Chennai Super Kings registered its second victory on the trot after defining the art of chase once again in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018. After a classy win against Mumbai Indians in the opener, MS Dhoni’s CSK downed Kolkata Knight Riders chasing a target of 203 runs at the M Chidambaram stadium.
Oh! It was one hell of a match. If Andre Russel’s 88-run blitz set the tone of the match, CSK debutant Sam Billing’s 56-run heroics was another piece of art in the shortest format. It was brilliant batting at display by these two foreign stars and not to forget Shane Watson’s heroics atop for CSK.
KKR set a phenomenal 203-run target for CSK and the hosts sealed the match with a six of the second last ball of the innings. The Chepauk stadium was braced for a cracker and it seemed like Diwali for the southern state where the yellow brigade scripted another magnificent victory by five wickets.
Interestingly, in IPL 2018 all five matches so far have been won by teams batting second.
What a thriller at Chepauk as @ChennaiIPL clinch a nail-biter in front of their home crowd beating @KKRiders by 5 wickets. @sambillings you beauty and what a finish from @imjadeja #VIVOIPL #CSKvKKR pic.twitter.com/cHOomMS3nX
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 10, 2018
Here we look at the impact player, powerful performer and key moments of the game.
Impact Player of the day: Sam Billings
Sam’s 56 run-innings was the class act in CSK’s chase when especially since the run-rate had surged up high. Billings was dropped by Robin Uthappa, and he did not look back from there on. He was brutal and blatant to keep CSK in the hunt.
Billings’ 23-ball 56 was clubbed with five sixes and two fours. His 54-run partnership with Dhoni for the fifth wicket was a crucial moment in the match. Just when KKR thought they moved on from the early onslaught to get the momentum back their way, Billings made Uthappa rue the dropped catch to grow into the game and show why he is a dangerous T20 prospect.
He batted till 19th over to make sure CSK stayed in the chase.
Powerful Performer of the day: Andre Russell
He came to the crease with KKR reeling at 89/5, and from there on it was a one-man show. Russell was retained by KKR for these sort of nights and he did just that what was expected out of him. West Indies cricketers over the years have been the heartthrob of IPL with match-winning knocks, although KKR failed to defend the total, Russell’s brilliance was a match-defining moment. Without his knock, a thriller wouldn’t have been possible.
The key moment of the day
When KKR dismissed Billings in the 19th over, it looked like they could go on to win the tie. But Vinay Kumar’s final over for KKR did not go as planned. With 17 runs needed of the final over, He bowled a no-ball which was clobbered for a six by Dwayne Bravo.
