The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) got off to a flying start against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), racing to 72 for the loss of two wickets at the end of the powerplay. The strong start was driven by an aggressive batting display from Sanju Samson and Ayush Mhatre.
Sanju Samson, fresh from a century in the previous match, provided early momentum. The Indian opener scored 23 off 13 balls by the end of the sixth over. He was well supported by Ayush Mhatre, who emerged as the standout performer for CSK.
Mhatre took charge against the KKR bowlers, attacking from the outset. The 18-year-old smashed 38 runs off just 17 balls, as the Samson–Mhatre partnership added 47 runs in only 22 deliveries. However, Mhatre was caught at deep mid-wicket off the final ball of the powerplay, handing KKR a much-needed breakthrough.
With a strong batting line-up featuring players like Shivam Dube and Dewald Brevis still to come, CSK will look to build on the solid foundation and post a big total.
For KKR, Anukul Roy was the only bowler to pick up a wicket, dismissing CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad for 7 runs.
Earlier, Gaikwad lost the toss and said he would have preferred to bowl first, but expressed satisfaction with how the pitch has played so far. CSK are aiming for back-to-back wins for the first time this season following their victory against Delhi Capitals in the previous match.
“Yes, we would have bowled first as well. But as I said, the wicket hasn’t changed much throughout the game, so there isn’t much of a difference. Putting a big total on the board in the first innings will be challenging, but it looks like a really good surface,” Gaikwad said.
Confirmed playing XI for both teams:
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Ajinkya Rahane(c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Khaleel Ahmed
