Chennai Super Kings beat Kolkata Knight Riders by two runs in a low-scoring Indian Premier League match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.
The win helped Chennai move back to the top of the table, with 12 points from seven games. Kolkata stay third, with seven points from as many games.
The defending champions produced a disciplined bowling performance to restrict the two-time winners. However, their batsmen, especially the middle order, let them down.
Dwayne Bravo played a starring role with the ball for Chennai, picking up three for 22. He was named the man of the match for his effort.
Ryan ten Doeschate offered fight late in the chase, with an unbeaten 38 (off 28 balls), but the damage had been done in the middle of the innings.
Earlier, after being put into bat, Chennai got off to a good start.
Brendon McCullum (19) and Dwayne Smith (25) added 42 runs, in under five overs, for the opening wicket. McCullum was in particular severe on Pat Cummins, hitting a six and a boundary in the bowler's second over.
However, the introduction of spin ensured McCullum's early dismissal, Piyush Chawla having him out leg before.
Thereafter, the Kolkata bowlers maintained a stranglehold over the Chennai batsmen.
Chawla (2-26) and Andre Russell (also 2-26) - who took out both Suresh Raina (17) and captain MS Dhoni (3) - were Kolkata's most successful bowlers. However, veteran Brad Hogg (4-0-18-1) was undoubtedly their best on the day. Chennai batsmen failed to decipher the wily old fox.
A fantastic bowling effort helped Kolkata restrict Chennai to a modest 134 for six.
Faf du Plessis' was Chennai's best individual performance in what was otherwise a vapid batting effort.
The South African made a run-a-ball 29.
He also added 36 runs for the sixth wicket with Ravindra Jadeja (15).
Chasing a seemingly easy target Kolkata lost a wicket in their first over, captain Gautam Gambhir (0) edging Ishwar Pandey's second ball straight into the gloves of his opposite number.
However, Robin Uthappa (39) and Manish Pandey (15) then added 51 runs, in under five overs, for the second wicket, thereby laying the foundation of the innings.
The introduction of R Ashwin (2-5), in the sixth over, though ensured the dismissal of both. The off-spinner struck with his first ball, having Uthappa caught by McCullum at short midwicket. And in his second over, he had Pandey caught by Bravo at deep midwicket.
So pathetic was the Kolkata batting thereafter, that they failed to find the fence between the seventh and the 19th over, when ten Doeschate hit a boundary and a six off successive Nehra delieveries. The Dutchman also hit a six and two boundaries off the final three balls of the innings (off Bravo).
However, his effort, though good, wasn't enough to win the match for Kolkata.
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