Ravindra Jadeja's sensational 22 off 8 helped Chennai Super Kings (CSK) clinch a last-ball thriller against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by two wickets in Match 38 of 14th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi on Sunday, 26 September 26.
Chasing 172, Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad put together a 74-run opening stand in quick time. It was followed by a handy effort from Moeen Ali (32). However, the Chennai middle-order wobbled after that, and Kolkata reduced the equation to 24 in 10 balls overs. Then Jadeja took 6, 6, 4, 4 off Prasidh Krishna to bring the target to four off the last ball.
However, Sunil Narine got both Sam Curran and Jadeja, leaving Deepak Chahar to score a run off the final ball. Chahar duly got it, to help Chennai maintain their winning streak.
Earlier, KKR fielded an unchanged XI from its last game against Mumbai Indians, while CSK brought in Sam Curran for Dwayne Bravo.
Choosing to bat, the Knight Riders scored 171/6 after opting to bat. Rahul Tripathi made 45 in 33 balls, while useful contributions also came from Nitish Rana (37 not out) and Dinesh Karthik (26).
Shardul Thakur was among the most successful CSK bowlers, returning 2-20 including a maiden over. Josh Hazlewood also picked up two wickets, including that of KKR skipper Eoin Morgan.
With this triumph CSK have now reached the top of the table with 16 points, while KKR are at fourth place, with 8 points from 10 matches.
Brief scores: Kolkata Knight Riders 171/6 in 20 overs (Tripathi 45; Thakur 2-20) lost to Chennai Super Kings 172/8 in 20 overs (du Plessis 43; Narine 3-41) by 2 wickets with 0 balls to spare. Player of the Match: Ravindra Jadeja