IPL 2022 | Ajinkya Rahane trumps MS Dhoni's vintage knock as KKR beat CSK by 6 wickets

A vintage knock from former Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni ultimately proved to be inadequate for the defending champions as Kolkata Knight Riders made light work of their total of 131 to claim an easy win in the opening game of IPL 2022.

Kolkata rode on the brilliance of Ajinkya Rahane at the Wankhede Stadium to chase down the target with ease, despite a flurry of wickets from the veteran all-rounder Dwayne Bravo.

Rahane, who was playing his first-ever game for the Knight Riders, rolled back the clock to early 2010s when he regularly played brisk knocks for the  Rajasthan Royals at the top of the order.

It was a typical Rahane knock, studded with breathtaking stroke play, none better than the cover-drive he stroked off Tushar Deshpande in the first over.

With Venkatesh Iyer going at less than a ball for a significant part of his knock, Rahane ensured he didn't let the asking rate mount at any stage as he kept chipping in with regular boundaries.

CSK needed early wickets to have any chance of defending the target, and they duly felt the absence of Deepak Chahar in the powerplay.

They finally got their first scalp in the 7th over courtesy of Dwayne Bravo, who lulled Venkatesh into an ill-fated drive.

Bravo (3/20 in 4 overs) kept chipping in with wickets at regular intervals, but with Rahane holding the fort at one end and the likes of Nitish Rana (21 off 17 deliveries) and Sam Billings (25 off 22 deliveries) chipping in with handy cameos, the asking run rate never really went up to the extent that would bother KKR.

Rahane ultimately fell to Mitchell Santner for a 34-ball 44 but skipper Shreyas ensured that he stayed till the end to hit the winning runs.

Earlier, MS Dhoni rolled back the clock with a typical Thala knock, where he left everyone asking for, following his brilliant counter attacking onslaught after a sedate start.

Dhoni once again struggled against the spin duo of Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy (as did Jadeja and other CSK batsmen) as he managed just 13 runs off the first 21 deliveries he faced.

The first half of Dhoni's knock was a reflection of the first 17 overs of Chennai Super Kings innings, where the batsmen struggled to get going on a related Wankhede surface.

CSK got off to a poor start as they lost the hero of their last season, Ruturaj Gaikwad in the first over of the innings to Umesh Yadav for a duck.

Yadav also removed Devon Conway for an 8-ball 3 but Robin Uthappa's strokeplay ensured that CSK finished the first six overs at 35/2.

Uthappa was looking really good during his 21-ball 28 before he was brilliantly stumped by Sheldon Jackson of the bowling of Varun.

Ambati Rayudu lost his wicket due to an unnecessary mix-up with skipper Jadeja, and when Shivam Dube mistimed an attempted pull off Russell to Narine, CSK were left reeling at 5/61 in the 11th over.

With Jadeja (26* off 28 deliveries) struggling for timing throughout his knock and Dhoni being Dhoni against spinners, it looked like CSK would end up with a sub-110 total.

But Dhoni turned up the heat in the final three overs at the expense of Russell and Mavi, smashing 35 runs off his last 13 deliveries, to not only rack up a 50 but also help his side to post something for the bowlers.

CSK will now face Lucknow Supergiants at the Brabourne Stadium on March 31, while KKR will lock horns with RCB at Dr D.Y Patil Stadium on March 30.

Brief Scores:

CSK 131/5 in 20 overs (MS Dhoni 50* [38], Robin Uthappa 28 [21] ; Umesh Yadav 2/20 [4], Varun Chakravarthy 1/23 [4]) lost to KKR 133/4 (Ajinkya Rahane 44 [34], Sam Billings 25 [22]; Dwayne Bravo 3/20 [4]) by six wickets