Ayush Mhatre lit up Eden Gardens with a stunning piece of fielding brilliance on Wednesday (May 7), pulling off a sensational catch to dismiss Rinku Singh during the high-voltage clash between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings. The moment unfolded in the 19th over of KKR’s innings when Rinku looked to clear the ropes off Noor Ahmad’s short delivery on the leg side.
With CSK needing a breakthrough, Rinku went down on one knee and powered the ball towards deep backwards square leg. It looked like a certain six from the moment it left the bat until Ayush Mhatre intervened.
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Stationed right on the boundary line, Mhatre timed his leap perfectly to get both hands to the ball. While the ball initially slipped from his grasp, the youngster showed brilliant presence of mind to grab it on the second attempt and crucially kept his balance to avoid touching the boundary rope. The crowd erupted as Mhatre’s athleticism and composure gave CSK a crucial wicket late in the innings.
— crictalk (@crictalk7) May 7, 2025
Talking about the match, KKR managed to post a competitive 179/6 after skipper Ajinkya Rahane elected to bat first. Their innings had an early jolt with Rahmanullah Gurbaz dismissed cheaply for 11. But a steady 58-run partnership between Rahane and Sunil Narine stabilized the innings.
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Just as the momentum seemed to be swinging KKR’s way, CSK struck back through Noor Ahmad in the eighth over, removing Narine and Angkrish Raghuvanshi within four balls. Despite the mid-innings wobble, KKR’s middle order came through with vital knocks. Rahane top-scored with 48, Manish Pandey added 36, and Andre Russell’s explosive 38-run cameo pushed the total close to 180. Noor Ahmad stood out with the ball, finishing with impressive figures of 4 for 31.
