Chennai Super Kings (CSK) maintained their supremacy at home as they handed out Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) their first defeat of the IPL 2024 season by 7 wickets on Monday (April 8).
CSK came into the game after two away defeats but faced no challenge from KKR on a typical Chepauk pitch that was two-paced and helped spinners. Ruturaj Gaikwad won the toss and elected to bowl first keeping the dew factor in mind.
KKR could only post 137/9 on the board after failing to adapt to the conditions, as captain Shreyas Iyer battled for his 32-ball 34. No other KKR batter could touch 30 as Ravindra Jadeja (3/18), Tushar Deshpande (3/33) and Mustafizur Rahman (2/22) bowled superbly for the hosts.
CSK had no real trouble chasing down the moderate target as Ruturaj Gaikwad led from the front with an unbeaten 67, while Daryl Mitchell (25) and Shivam Dube (28) played handy knocks.
There was also a brief appearance by MS Dhoni who came out to bat at number five with just three runs left to be scored, just to make the local crowd happy who were hoping to watch him bat. Dhoni remained not out on 1 off 3 balls, as Gaikwad hit the winning runs with a boundary.
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As players from both teams exchanged handshakes after the match, there was also a heartwarming moment when former India teammates Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni shared a warm hug and engaged in a quick conversation.
Here's the moment: