Chennai Super Kings bowlers had managed to restrict Kolkata Knight Riders to 167 in the IPL 2020 clash at the Sheikh Zayed stadium in Abu Dhabi. Shardul Thakur and Karn Sharma took two wickets apiece while Dwayne Bravo managed to take three wickets as Kolkata Knight Riders managed to score just 74 runs in the last 10 overs. During the chase, Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu managed to stitch a partnership and at 90/1 in 10 overs, Chennai Super Kings were dominating proceedings.
However, a lean middle period followed. Only 20 runs came in the next five overs and both Watson and Rayudu fell in quick succession. The pressure mounted and Chennai Super Kings squandered the opportunity to lose the match by 10 runs. This was their fourth loss in six games in IPL 2020 and their path to the play-offs has been made more difficult.
Speaking after the match, MS Dhoni said the batsmen undid all the good work of the bowlers. “In the middle overs there was a phase where they bowled 2-3 good overs. If we batted better, and didn't lose 2-3 wickets in a row,. We should've been careful in the first 5-6 overs. Curran was really good with the ball, and I think we did well in general with the ball, but the batsmen let the bowlers down today. Rotation of strike was important, but I think there were hardly any boundaries in the final few overs, so we need to be innovative at the end when they are continuously hitting a back of a length,” MS Dhoni said.
Even Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming admitted that they let the match slip through their grasp. “The performances like today, with the experience we've got, we should put it away. Ideally, you want one batsman to bat through. If you give an opening to an IPL team, they've got quality players to take it. Today with Sunil Narine holding overs back, it made it very difficult in the end,” Fleming said.
Russell on the art of bowling
When Andre Russell came on to bowl in the 18th over of the chase, Chennai Super Kings were desperately looking to find the boundaries. However, he conceded just three runs and put the game beyond Chennai Super Kings’ reach. In the post-match presentations, Russell explained the art of bowling on the Abu Dhabi wicket and stated that he followed closely what Chennai Super Kings’ bowlers had done to restrict the Kolkata Knight Riders batsmen.
“I made up with the ball today. Big moment bowling the pressure overs and I'm happy. Cross-seamers are the danger balls on this surface and once it hits the seam, it kicks. CSK bowlers used that a lot and I made sure I executed it well when I came onto bowl. I'm still confident (about finding form with the bat) and these things happen in cricket and I'm still working to find my way,” Russell said.
Kolkata Knight Riders next face Kings XI Punjab on Saturday in Abu Dhabi while Chennai Super Kings face Royal Challengers Bangalore in a high-voltage encounter at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
