21-run over, scoring two fours and two sixes.
The 47-run partnership ended when Mhatre holed out to Ramandeep Singh off the final ball of the sixth over. Dewald Brevis, promoted ahead of Shivam Dube, ensured the tempo did not dip, clearing the ropes off just his second delivery.
The innings shifted again when Kartik Tyagi dismissed Samson, a 148 kmph delivery angling in to rattle the stumps and end a steady 39-run stand.
Sunil Narine then bowled Sarfaraz Khan through the gate, while Arora returned to remove Brevis in the 18th over. From 100 in 9.5 overs, CSK slipped to 175/5 by the end of the 18th.
Despite the flying start, the visiting bowlers controlled the death overs effectively. Kartik Tyagi (2/35) stood out, varying pace and length smartly as CSK managed just over seven runs per over in the final phase to finish on 192.
The match saw a tactical twist in the second innings as Narine replaced captain Ajinkya Rahane at the top to open with Finn Allen. This surprise forced CSK to adjust: Khaleel Ahmed took the new ball in place of Akeal Hosein.
However, KKR’s gamble failed to yield a significant advantage. Allen’s struggles continued as Anshul Kamboj provided an early breakthrough; it was Allen’s third single-digit score in five innings.
Narine survived a dropped chance by Gaikwad at midwicket, but Khaleel ensured it didn’t hurt the host, dismissing the West Indian for 24. With Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi at the crease, KKR limped through the PowerPlay with just 36 runs on board.
The pair managed to stabilise the innings with a 51-run stand. Akeal Hosein nearly had Rahane when Sarfaraz dropped a difficult chance, but the bowler found his reward the very next delivery. Raghuvanshi miscued a shot to Brevis, giving Hosein his maiden IPL wicket.
Noor Ahmad then dismantled the middle order by claiming three vital wickets. He dismissed Rahane and Cameron Green on consecutive deliveries before returning to remove Rinku Singh.
With KKR reeling at 90/6, the responsibility fell to Rovman Powell and Ramandeep Singh. But 100 in the last seven overs was always going to be a tall ask. In the end, CSK registered its second consecutive win to move up to eighth on the points table.
With just a solitary point from five games, KKR finds itself in a precarious position. While the imminent arrival of Matheesha Pathirana offers a potential boost, the side will likely require a miracle to remain in contention for playoff qualification.
Published on Apr 14, 2026
#CSK #KKR #IPL #Spinners #trick #Chennai #Super #Kings #outplay #Kolkata #Knight #Riders
Twenty-one games into this edition of the Indian Premier League, and not once had a team successfully defended a sub-200 total.
That was until Chennai Super Kings flipped that script. The five-time champion secured a 32-run win over Kolkata Knight Riders at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday to break the streak.
The 33,000-plus crowd did not have to wait long to celebrate Tamil New Year as Sanju Samson set a blistering PowerPlay tone, opening the innings with three consecutive fours off Vaibhav Arora.
While a lack of early aggression has often plagued CSK, Samson provided the ideal antidote. The momentum briefly stalled when Anukul Roy struck with his first delivery, tempting Ruturaj Gaikwad with a slow, full ball that drew a slog sweep straight to deep midwicket.
It was a familiar sight for the CSK skipper, who has now fallen early in four of his five outings this season. With an average opening stand of just 24.8—the lowest this season—the recurring top-order failures point toward a reshuffle.
Ayush Mhatre, however, quickly wrested back control. He dismantled Cameron Green in a 21-run over, scoring two fours and two sixes.
The 47-run partnership ended when Mhatre holed out to Ramandeep Singh off the final ball of the sixth over. Dewald Brevis, promoted ahead of Shivam Dube, ensured the tempo did not dip, clearing the ropes off just his second delivery.
The innings shifted again when Kartik Tyagi dismissed Samson, a 148 kmph delivery angling in to rattle the stumps and end a steady 39-run stand.
Sunil Narine then bowled Sarfaraz Khan through the gate, while Arora returned to remove Brevis in the 18th over. From 100 in 9.5 overs, CSK slipped to 175/5 by the end of the 18th.
Despite the flying start, the visiting bowlers controlled the death overs effectively. Kartik Tyagi (2/35) stood out, varying pace and length smartly as CSK managed just over seven runs per over in the final phase to finish on 192.
The match saw a tactical twist in the second innings as Narine replaced captain Ajinkya Rahane at the top to open with Finn Allen. This surprise forced CSK to adjust: Khaleel Ahmed took the new ball in place of Akeal Hosein.
However, KKR’s gamble failed to yield a significant advantage. Allen’s struggles continued as Anshul Kamboj provided an early breakthrough; it was Allen’s third single-digit score in five innings.
Narine survived a dropped chance by Gaikwad at midwicket, but Khaleel ensured it didn’t hurt the host, dismissing the West Indian for 24. With Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi at the crease, KKR limped through the PowerPlay with just 36 runs on board.
The pair managed to stabilise the innings with a 51-run stand. Akeal Hosein nearly had Rahane when Sarfaraz dropped a difficult chance, but the bowler found his reward the very next delivery. Raghuvanshi miscued a shot to Brevis, giving Hosein his maiden IPL wicket.
Noor Ahmad then dismantled the middle order by claiming three vital wickets. He dismissed Rahane and Cameron Green on consecutive deliveries before returning to remove Rinku Singh.
With KKR reeling at 90/6, the responsibility fell to Rovman Powell and Ramandeep Singh. But 100 in the last seven overs was always going to be a tall ask. In the end, CSK registered its second consecutive win to move up to eighth on the points table.
With just a solitary point from five games, KKR finds itself in a precarious position. While the imminent arrival of Matheesha Pathirana offers a potential boost, the side will likely require a miracle to remain in contention for playoff qualification.
Published on Apr 14, 2026
![Maybe Mumbai Indians should have gotten Ashish Nehra along with Hardik Pandya: Sanjay Manjrekar No player transfer in the Indian Premier League has generated as much drama as Hardik Pandya’s move from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians.The Indian all-rounder switched allegiance in 2024 in an all-cash trade and immediately assumed the Mumbai Indians captaincy.Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes the move may have been driven by factors beyond pure cricketing logic.“Hardik Pandya [to MI] was a very interesting decision. I think sometimes the franchises make decisions that will be newsworthy and get the franchise in the spotlight because ultimately it’s a commercial brand. You can see the kind of valuations franchises are getting. So it may not even be a sound cricketing call,” said Manjrekar on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58JRdBRAbIk[/embed]Pandya had enjoyed tremendous success with Gujarat Titans, leading the side to the IPL title in 2022 and a runner-up finish in 2023.Manjrekar, however, suggested that the Titans’ golden run owed significantly to head coach Ashish Nehra.“Hardik Pandya had success with the Gujarat Titans, and that had a lot to do with somebody named Ashish Nehra. So maybe if you wanted Hardik Pandya, you could have also got Ashish Nehra with him,” said Manjrekar.“Hardik Pandya, I believe, was brilliant because there was somebody next to him constantly with almost every move that he made on the field,” he added.Pandya’s return to Mumbai Indians was also marked by controversy, with sections of fans turning against him after he replaced Rohit Sharma as captain.Manjrekar suspects the move may have been influenced by a desire to create impact beyond the field.“So it’s really not so much about Hardik Pandya, but the decision, whether it was a sensible decision or it was just somebody wanting to think out-of-the-box a little bit and doing something a little sensational.”Published on Apr 20, 2026 #Mumbai #Indians #Ashish #Nehra #Hardik #Pandya #Sanjay #Manjrekar](https://i2.wp.com/ss-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/8yzye1/article70883964.ece/alternates/LANDSCAPE_1200/IMG_AHMEDABAD___IPL_2023_2_1_L2B484QG.jpg?ssl=1 "Maybe Mumbai Indians should have gotten Ashish Nehra along with Hardik Pandya: Sanjay Manjrekar No player transfer in the Indian Premier League has generated as much drama as Hardik Pandya’s move from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians.The Indian all-rounder switched allegiance in 2024 in an all-cash trade and immediately assumed the Mumbai Indians captaincy.Former India cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar believes the move may have been driven by factors beyond pure cricketing logic.“Hardik Pandya [to MI] was a very interesting decision. I think sometimes the franchises make decisions that will be newsworthy and get the franchise in the spotlight because ultimately it’s a commercial brand. You can see the kind of valuations franchises are getting. So it may not even be a sound cricketing call,” said Manjrekar on Sportstar’s Insight Edge podcast.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58JRdBRAbIk[/embed]Pandya had enjoyed tremendous success with Gujarat Titans, leading the side to the IPL title in 2022 and a runner-up finish in 2023.Manjrekar, however, suggested that the Titans’ golden run owed significantly to head coach Ashish Nehra.“Hardik Pandya had success with the Gujarat Titans, and that had a lot to do with somebody named Ashish Nehra. So maybe if you wanted Hardik Pandya, you could have also got Ashish Nehra with him,” said Manjrekar.“Hardik Pandya, I believe, was brilliant because there was somebody next to him constantly with almost every move that he made on the field,” he added.Pandya’s return to Mumbai Indians was also marked by controversy, with sections of fans turning against him after he replaced Rohit Sharma as captain.Manjrekar suspects the move may have been influenced by a desire to create impact beyond the field.“So it’s really not so much about Hardik Pandya, but the decision, whether it was a sensible decision or it was just somebody wanting to think out-of-the-box a little bit and doing something a little sensational.”Published on Apr 20, 2026 #Mumbai #Indians #Ashish #Nehra #Hardik #Pandya #Sanjay #Manjrekar")
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