MUMBAI: Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) newly appointed skipper Ravindra Jadeja expressed disappointment after his side lost to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the season opener of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 on Saturday.
CSK VS KKR: AS IT HAPPENED
Ajinkya Rahane's knock of 44 runs put Mahendra Singh Dhoni's half-century in vain as KKR claimed a six-wicket victory over CSK here at Wankhede stadium in Mumbai.
"Dew will be the vital part in this edition. If you win the toss, you will look to bowl first. The wicket was a little damp in the first 6-7 overs and then it came on nicely in the back end of the innings. We were trying to take the game deep. Everybody bowled well given the dew. Bravo bowled very well," said Jadeja in a post-match presentation.
Chasing 132, KKR openers Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer provided their team with a great start as they scored 43 runs in the powerplay. CSK finally heaved a sigh of relief when Venkatesh got caught by Dhoni off Dwayne Bravo's delivery.
Nitish Rana then joined Rahane and troubled the CSK bowlers for a brief period but departed after scoring 21 runs, with 76 runs on the board. Following Rana's dismissal, Rahane also perished to Mitchell Santner as he got caught by Ravindra Jadeja, with the team's total at 87/3 in 11.4 overs.
KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer and Sam Billings came to the crease and anchored the innings. The duo took the score to 123 but before they could take their side through, Billings (25) became Bravo's third victim.
Later, Shreyas, who was then joined by Sheldon Jackson, ended the match with a boundary for a six-wicket win with 9 balls to spare.
Earlier, Dhoni scored an unbeaten half-century to provide CSK a par total of 131/5 after loss of early wickets.
CSK will now face debutants Lucknow Super Giants in their next clash on March 31, while KKR will be up against Royal Challengers Bangalore on March 30.
