Spin usually plays a crucial role at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. On Sunday, in what was their must-win game to stay alive in this IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders spinners made fair use of the conditions at the Chepauk to restrict Chennai Super Kings first up.

Thereafter, captain Nitish Rana (57 not out off 44 balls) and Rinku Singh (54 off 43 balls) hit calculated half-centuries on a tad difficult pitch and shared a game-winning 99-run stand for the fourth wicket that helped the Knight Riders prevail over the Super Kings by seven wickets. They overhauled the opponents’ 144/6 with nine balls to spare.

Nitish Rana plays one on the leg side during his innings of 57 not out on Sunday. PTI picture

Mathematically, the Knights, courtesy this win, are just about breathing in IPL 2023. To brighten their playoffs prospects, they needed towin this game even more comprehensively which would then have boosted their net run rate.

For the moment though, they would be just a wee bit relieved. But on Saturday at Eden Gardens, they need to beat Lucknow Super Giants by a huge margin to keep their last-four hopes alive.

This defeat shouldn’t be hurting the Super Kings much though, they are on 15 points and have one more game to play. Qualification for playoffs should not be a problem for them.

Sunil Narine celebrates one of his two wickets on Sunday. PTI picture

Steady after wobble

The start for the Knight Riders, after Sunil Narine (2/15) and Varun Chakravarthy (2/36)’s vital strikes with the ball, was poor once again. Openers Jason Roy, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Impact Player Venkatesh Iyer (for leg-spinner Suyash Sharma) were all sent back by pacer Deepak Chahar, who reduced the Knights to 33/3 in the fifth over.

That’s when skipper Rana and Rinku stood up.

Rana drew a lot of flak for bowling the first over during Rajasthan Royals’ run chase in the Knights’ previous game last Thursday, where Yashasvi Jaiswal smashed him for 26. The left-handed batter had to redeem himself in this do-or-die game. Fortune, too, favoured him this time as Matheesha Pathirana dropped him at the deep square-leg region off Moeen Ali’s bowling. Rana was on 18 prior to that let-off with the team total 71/3 in 10.1 overs.

But that lone incident aside, he looked solid and in control with Rinku’s confidence at the other end taking the pressure off him.

KKR may not have had a great season, but Rinku’s maturity has certainly been one of their positives. The left-hander wasn’t just careful in his shot selection, but was also quick enough to spot whenever there was width on offer and room to chance his arms. He also brought up his fifty in style, working a yorker-length delivery from Pathirana through mid-wicket for four.

For CSK, dew in the second half did make their bowlers’ job a tad difficult. At the same time, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni erred a bit in not bringing on the in-form Pathirana a little earlier into the attack. However, Shivam Dube (48 not out off 34 balls)’s contribution after CSK won the toss and opted to bat was one of the positives for them.

Vital strikes

Earlier, Chakravarthy, the Knights’ standout bowler this season who also knows a thing or two about the Chepauk pitch (having played in Tamil Nadu and represented the state at the domestic level), contributed once again with wickets of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ajinkya Rahane. But it was their senior-most spinner, Narine, who stood out with the ball in this vital game.

In his last nine matches going into Sunday’s encounter, the distinguished off-spinner had taken only one wicket. On Sunday though, it was almost like the Narine of the old, whom KKR have missed badly for a good part of their campaign in the ongoing edition.

Consistently bowling the right length, the Trinidadian varied his vace, foxed the CSK batters with occasional straighter ones, accounting for Ambati Rayudu and Moeen.

Bowling 10 dot balls, Narine didn’t concede a single boundary or maximum, nor did he give away any extras.