Chennai Super Kings finally cracked a two-year hoodoo on Tuesday, beating Kolkata Knight Riders by 32 runs at Chepauk to secure consecutive wins for the first time since April 2024, as their batters set the tone and their spinners strangled the chase.
CSK did not just win; they imposed themselves. They stacked up 192 runs through clean, calculated hitting and then squeezed KKR with ruthless control.
Sanju Samson led the charge with 48 off 32 balls. He found gaps early, forced the field to spread, and allowed the middle order to attack with freedom.
Dewald Brevis added 41 and kept the tempo high without reckless swings. He read the pitch quickly and picked his moments, which kept CSK ahead of the curve.
Then Ayush Mhatre exploded. He smashed 38 off 17 balls, peppered the boundary with six crisp fours and two towering sixes, and dragged the total close to 200.
KKR started their chase already under pressure. CSK’s powerplay bowling turned that pressure into panic.
Anshul Kamboj and Khaleel Ahmed struck early, removing Finn Allen and Sunil Narine. Those blows ripped out the top order and forced KKR into survival mode.
CSK then turned to spin and tightened the noose. They bowled eight overs of spin, conceded just 47 runs, and picked up four wickets. The tactic worked because they denied pace on the ball, forcing KKR batters to generate power on a slowing surface.
Noor Ahmad delivered the decisive spell. He struck in consecutive overs and removed Ajinkya Rahane, Cameron Green, and Rinku Singh.
He did not rely on mystery alone. He varied his pace, attacked the stumps, and forced batters to second-guess every shot. He finished with 3 for 21 and deserved the match award.
KKR tried to tweak their approach by pushing Narine up the order, but the plan backfired. Their batting still looked brittle, and they never recovered from the early damage.
The return of Varun Chakravarthy gave their bowling a hint of control, but their batters failed to match it. They closed on 160 for 7, well short of the target.
