Kolkata Knight Riders' wretched luck in the Indian Premier League continues as Shah Rukh Khan's new look team lose to hosts Chennai Super Kings by a couple of runs
Kolkata Knight Riders' wretched luck in the Indian Premier League continues as Shah Rukh Khan's new look team lose to hosts Chennai Super Kings by a couple of runs
When things go according to plan, you look like a champion. Kolkata Knight Riders hadn't put a foot wrong ufffd from acquiring arguably the best all-round side during the players' auction, to restricting Chennai Super Kings to 153-4 here at Chepauk last night. And, placed comfortably at 93-1 in response, they looked set to win the opening fixture of IPL Season 4. 
Srikkanth Anirudha
However, the quartet of R Ashwin (1-26), Suraj Randiv (1-33), Shadab Jakati (1-26) and Suresh Raina (1-3) spun the defending champions to a thrilling two-run win to kick-start the carnival of T20 cricket.
KKR suffered a major jolt in the 17th over when Eoin Morgan (6) and Gautam Gambhir (1) fell in quick succession. First, Raina had Morgan stumped. Then, two balls later, Gambhir was a victim of suicidal running.
But, a 15-ball cameo of 27 from Manoj Tiwary meant the visitors needed just nine off the last over.
Chennai Super Kings players celebrate the wicket of Kolkata Knight Riders
batsman Yusuf Pathan during the Indian Premier League opener at MA
Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai yesterday. Pic/AFP
However, Tim Southee held his nerve and yorked Rajat Bhatia when KKR needed four off the last ball.
Having lost the toss, Gambhir came out with a well chalked out plan. The KKR skipper opened the bowling with two spinners, Iqbal Abdulla (1-26) and Yusuf Pathan (1-19), swapped leg-slips and forward short-legs depending on the bowler's preference.
He had his two seamers - Kallis (2-34) and Laxmipathy Balaji (0-25) -bowl a series of slow bouncers. In fact, that led to opposition skipper MS Dhoni's (29) dismissal. Gambhir impressed further when he had a slip in place when young leggie Sarabjit Ladda was introduced in the seventh over.
Pathan dropped two sitters, and Morgan gave opener and man of the match Srikkanth Anirudha another life. That meant CSK were comfortably placed at 78-1 after 10 overs, and looked set for a score in excess of 170.
Ordinary bowling
On paper, KKR's bowling looked ordinary, but Gambhir had more tricks up his sleeve than the amount of Tamil words Shah Rukh Khan could muster during the opening ceremony.u00a0 So, in the next five overs, Gambhir allowed CSK to score only 43 runs - the turning point of the game in many ways.
Chennai's innings was dominated by Anirudha who struck a 55-ball 64. Raina (33) added 75 for the second wicket with Anirudha, Dhoni added 49 for the third, and some lusty strikes from Albie Morkel towards the end helped the hosts finish at 153-4.
Chasing 154, Kallis made his intentions clear when he effortlessly steered Southee to the fine leg boundary. Perhaps, revenge for what transpired at Dhaka less than two weeks ago!
KKR held back quality players like Gambhir, Tiwary and Morgan for the latter part of the run-chase. Manvinder Bisla added a crucial 64-run stand with Kallis, and Pathan, promoted to no 3, silenced the crowd with a massive six off Jakati. But KKR collapsed from 93-1 to 120-5 in a matter of minutes.
Scoreboard
Chennai Super Kings
S Anirudha b Kallis 64
M Vijay c Bhatia b Abdulla 4
S Raina c Ladda b Pathan 33 MS Dhoni c Bisla b Kallis 29
A Morkel not out 15
S Styris not out 5.
Extras: (B1, W2) 3.
Total: (for 4 wickets in 20 overs)153
Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-80, 3-129, 4-138.
Bowling:
Abdulla 4-0-26-1
Pathan 3-0-19-1
Balaji 4-0-25-0
Kallis 3-0-34-2
Ladda 3-0-29-0
Bhatia 3-0-19-0
Kolkata Knight Riders
MS Bisla st Dhoni b Jakati 27
J Kallis c Badrinath b
Ashwin 54
Y Pathan run out (Dhoni) 11
MK Tiwary st Dhoni b
Randiv 27
E Morgan st Dhoni b Raina 6
G Gambhir run out (Styris) 1
LR Shukla c Styris b Southee 14
R Bhatia not out 0
Iqbal Abdulla not out 3
Extras: 8 (Lb1, W7)
Total:u00a0 (for 7 wkts in 20 overs) 151.
Did not bat: L Balaji, S Ladda
Fall of wickets: 1-64, 2-93, 3-112, 4-119, 5-120, 6-145, 7-147.
Bowling
Morkel 3-0-32-0
Southee 4-0-30-1
Ashwin 4-0-26-1
Randiv 4-0-33-1
Jakati 4-0-26-1
Raina 1-0-3-1
Result: Chennai Super Kings won by two runs.
Toss: Chennai Super Kings
Points: Chennai Super Kings 2, Kolkata Knight Riders 0
Player of the match: S Anirudha (Chennai Super Kings)
Umpires: BR Doctrove (West Indies) and PR Reiffel (Australia)
Match referee: J Srinath
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