Chennai Super Kings (CSK) hosted Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Match 61 of IPL 2023 on Sunday (May 14) at Chepauk in Chennai. A win for CSK would have sealed their qualification for the playoffs, while KKR had no choice but to win to stay in contention for a spot in the top four.
CSK captain MS Dhoni win the toss and opted to bat first, but for once his batters failed to capitalise as Ruturaj Gaikwad (17), Devon Conway (30) and Ajinkya Rahane (16) got off to starts but failed to convert it into something meaningful.
Shivam Dube (48*) was the top contributor for CSK, who finished with 144/6 in their 20 overs. Ravindra Jadeja's struggling knock of 24-ball 20 proved to be a problem for the hosts as it meant Dhoni could face just the last two balls, off which he remained unbeaten on two. Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy took two wickets apiece.
In reply, KKR lost the wickets of Jason Roy, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Venkatesh Iyer cheaply to be 33/3 in the 5th over as Deepak Chahar took all three wickets.
Skipper Nitish Rana (57*) and Rinku Singh (54) stabilized the innings and went on to score half-centuries, adding 99 runs for the fourth wicket to ensure a much-needed win for KKR, which they completed by 6 wickets with nine balls to spare.
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As this was the last league match to be played in Chennai for this season, the CSK team and MS Dhoni took a lap of honour around the ground to thank the fans for their support to the team. The venue is set to host the first two playoff matches, with CSK likely to feature in at least one of those if they seal their qualification by winning their last match or other results going in their favour.
While the players were taking the lap of honour, India batting legend and commentator, Sunil Gavaskar, rushed towards Dhoni and asked him to sign his shirt, a gesture that touched the hearts of everyone. Dhoni, who was slightly taken aback, signed the shirt and gave a warm hug to the legendary cricketer who's rated among the finest batters produced by the country in Test cricket.
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Gavaskar later revealed on Star Sports, that he had borrowed a pen and kept it ready as he was aware of Dhoni and CSK's plans to take a lap of honour around the ground after the match.
"Who doesn't love him? What he has done for Indian cricket over the years has been amazing. What is most important is the role model that he has been. So many youngsters look up to him," Gavaskar said.
"Thank you very much, I borrowed a pen. As soon as I heard they were going on a lap, I kept it with me," he added.
