Chennai Super Kings (CSK) suffered small hiccups in the playoffs race on Sunday night, as they faced a six-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Chennai. After being restricted to 144/6 in 20 overs, the CSK bowlers were denied a dramatic win by the duo of Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh, who scored the fifties to deliver a much-needed win for the KKR. While CSK remains second with 15 points on the table, KKR is now sixth and remains alive in the race for a playoff berth.
The CSK endured a poor start that hampered their entire innings; the side was left reeling at 72/5 after the end of the 11th over and could only reach a respectable score owing to the partnership between Shivam Dube (48*) and Ravindra Jadeja (20).
WATCH – Nehal Wadhera Was Seen Wearing Pads At The Airport As A Punishment
The latter, however, was severely criticized for his strike rate in the slog overs, and justifiably, the fans began to lose patience as the innings progressed.
Another major reason for their anger was that Jadeja’s slow knock prevented CSK captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni from arriving at the crease early; while Dhoni did reserve himself for the final overs throughout the tournament, he boasted of a strike rate above 200 prior to the innings on Sunday night.
ALSO READ: Kumar Sangakkara Gives A Riveting Speech In The RR Dressing Room
Even former South Africa star Dale Steyn lost patience at one point and took to Twitter to express his impatience at Jadeja’s knock. Steyn wrote, ‘Let Dhoni bat’ minutes before Jadeja was dismissed with a couple of deliveries remaining in the CSK innings. Dhoni, however, could only score an unbeaten 2.
Let Dhoni bat
— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) May 14, 2023
Later in the game, Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh, both left-handers, showed the necessary skills and patience on a tacky pitch to negate the impact of CSK spinners after the home team had posted a moderate 144 for six in 20 overs. The match-winning partnership between Rana and Rinku ended when the latter was run out by a direct hit from Moeen Ali.
