Varun Chakravarthy Channels his inner Rahul with Bold Chepauk Gesture

Spin ruled supreme at the MA Chidambaram Stadium as Kolkata Knight Riders’ (KKR) lethal duo — Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy — dismantled Chennai Super Kings (CSK), reducing them to their lowest IPL total at the venue. CSK crumbled to 103/9 in 20 overs in front of their home crowd, a performance that sparked concern among fans and former cricketers alike.

Spin strangles CSK as Narine, Chakravarthy run riot

KKR’s spin twins turned up the heat with a clinical display of tight bowling and clever variations. Varun Chakravarthy (4-0-22-2) struck early, removing the well-set Vijay Shankar after he got a couple of lives. Sunil Narine, meanwhile, bounced back from a dropped catch to produce a match-winning spell of 3/13 in 4 overs.

Chakravarthy’s control at one end allowed Narine to attack from the other, and the West Indian veteran used his experience to perfection. He delivered a dream ball to clean up Rahul Tripathi and later dismissed Ravindra Jadeja through a sharp caught behind.

After the match against Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk, Varun Chakravarthy celebrated in his own way, echoing the spirit of KL Rahul’s famous moment. While KL Rahul had drawn a circle on the pitch, stamped his bat inside it, and shouted “This is my ground,” Chakravarthy kept it simple by just doing the gesture. His act still showed his pride in playing at the historic ground and connected well with the fans.

MS Dhoni’s return as captain ends in controversial LBW

The Chepauk crowd erupted as MS Dhoni walked out to bat for the first time in two years in a leadership role. However, his comeback didn’t go as planned. Narine trapped Dhoni LBW in a controversial call that stirred heated reactions from fans and the CSK dugout.

Replays showed a faint inside edge before the ball thudded into the pads, but the on-field decision stood, leaving Dhoni visibly upset as he walked off for a low score.

Impact substitute gamble fails, CSK stumble to 103

In an effort to stabilize the innings, CSK introduced Deepak Hooda as their impact substitute. However, he failed to deliver, edging one to short third man off Chakravarthy. From there, the collapse accelerated, with wickets falling in quick succession.

Vaibhav Arora chipped in with a tidy spell, and CSK’s batting lineup had no answers to KKR’s relentless spin pressure.

CSK’s lowest total at Chepauk

This effort — or lack thereof — marked CSK’s worst-ever batting display at their fortress. Their previous lowest total at Chepauk was 112, and tonight’s 103/9 underlined the dominance of spin at the venue. CSK’s increasing vulnerability against quality slow bowlers was exposed yet again.

Stay updated with all the cricketing action, follow Cricadium on WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Telegram, and Instagram