IPL 2022: Shreyas Iyer began his new tenure as KKR captain with a comfortable win over defending champions CSK. The efforts of old guard MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo were in vain as Chennai were comfortably outplayed at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
MS Dhoni fifty in vain as CSK loses IPL 2022 opener to KKR (Courtesy BCCI/PTI)
MS Dhoni’s first fifty in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in three years was in vain as defending champions Chennai Super Kings conceded on Saturday 26th
With a solid hit from new signing Ajinkya Rahane (44 of 34) and quickfire cameos from Nitish Rana (17-ball 21) and Sam Billings, KKR chased down a meager 132 total to avenge their loss in the 2021 IPL Finals and begin theirs Campaign under new captain Shreyas Iyer with a win.
IPL 2022: full coverage
Fittingly, Iyer hit the winning runs as KKR crossed the finish line with 9 balls and 6 wickets left. The new captain can be proud of his performance as he didn’t penalize in the largely one-sided competition.
KKR was disciplined with both racquet and ball as the two-time champions were the better team as the Mumbai crowd welcomed the IPL home. On the other hand, Ravindra Jadeja, who took over MS Dhoni, had a memorable evening with the racquet as he struggled to get into a crucial stand with MS Dhoni.
Game 1. 18.3: Adam Milne vs. Shreyas Iyer 4 runs, Kolkata Knight Riders 133/4 https://t.co/brmob93z6Y #CSKvKKR #TAAIPL #IPL2022
— Indian Premier League (@IPL) March 26, 2022
Match 1. Kolkata Knight Riders Won by 6 wicket(s) https://t.co/brmob8LpSQ #CSKvKKR #TAAIPL #IPL2022
— Indian Premier League (@IPL) March 26, 2022
What a start #IPL2022 ! ????#KKR #KKRHaiTaiyaar #CSKvKKR #GalaxyOfKnights #?????? pic.twitter.com/J5pJfIMWkt
— KolkataKnightRiders (@KKRiders) March 26, 2022
BRAVO EMULATES MALINGA
The old guard rose for CSK as Dwayne Bravo scored 3 crucial wickets in a superb spell of medium speed bowling while keeping Chennai’s hopes alive after Dhoni’s blitzkrieg earlier in the evening.
Bravo wicked Venkatesh Iyer (16), Nitish Rana (21) and Sam Billings (25) and finished his 4-over spell with numbers of 3/20. The West Indian superstar equaled Lasitt Malinga’s all-time record for most wickets in IPL history.