KKR are yet to open their winning account in the ongoing IPL season.
Asked to bat first, CSK posted 192/5 on the board, powered by Sanju Samson (48), Dewald Brevis (41), and Ayush Mhatre (38).
In reply, KKR struggled to keep up with the required rate, finishing at 160/7. Ramandeep Singh (35) and Rovman Powell (31*) provided some late resistance, but the game was already out of reach.
This defeat left KKR rooted to the bottom of the points table. In five matches, they are yet to register a win, with four losses and one no result.
After the game, KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane acknowledged the difficulty of the situation, citing a lack of momentum with the bat and the need for potential changes in team combination.
"Absolutely. I thought with the ball, we did really good. 190 on this wicket was really good, especially the powerplay what they got, 70-odd runs. After that, pulling back to 190 was amazing job from our bowling unit. I thought initially with our batting, we just got 36 or 37 runs in the powerplay. I thought that was really important. Middle phase, to hitting spinners was slightly challenging, but apart from that, wicket was really good. We needed one batter to bat till deep and then take it in the end,” Rahane said at the post-match presentation.
“I think combination-wise, we thought, the combination which we had last game and this was really good. I think it's tough at the moment. Yes, we're not winning matches, it's tough. What is important for all of us as a group to stay positive, keep our head up, keep our chin up, just focus on the moment. Yes, we'll have to sit in the dressing room, think about the combinations. We'll have to make any changes. Sometimes you back the players, if the results are going your way, then it's okay. But if the results are not going your way, then you'll have to think about the combination. But apart from that, I thought it's all about being positive and keep our heads up,” he added.
Kartik Tyagi was the pick of the bowlers for Kolkata, claiming two wickets by conceding 35 runs in his four overs.
Commenting on Tyagi, Rahane stated: “I think all credit goes to him. I mean, he's working really hard in the nets. He's been bowling really good and a great talent. The pace which he's bowling at the moment has been amazing. So I'm really happy for him. Game by game, he's improving his skills.”
Sunil Narine was economical, taking 1/21 in his four overs. Anukul Roy was also impressive, returning with figures of 1/21 in three overs. While Varun Chakaravarthy failed to pick a wicket, he leaked 26 runs in his three overs.
Rahane was effusive in praise of his sinners. “Yeah, all three spinners. I mean, if you see from CSK spinners also, they bowled really well. It was not easy for batters to hit big sixes unless you bowled really full, it was easy. Otherwise, putting it back and then going across wasn't an easy option for the batters. So I thought from both the sides, spinners bowled really well,” he remarked.
With just one point and a net run rate of -1.383, the three-time champions have significant ground to cover in the coming games. However, Rahane remained optimistic.
“We just have to, as I said, keep that head up and just be positive and have that self-belief," he concluded.