Chennai Super Kings eased to a seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League on Friday.
A stingy innings in the field from the hosts was followed by an excellent knock from Devon Conway, who smashed 77 from 57 balls to give CSK their fourth win of the season.
Harry Brook (18) was the first to fall for Sunrisers after he made room for himself and attempted a big hit, only to slice it behind for Ruturaj Gaikwad to make a superb low catch.
Abhishek Sharma (34) and Rahul Tripathi (21) looked to be building a nice partnership before the both ballooned shots into the air for simple catches off the bowling of the impressive Ravindra Jadeja.
Captain Aiden Markram (12) did not have long at the crease with South Africa team-mate Heinrich Klaasen as he edged Maheesh Theekshana to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, with the wicketkeeper also stumping Mayank Agarwal (2) soon after as Sunrisers fell from 71-1 to 95-5.
While they were able to stem the tide of wickets, Sunrisers struggled to find runs as CSK's bowlers kept their opponents on a leash, ultimately rewarded when Klaasen (17) fell to Matheesha Pathirana as Gaikwad snaffled another catch.
Marco Jansen (17 not out) and Washington Sundar (9) played out the remainder of the innings, with the latter being run out from the final ball as the Sunrisers scored just 37 from their last 36 balls to end on 134-7.
An opening partnership of 87 from the first 11 overs put CSK in control of the chase, before Gaikwad was run out by Umran Malik on 35.
Ajinkya Rahane (9) was dismissed by Mayank Markande, who also bowled Ambati Rayudu (9) with a superb delivery, but Conway and Moeen Ali (6 not out) eased their team home with eight balls to spare.
Conway shows the way
Sunrisers Hyderabad have still not won an IPL game against CSK at MA Chidambaram Stadium, losing all four, and Conway made sure that remained the case.
The New Zealand international hit 12 fours as he set about extinguishing any hopes the visitors had of ending that run, and recorded his third consecutive half-century, making him just the third CSK player to do so after Gaikwad and Faf Du Plessis.
Jadeja shines with the ball
Jadeja really did some damage with the ball, taking three wickets and conceding just one boundary from his four overs.
His figures of 3-22 were the fourth three-wicket haul from him in an IPL game on this ground, tied for the second-most by any bowler at the venue (behind Albie Morkel with 5).
Knight Riders dispatch Super Giants to move top of IPL
Kolkata Knight Riders moved to the top of the Indian Premier League courtesy of a 98-run victory over Lucknow Super Giants.
Sunil Narine hit a sensational 81 from 39 balls, and he was ably supported by Ramandeep Singh's 25 from six deliveries, as KKR reeled off a third straight win on Sunday.
Ramandeep enjoyed a great day in the field too, as he took one of the catches of the season as LSG managed just 137 in response to KKR's 235.
Phil Salt struck 32, but it was fellow opener Narine who did the damage for KKR.
Ravi Bishnoi eventually ended his stand, but only when KKR had reached 140. Angkrish Raghuvanshi (32) had to be substituted out, but Shreyas Iyer added a useful 23 before Ramandeep hammered 25 from just an overs' worth of deliveries.
KL Rahul (25) and Marcus Stoinis (36) tried to get Lucknow going either side of Ramandeep's spectacular catch to dismiss Arshin Kulkarni, but the Super Giants never set the pace to truly trouble Kolkata.
Sunil Narine's plunders 81 to propel Kolkata Knight Riders to emphatic victory over Pooran's Lucknow Super Giants
In a sensational display of power hitting, Sunil Narine spearheaded Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to a commanding victory over Nicholas Pooran's Lucknow Super Giants and a place atop of the IPL table with a stunning knock of 81 runs off just 39 deliveries.
Alongside Narine, contributions from Ramandeep Singh (25 off 6 balls), Phil Salt (32), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (32), and Shreyas Iyer ensured that KKR posted an imposing total of 235 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs.
The match, held at one of the lower-scoring venues in IPL 2024, set the stage for a challenging run chase for Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Despite a 50-run partnership between KL Rahul and Marcus Stoinis, LSG struggled to accelerate the scoring rate, ultimately succumbing to the pressure imposed by KKR's bowlers.
Andre Russell emerged as a pivotal figure in the match, not only with his powerful batting but also with his crucial contributions with the ball. Russell's bowling spell saw him claim the crucial wickets of Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran, swinging the match heavily in KKR's favor.
As LSG's innings faltered, the required run rate soared out of control, with the last nine wickets falling for just 67 runs. Varun Chakravarthy and Harshit Rana were instrumental in dismantling LSG's batting lineup, each claiming three wickets.
Narine's explosive batting display in the initial overs set the tone for KKR's commanding total. After Salt's aggressive start, Narine took centre stage, unleashing a barrage of boundaries and sixes. His innings featured a total of seven sixes and six fours, demonstrating his ability to accelerate the scoring rate at will.
Despite eventually being dismissed while attempting another big hit, Narine's contribution laid the foundation for KKR's comprehensive victory. The match also witnessed standout performances from Ramandeep Singh, whose quick-fire innings added crucial runs to KKR's total, putting LSG under immense pressure.
With this convincing win, Kolkata Knight Riders continue to demonstrate their formidable form in IPL 2024, buoyed by standout performances from key players like Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, signaling their intent as serious contenders in the tournament.
IPL: Jadeja stars as CSK move into playoff places
Chennai Super Kings moved into the Indian Premier League playoff places after beating Punjab Kings by 28 runs in Dharamshala.
The reigning champions avenged their seven-wicket defeat by the Kings in Chennai four days earlier to climb to third place in the table with three games remaining.
After a slow start, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Daryl Mitchell's partnership brought 57 runs and settled CSK into their stride. Although MS Dhoni went for a duck, Ravindra Jadeja's late surge of 43 from 26 balls saw them close at 167-9.
Tushar Deshpande claimed Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Rossouw in the second over to stem the Kings' early momentum, while Jadeja (3-20) also took a quickfire double of Sam Curran and Ashutosh Sharma in the 13th over as the hosts finished well short of their target at 139-9.
Data debrief
In getting back to winning ways, CSK ended their five-game losing streak against the Kings, stretching back to 2021.
Despite going for a duck, Dhoni managed to make amends in the field. When he caught out Jitesh Sharma, he became the first player in IPL history to take 150 catches.
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