Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) spinner Varun Chakravarthy almost clean-bowled Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batsman Ambati Rayudu for just 2 runs in the IPL 2022 opener on Saturday but the bails refused to dislodge.
Opting to ball first, Umesh Yadav gave the Kolkata franchise an outstanding start. He dismissed both openers to restrict the defending champions at 29/2 in the fifth over. Varun Chakravarthy was introduced into the attack in the final over of the power play.
The mystery spinner immediately worked his magic in the penultimate delivery of the first over. Ambati Rayudu went for the slog sweep and didn’t pick up the delivery turning in. He found a thick inside edge and the ball kissed the stumps before crossing the boundary ropes for a four.
The ball refused to fell and Varun Chakaravarthy just can’t believe his bad fortune.
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KKR beat CSK by six wicket to start IPL 2022 with a win
Speaking of the game, Umesh Yadav racked up some good pace to hand the defending champions some early jolts and reduce CSK to 29/2 in 5 overs. The Kolkata bowlers continued to mount on the pressure from both ends, restricting Chennai Super Kings to 61/5 in 11 overs.
The dismissal of Shivam Dube brought MS Dhoni in the middle, who took time to settle in before unleashing his shots to end the innings on a high. Dhoni, who relinquished leadership duties two days, produced an unbeaten fifty to guide CSK to 131 runs.
In reply, Ajinkya Rahane gave KKR a perfect start hitting anything that is pitched up, using the pace of the delivery. He set the run chase with a 34-ball 44 runs innings before captain Shreyas Iyer ensured they secure a win without any hiccups.
