CHENNAI, India (AP) — The Chennai Super Kings' lowest total at home in Indian Premier League history led to their fifth consecutive loss on Friday.
Sunil Narine’s brilliance with ball and bat led Kolkata Knight Riders to an eight-wicket win with nearly 10 overs to spare.
Chennai avoided its lowest ever total — 79 — but 103-9 at Chepauk was hardly less embarrassing a day after Mahendra Singh Dhoni was handed the captaincy in the absence of the injured Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Kolkata’s spin trio of Narine, Varun Chakravarthy and Moeen Ali strangled the home team with combined bowling figures of 12-1-55-6.
After taking 3-13, Narine bludgeoned 44 off just 18 balls with five sixes and two fours and motored Kolkata to 107-2 in 10.1 overs.
Kolkata’s rampant chase lifted it to third on the table, six points behind the Gujarat Titans and unbeaten Delhi Capitals. Chennai, following an unprecedented third straight home loss, remained just above the bottom-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Narine wraps up in a flash
After his starring role with the ball, Narine was in a hurry to lead Kolkata’s electrifying chase, with Quinton de Kock also smashing three sixes in a 23-run knock.
Both left-handers whacked pace bowler Khaleel Ahmed (0-40) and didn’t spare spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who conceded 30 off his three overs.
De Kock and Narine were clean-bowled and captain Ajinkya Rahane and Rinku Singh finished off Chennai's biggest defeat in terms of balls remaining.
Chennai batters choke
Dhoni wanted to bat first after he lost the toss and Kolkata obliged him along with lining up ideal matchups with its spinners.
Ali was specifically drafted for the left-handed opening pair of Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra. The off-spinner bowled a maiden over in the power play and got the wicket of Conway, lbw to an over-ambitious reverse sweep.
Ravindra struggled and gave a leading edge to Harshit Rana.
Vijay Shankar escaped two dropped catches in his team-high 29 and his luck finally ran out in the 10th over when he holed out to backward square leg against Chakravarthy.
Rahul Tripathi, playing in place of Gaikwad, couldn’t read Narine, and Ravichandran Ashwin’s promotion lasted seven balls for one run.
Impact player Deepak Hooda couldn’t turn the fortunes for Chennai as he chipped a catch to midwicket for a four-ball duck, then Dhoni was lbw for 1 to Narine. At that point, 75-8, Chennai was in danger of its lowest ever IPL total.
But Shivam Dube, 31 not out, spared Chennai that indignity. The home team scored just three boundaries after the eighth over.
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The Associated Press
