NEW DELHI: Former India cricketer Aakash Chopra showered praise on Chennai Super Kings for their stellar performance against Kolkata Knight Riders, labeling them as the 'Kings of Chepauk' for their continued dominance at home in IPL 2024.
Following Ravindra Jadeja's impressive spell of 3-18, coupled with Tushar Deshpande's 3-33 and Mustafizur Rahman's 2-22, which restricted KKR to 137/9, Ruturaj Gaikwad thrilled the home crowd with a splendid unbeaten knock to seal the chase with 14 balls to spare.
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra hailed CSK's formidable record at their home ground, Chepauk Stadium. "Chennai Super Kings are Chepauk Super Kings. They are Champion Super Kings. They are a team that doesn't lose at home," he proclaimed.
Chopra expressed surprise at the absence of Deepak Chahar and Pathirana from the CSK lineup due to injury concerns but lauded their victory nonetheless.
"Chahar was ruled out of Monday's game due to a niggle. Pathirana, who also missed CSK's previous game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, hadn't recovered from his injury," he noted.
The former cricketer commended Jadeja's all-around contribution, stating, "Ravindra Jadeja picked up three wickets, didn't concede too many runs in his four overs, and took two catches as well. He broke everything from the backbone to the legs and arms."
1/10:Jadeja helps Chennai Super Kings end Kolkata Knight Riders' IPL winning run
PTI
2/10:Jadeja's bowling masterclass
Ravindra Jadeja, who returned with figures of 3-18, led Chennai Super Kings' bowling charge to restrict Kolkata Knight Riders to 137/9, a total the home team overhauled with 14 balls to spare.PTI
3/10:Gaikwad's captaincy brilliance
Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad led the chase with an unbeaten 67 and a 70-run second-wicket partnership with Daryl Mitchell, who made 25, to make Chennai bounce back from two losses.PTI
4/10:Gaikwad praises Jadeja
"Jaddu (Jadeja) always comes in after the power play with momentum in the spin department," Gaikwad said of his man of the match performer.ANI
5/10:Dube's quickfire knock
Shivam Dube hit 28 off 18 balls before departing with Chennai needing three for victory and the crowd erupted at the sight of Dhoni walking out to bat.PTI
6/10:KKR's early struggles
Kolkata had a horror start to their innings after they lost England's Phil Salt on the first ball off fast bowler Tushar Dehspande.AP
7/10:Jadeja's spin magic
Jadeja remained the hero as he struck on the first ball of his opening over and sent back the in-form Sunil Narine (27) four balls later to put KKR in trouble at 60/3 inside seven overs.PTI
8/10:Iyer's fighting knock
KKR's innings never took off with skipper Shreyas Iyer adding some respect with his 34 in 32 balls.PTI
9/10:CSK's bowling dominance
Deshpande claimed three wickets and Bangladesh left-arm quick Mustafizur Rahman took two for Chennai.ANI
10/10:Kolkata's learning curve
"We have to go back to our drawing board and learn, just a matter of one match and one innings, glad it happened at the start of the tournament," said Iyer.APChopra also highlighted the impactful performances of Mustafizur Rahman and Tushar Deshpande, who played crucial roles in limiting KKR to a modest total.
"Fizz could have got three wickets but MS Dhoni dropped a catch. However, the runs weren't much at all," he added.
Chopra's assessment underscored CSK's comprehensive victory and their stronghold at Chepauk Stadium, reinforcing their reputation as one of the most formidable teams in the IPL.
(With inputs from IANS)
