IPL 2020, KKR vs CSK: Rahul Tripathi' 81 runs knock helps KKR beat CSK by 10 runs
In the 21st match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 10 runs at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Rahul Tripathi became the solo match performer for the KKR with his brilliant knock of 81 runs off 51 balls. Tripathi's classy knock allowed the KKR to give an average target of 168 runs for the CSK to chase. However, CSK's bowlers dominated and destroyed the complete batting line-up of KKR tonight. DJ Bravo grabbed 3 crucial wickets for the CSK in his brilliant spell. CSK's middle batting line-up failed to chase the target given by the KKR tonight. With tonight's win, KKR now stands at the 3rd position in the points table of the 13th edition of IPL.
Skipper Dinesh Karthik won the toss and elected to bat first. Rahul Tripathi opened the innings with Shubhman Gill for the Kolkata Knight Riders tonight. Tripathi played brilliant innings with his knock of 81 runs off 51 balls aided by 8 fours and 3 sixes. However, Gill lost his wicket after making just 11 runs for the KKR. Nitish Rana and Sunil Narine also disappointed the KKR as they got out in the early making 9 and 17 runs respectively. Eoin Morgan remained unsuccessful in saving the sinking ship of KKR as he lost his wicket after making just 7 runs. Andre Russell came to the crease with high hopes but lost his wicket super soon. Skipper Dinesh Karthik also struggled against the CSK's bowlers tonight with losing his wicket in the early. Pat Cummins's 17 runs knock allowed KKR to set a respectable target of 168 runs for the CSK to chase. CSK bowlers destroyed the complete batting line-up of KKR as DJ Bravo grabbed 3 crucial wickets. Whereas, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, and Karn Sharma took 2 wickets each for the CSK. However, Sam Curran remained the most economical bowler in his spell of 4 overs.
Chennai Super Kings had been given an average start tonight by the last match's champion duo Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis. While Watson played classy innings with his knock of 50 runs off 40 balls, The Plessis lost his wicket in early after making 17 runs off 10 balls. Ambati Rayudu came to the crease after the fall of the wicket of Plessis and made a respectable score of 30 runs off 27 balls. MS Dhoni came early to bat tonight but lost his wicket after making just 11 runs off 12 balls. Sam Curran, who was playing good innings, also lost his wicket after making 17 runs tonight. Kedar Jadhav and Ravindra Jadeja came to the crease to save the CSK's sinking ship but remained unsuccessful. While Jadeja played explosively with his knock of 21 runs off 8 balls, Jadhav played very slow in the death overs and made only 7 runs off 12 balls. Chennai Super Kings, after their comeback win in the last match, lost tonight. Varun Chakravarthy and Kamlesh Nagarkoti remained the most economical bowlers for the KKR in their spells while also grabbing a wicket each.
