Chennai Super Kings cruised to a comfortable 7-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in Match 22 of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL).
Home skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad chose to field after winning the toss and his attack restricted the previously unbeaten Knight Riders to 137 from their 20 overs, despite the visitors reaching 56 for 1 in the powerplay.
After that Kolkata lost 4 wickets in 34 balls, slipping to 85-5 in the 12th over.
At the post-match press conference, Gaikwad revealed how they regained control of the match even as the Kolkata batters got off to a good start.
'I thought first six overs they got off to a really good start and looking at the wicket, I think no one really felt that it would be sticky. But after (Ravindrasinh) Jadeja’s first over we got to know that it was slightly sticky. So I just felt that, you know, spinners coming from both ends. It will be tougher for batsmen and especially their batsmen who, you know, always like to take the game on,' the young skipper elaborated.
As the hosts gained momentum, Gaikwad stated how they deduced a way to slow down KKR, 'If we get 2 or 3 wickets within that 3 or 4 overs span, we can have a chance to come back in the game. And I think that's what happened. And after that I think from seven to 14 or 15, we just controlled the game. Didn't really give too many boundaries. And they were struggling to rotate strike because that's not their style of playing. So definitely, that middle phase really helped us.'
The 7-wicket win was Chennai's first in three games and their third victory overall.