On Monday, April 8, under the leadership of Ruturaj Gaikwad, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bounced back to winning form after a couple of defeats, clinching a convincing seven-wicket victory against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk. Following triumphant performances in their initial home games against Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans, CSK faced setbacks on the road against Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Returning to their home ground, CSK notched their third win of the season after Ruturaj Gaikwad won the toss and elected to field first. KKR struggled to find their footing on the sluggish track, posting a modest 137/9 before CSK comfortably chased down the target in the 18th over. Reflecting on the match, cricket pundit Aakash Chopra hailed CSK’s dominance in home conditions, labeling them as the “Chepauk Super Kings” and praising their formidable record on their home turf.
“Chennai Super Kings are Chepauk Super Kings. They are Champion Super Kings. They are a team that don’t lose at home. No one has been able to beat them at home. No one has been able to breach their citadel. Their fortress is extremely strong. KKR came prepared but nothing worked for them – neither batting nor bowling,” commented Aakash Chopra in a video shared on his YouTube channel.
ALSO READ: Varun Chakravarthy Analyzes KKR’s Loss: Pitch Assessment and Adaptation Key
Despite missing Deepak Chahar due to injury and Matheesha Pathirana failing to recover in time for the match, Chopra expressed concerns about CSK’s fast-bowling resources against a formidable KKR side.
“Deepak Chahar wasn’t there and I was surprised. Pathirana wasn’t there and I said that the bowling had suddenly become very weak. You played Lord (Shardul) Thakur for sure, but the opposing team was a juggernaut. So I was a little worried and concerned,” he remarked.
Aakash Chopra reserved special praise for Ravindra Jadeja, whose stellar performance of 3/18 in four overs dismantled KKR’s batting lineup. The Saurashtra all-rounder’s impactful contributions during the middle overs stifled the opposition after CSK conceded 56 runs within the powerplay.
“Chennai won the toss and bowled, and Phil Salt was dismissed off the first ball itself. How will you prepare good food without salt? Tushar Deshpande got the wicket and the catch went to Jaddu’s hand. When the catch went to Jaddu’s hand, we came to know it’s going to be Jaddu’s day,” quipped Aakash Chopra.
ALSO READ: Shreyas Iyer Reflects On KKR’s Loss: Unraveling the Reasons Behind Defeat
“Let’s be fair, Kolkata won the powerplay. However, when wickets started falling after that, they couldn’t come out of it. Ravindra Jadeja picked up three wickets. He also didn’t concede too many runs in his four overs and took two catches as well. He broke everything from the backbone to the legs and arms,” he added.
Tushar Deshpande also shone with a career-best IPL performance of 3/33, while Mustafizur Rahman’s two wickets propelled him back to the top of the Purple Cap leaderboard. Despite a dropped catch by MS Dhoni, CSK managed to restrict KKR’s scoring opportunities effectively.
“Whoever was trying to hit was getting stuck, whether it was Shreyas Iyer or Rinku Singh. Andre Russell also swung his bat hard but nothing happened. Tushar Deshpande picked up a wicket at the start and came back to take wickets in the end. Fizz could have got three wickets but MS Dhoni dropped a catch. However, the runs weren’t much at all,” elaborated Aakash Chopra.
In the chase, Ruturaj Gaikwad anchored the innings with a composed unbeaten 67 off 58 balls, guiding his team to victory. CSK will now prepare to face Mumbai Indians on Sunday, April 14, at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, aiming to carry forward their winning momentum.
