Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by six wickets in an exciting match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday. KKR’s Rinku Singh and Nitish Rana put on a crucial 99-run partnership for the fourth wicket after the team was 33 for 3. The duo scored half-centuries, with Rinku hitting 54 runs off 43 balls and Rana remaining unbeaten on 57 off 44 balls, to help their team chase down CSK’s total of 144 for 6 in 18.3 overs.
CSK’s Shivam Dube top-scored with 48 runs off 34 balls, while Varun Chakaravarthy and Sunil Narine took two wickets apiece for KKR. CSK captain MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first.
The match was not without controversy, as KKR’s Nitish Rana was left fuming at the umpires ahead of the last over of CSK’s innings. Due to KKR’s slow over rate, they were punished and had to keep a maximum of four fielders outside the circle instead of five. Rana was seen lashing out at the umpires and getting involved in a heated argument with them. However, only 9 runs came off the last over bowled by Vaibhav Arora, despite him bowling a no-ball in it. He also cleaned up MS Dhoni on the free-hit delivery.
The win was crucial for KKR, who are currently in fourth place in the IPL 2023 points table with four wins from seven matches. CSK, on the other hand, is in third place with five wins from eight matches. Both teams will be looking to win their remaining matches to secure their place in the playoffs.
It was an exciting match with some great performances from both teams. While KKR’s Rinku Singh and Nitish Rana were the heroes of the match, CSK’s Shivam Dube and bowlers Deepak Chahar and Sam Curran put up a good fight. The IPL 2023 season has been full of surprises and close matches so far, making it a treat for cricket fans around the world.
