Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Chennai Super Kings by six wickets in the blockbuster opener of the IPL 2022. Chasing a target of 132, Ajinkya Rahane scored a brilliant 44-run at the top. KKR skipper Shreyas Iyer (20*) and Sam Billings (25) helped their side to cross the finish line. Earlier, Umesh Yadav scalped two early wickets to put CSK on the back foot.

After opting to bowl first, KKR stunned CSK as Yadav dismissed last year’s orange cap holder Ruturaj Gaikwad for a duck. Yadav struck again in the third over to remove Devon Conway for just 3-run. However, Robin Uthappa (28) played some beautiful shots to counter-attack and scored some quick runs.

A few moments later, CSK batters gifted their wickets and found themselves under huge pressure at 61/5 in 11 overs. MS Dhoni and CSK skipper Ravindra Jadeja (26*) played brilliantly to resurrect the Super Kings’ innings. Though Dhoni started slowly, he out-showed his class by scoring 24-runs off his last 8 balls.

Fans witnessed vintage Dhoni as he hit seven boundaries and a six to reach his unbeaten 50-run. The most experienced pair put up 70-run and helped Chennai to post 131/5 in 20 overs. In response, Rahane and Venkatesh Iyer (16) gave their side a solid start by scoring 43-run in six overs. 

Dwayne Bravo gave the initial breakthrough by dismissing Iyer. Shivam Dube failed to tighten the screws as he conceded 15-runs. Bravo struck again twice to bring CSK back into the game. However, KKR reached the target in 18.3 overs to register a comfortable win.