Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Chennai Super Kings by six wickets in the blockbuster season opener of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Chasing 132 for the win, Ajinkya Rahane hit a brilliant 44 before skipper Shreyas Iyer scored an unbeaten 20 to steer them past the finish line. Earlier, Umesh Yadav plucked two early wickets before Varun Chakaravarthy and Andre Russell entered the wicket-takers column, leaving CSK tottering at 61/5. But Ravindra Jadeja (26*) and MS Dhoni (50*) did a brilliant job to resurrect Chennai's innings after early blows. The pair put up 70 to help Chennai post 131/5 in 20 overs. On the bowling front, Umesh picked up two while Russell and Chakaravarthy registered one wicket each. Chennai, one of the most consistent sides since the tournament's inception in 2008, had defeated Kolkata to lift their fourth IPL title last year.
Gujarat Titans beat Lucknow Super Giants
Pacer Mohammed Shami bowled a fiery opening spell before Rahul Tewatia smashed an unbeaten 40 to help Gujarat Titans register a 5-wicket win over Lucknow Super Giants in their maiden IPL match on Monday. Shami (3/25) bowled a fiery opening spell to knock the wind out of the Super Giants’ top order before Gujarat Titans Deepak Hooda (55 off 41 balls) and Ayush Badoni (54 off 41 balls) smashed fifties to help their team post 158 for six. Skipper Hardik Pandya (33), all-rounder Tewatia (40 not out), Matthew Wade (30) and David Miller (30) then rallied together to take the Titans over the line. Apart from Shami’s three, Varun Aaron picked two wickets (2/45) while Rashid Khan (1/27) accounted for one batter for the Titans. Dushmantha Chameera (2/22) was the pick of the bowlers for Super Giants.
Delhi Capitals stun Mumbai
Axar Patel and Lalit Yadav’s fine knocks helped Delhi Capitals beat Mumbai Indians by 4 wickets in their opening game in the IPL 2022 at the Brabourne stadium on Sunday. A 70-run partnership in just 30 balls between Patel and Lalit Yadav enabled Delhi to chase down the 177 runs in 18. 2 overs. However, Delhi started their innings in a hurry, losing wickets at regular intervals. Earlier, Mumbai Indians rode on a breezy half-century by Ishan Kishan to post 177/5. Put into bat, Mumbai Indians’ openers Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan started the proceedings with ease. After taking two quick wickets of Prithvi Shaw and Rovman Powell, it looked like Mumbai Indians have seized the initiative from Delhi. But Axar Patel who was not so impressive in his bowling, rescued the team. First he made a 32-run stand with Shardul Thakur for the sixth wicket and then made a 75-run 7th wicket partnership in just 30 balls with Lalit Yadav to guide Delhi home.
Punjab beat Royal Challengers
Punjab Kings beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by five wickets in their match on Sunday. The Punjab side chased down a huge target of 206 with six balls to spare in a thrilling high-scoring match. Shikhar Dhawan and Bhanuka Rajapaksa scored 43 each up the order, while M Shahrukh Khan and Odean Smith remained not out on 24 and 25 respectively as Punjab reached 208 for 5 in 19 overs. For RCB, Mohammed Siraj was the most successful bowler with figures of 2/59. Earlier, RCB posted 205 for 2 after being asked to bat. Captain Faf du Plessis top-scored with a 57-ball 88, while Virat Kohli made 41 not out as the duo shared 118 runs for the second wicket. Dinesh Karthik chipped in with a quick fire 32 not out off 14 balls. For Punjab Kings, Rahul Chahar and Arshdeep Singh took a wicket apiece.
