IPL 2026: CSK climb out of cellar as spinners choke winless KKR

Chennai Super Kings moved off the bottom of the table and joined a congested pack of four teams on four points by securing back-to-back victories for the first time in exactly two years.

Despite the disadvantage of losing the toss and defending a total in heavy dew, CSK maintained Kolkata Knight Riders’ winless start to the season with a disciplined 32-run clinical performance at Chepauk.

The foundation was laid by Sanju Samson, Dewald Brevis, and Ayush Mhatre, who propelled CSK to 192 on a surface that became increasingly difficult to dominate once the field spread.

The bowlers then took over, with Anshul Kamboj and Khaleel Ahmed removing the dangerous duo of Finn Allen and Sunil Narine during the powerplay. After doubling KKR’s powerplay score, CSK’s spin contingent slammed the door shut, conceding just 47 runs across eight overs while picking up four crucial wickets.

For KKR, the threat of early elimination looms large. While the return of Varun Chakravarthy provided more control with the ball, their batting lineup appeared lightweight for the demands of the modern T20 game, even with the tactical shift of pushing Narine back to the top of the order.

The early exit of a struggling Ruturaj Gaikwad proved to be a blessing in disguise for the hosts, as it allowed Samson and Mhatre to capitalize on the field restrictions.

The pair took a particular liking to Vaibhav Arora, each striking a hat-trick of boundaries against him. Mhatre also launched successive sixes off Cameron Green, who struggled to find his rhythm despite some early swing.

Arora eventually gained a measure of revenge by bouncing out Mhatre at the end of the powerplay, but the damage was done; Mhatre’s 16-ball 38 had already set the tempo.

The decisive factor of the match was established early: while the teams were evenly matched in the middle overs, CSK’s 72-run powerplay dwarfed KKR’s 36. (Modified from ESPNcricinfo)