Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad will be relieved from his team’s excellent performance in the last two matches. After losing three consecutive games, the Gaikwad-led team bounced back with two consecutive wins against Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders. This will definitely serve as a huge boost in confidence for the CSK team, especially their bowlers who played a major role in these wins.
Talking about Kolkata Knight Riders, they have suffered their fourth consecutive defeat of the season and are at the last position in the points table, they are still waiting for their first win of the season. Their only points came from a draw against Punjab Kings, as the game was washed out by rain at the Eden Gardens. Kolkata’s batting unit collapsed on another occasion, as big names like Finn Allen and Cameron Green were once again troubled by the opposition bowlers.
Sanju Samson, Dewald Brevis and Ayush Mhatre gave promising scores to CSK
Chennai Super Kings might have lost a few matches in the beginning and their bowling deck was affected to a great extent. However, it was clear that the CSK batsmen had never lost their rhythm, and they would not miss out on scoring crucial runs for them.
Sanju Samson, who came to bat, hit a hat-trick of fours from the off side. Soon after, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was caught in the deep midwicket region while attempting to dismiss KKR spinner Anukul Roy. Ayush Mhatre has been their real star, as he used the power play very well and gave CSK an early start which could have been the difference of runs for their victory after the series ended in the opponent’s favour.
Samson then made another quick partnership between Sanju Samson and Dewald Bevis for the third wicket. However, after Samson’s dismissal, the scoring rate dropped significantly and they could only score properly on a few balls. Sanju Samson has been dominating this format for some time now.
KKR’s spinners also had plenty of exciting runs, as CSK’s batsmen struggled to maintain a fast flow of runs in the middle order. However, the power play begins, and the firm stands in the middle stage, which helped them the most in such a big goal.
KKR’s losing record in IPL continues this season too
Kolkata Knight Riders had to struggle from a slow start in the powerplay, as they could only score 36 runs for the loss of two important wickets in the powerplay. This was also the third lowest power-play score in this edition of Tata IPL 2026.
Kolkata Knight Riders now have some good bowlers, but the batsmen have failed to chase any good scores. Despite the likes of Cameron Green, Rinku Singh and Rovman Powell being a part of the KKR XI, they have struggled to maintain their batting form.
They suffered another loss in the match as Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi were out in consecutive overs. However, CSK dropped some important catches in the game, which did not have the ultimate impact on the game.
Khaleel Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj once again stepped up for their team as Chennai Super Kings restricted them to a score of 160, with Anshul Kamboj sharing wickets with Gujarat Titans fast bowler Prasidh Krishna.
We needed a batsman who would bat deep and then take it to the end – KKR captain’s honest opinion on his team’s performance
“I thought with the ball, we were treated really well. 190 was really good on this wicket, especially what they got in the power play, 70 odd runs. After that, to pull back to 190 was an amazing job by our bowling unit. I initially thought with our batting, we had just scored 36 or 37 runs in the power play. I thought that was really important.”
The KKR captain praised the Knight Riders’ bowling, saying, “In the middle stages, it was a bit challenging to hit the spinners, but apart from that, the wicket was really good. We needed a batsman to bat deep and then bat at the end.”
“I think all the credit goes to him. I mean he is working really hard in the nets. He is bowling really well and is a great talent. The pace at which he is bowling at the moment is amazing. So I am really happy for him. Game by game, he is improving his skills,” the KKR coach said.
Also Read: IPL Points Table 2026: Updated Standings, Orange Cap, Purple Cap after CSK vs KKR Match 22