In what turned out to be a thrilling encounter, former champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) came up with a fine performance to tame fellow former champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Match 21 of the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL). Being played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, KKR scripted the win by just 10 runs, as they rise to the third spot in the table.
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Match report: Winning the toss, KKR skipper Dinesh Karthik elected to bat first. The decision turned out to be a good one, as opener Rahul Tripathi played a sublime knock of 81. It turned out to be the knock of the innings, as KKR were bundled out for a par total of 167, with Dwayne Bravo claiming 337.
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In reply, CSK were off to a decent start, as opener Shane Watson played a fine knock of 50, followed by a composed knock of 30 from Ambati Rayudu. However, the KKR bowlers continued to press well, as a wicket from almost every bowler allowed them to see it through and win the tie by 10 runs. Meanwhile, some records were scripted in the due process.
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KKR opt to bat after 69 matches: In an interesting observation, KKR elected to bat for the first time since May 2015. There happens to be a 69-game difference since then, as KKR have always relied on chasing. Nonetheless, this also happens to be the longest such record in IPL history.
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Bravo claims joint fourth-highest in IPL: With a generous spell of 337, Bravo claimed his 150th wicket of the tournament. In the process, he also became the joint fourth-highest wicket-taker of the IPL, along with his CSK teammate Harbhajan Singh. He is led by Piyush Chawla (156), Amit Mishra (160) and Lasith Malinga (170).
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CSK script an unwanted one: This was CSK fourth unsuccessful chase in the tournament. In the process, they have now equalled their second-most unsuccessful chase in a season, having done so last year as well. Their record for the same happens to be five, in 2013.
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Jadhav and Karthik, too, script an unwanted one: In another unwanted record, CSK's Kedar Jadhav, along with KKR's Karthik, has now faced the most balls this season without hitting a six. Jadhav tops the list, with 59 deliveries, followed by Karthik in the second, with 48 deliveries.
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Sunil Narine records a fine one: Mystery spinner Sunil Narine got rid of Watson tonight. In the process, he equalled the record of dismissing a batsman on most occasions in T20s. He has joined Bravo, who has dismissed his Windies counterpart Kieron Pollard on nine occasions.
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