On the eve of Poila Boishakh, the Bengali New Year, the Kolkata Knight Riders would have hoped for a fresh start in IPL 2026. But the Shubho (happy) in Shubho Noboborsho (Happy New Year) didn’t quite translate on the field, as the Chennai Super Kings choked them with spin at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, winning by 32 runs.
KKR effectively hurt themselves in key moments, delaying the introduction of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy while Ayush Mhatre and Sanju Samson were dominating. In the run-chase, they also mismanaged the batting order, pushing Cameron Green down and exposing him against spin, where Noor Ahmad proved too good.
With four losses in five matches, KKR now almost find themselves in a must-win situation. Meanwhile, CSK will take confidence from back-to-back wins after a shaky start where they lost three on the bounce, as their campaign begins to gather momentum.
MHATRE, SAMSON TAKES OFF IN POWERPLAY
After being asked to bat first, Chennai Super Kings got off to a thunderous start, but Kolkata Knight Riders pulled things back superbly to restrict the hosts to 192 for five.
Ruturaj Gaikwad’s lean run continued as he fell for just seven. He did get an early reprieve when an outside edge off Cameron Green flew past the slip cordon, but Anukul Roy dismissed him soon after KKR introduced spin.
Following that, Ayush Mhatre and Sanju Samson shifted gears, powering CSK to 72 in the powerplay. Mhatre was particularly severe on Cameron Green and played a key role in maximizing the fielding restrictions.
However, KKR finished the powerplay on a positive note as Vaibhav Arora removed Mhatre for a brisk 38 off 17 balls, pulling things back at a crucial juncture.
SPINNERS RESTRICT CHENNAI
Once the powerplay ended, Kolkata Knight Riders staged a strong comeback, restricting Chennai Super Kings to just 120 runs in the final 14 overs. The spinners played a crucial role, conceding only 68 runs in their combined 10 overs while picking up two wickets. If you exclude the 14th over, where Varun Chakravarthy went for 15 runs, the spinners were even more effective—giving away just 53 runs in the other nine overs at under a run-a-ball.
Sunil Narine was the standout performer, finishing with excellent figures of 4-0-21-1. Sanju Samson, who came into the match on the back of a century against Delhi Capitals, fell just short of a half-century, scoring 48 off 32 balls.
Dewald Brevis, Sarfaraz Khan, and Shivam Dube chipped in with 41, 23, and 13 respectively, but none of them managed to truly accelerate. As a result, CSK fell short of the 200-mark despite their strong start.
KARTIK TYAGI IMPRESSES
Among the pacers, Vaibhav Arora endured a forgettable outing, conceding 55 runs in his four overs. Cameron Green also proved expensive, leaking 30 runs, but Kartik Tyagi stood out with an impressive performance.
Tyagi removed Sanju Samson at a stage when the CSK opener was striking the ball with ease, delivering a 148 kph full and straight thunderbolt to clean him up. He also dismissed Dewald Brevis, who was beginning to accelerate in the death overs.
In the 18th over, the speedster conceded just six runs, followed by eight in his final over. The fact that he gave away only one boundary under pressure at the death highlighted his composure, playing a key role in ensuring CSK failed to cross the 200 mark at Chepauk for the first time this IPL.
HORRIBLE POWERPLAY
It’s fair to say the match slipped away from the Kolkata Knight Riders in the powerplay itself, where they managed only 36 runs. Sunil Narine opened the batting for the first time this season and looked promising with 24 off 17 balls before being dismissed by Khaleel Ahmed. Finn Allen also fell cheaply, leaving KKR under immediate pressure.
Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi tried to steady the innings with scores of 28 and 27, but the required run rate quickly climbed beyond 10, piling on the pressure. On a surface assisting spinners, it proved a steep challenge for the three-time champions.
KKR’s batting shuffle also backfired, with Cameron Green dismissed for a golden duck by Noor Ahmad. Rinku Singh struggled for rhythm with just 6 off 12 before falling to the same bowler. Late cameos from Rovman Powell and Ramandeep Singh offered some resistance, but the target was always out of reach.
NOOR SHINES FOR CSK
For the Super Kings, Noor Ahmad was the standout performer with an exceptional spell. Alongside him, Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj and Akeal Hosein also chipped in, but it was Noor who made the decisive impact. He returned impressive figures of 4-0-21-3 as CSK restricted the Kolkata Knight Riders to 160 for seven in 20 overs.
Noor struck early, removing Sunil Narine, who looked dangerous in the powerplay. He then dismantled the middle order with the key wickets of Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh and Cameron Green.
CSK did suffer a concern when Khaleel Ahmed walked off mid-way through his spell due to a leg injury, while Gurjapneet Singh had a tough outing, conceding 23 runs in 1.1 overs. However, overall, CSK will take plenty of confidence heading into their next clash against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 18. For KKR, it’s back to the drawing board as they look to arrest their slump.
