IPL 2023 has been a roller coaster ride with nail-biting finishes and heart-stopping moments, but Sunday's doubleheaders were a snooze-fest.
CSK fans must have clung to their seats hoping for a miracle from their beloved Thala to pull off a master-stroke, but alas, it was not meant to be.
Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh continued their brilliant run of form as they pulled off one of the surprise results of the season to breach fortress Chepauk, with the Kolkata Knight Riders defeating Chennai Super Kings by six wickets.
Chasing 145, KKR lost three quick wickets in the Powerplay with Deepak Chahar taking three wickets, dismissing Rahmunllah Gurbaz, Jason Roy and Venkatesh Iyer, before the CSK spin attack even came into the game.
Kolkata looked in trouble at 33-3, but the left-handed pair Rinku and Rana put on a hall of fame display on how to play spin at Chepauk with a 99-run partnership to take their side home with nine balls to spare.
Rana remained unbeaten with 57 off 44 balls while Rinku scored a 43-ball 54. This was the highest fourth wicket partnership in the IPL at the M A Chidambaram stadium.
The match will be remembered for RR's outstanding performance, which showcased how to play spin in challenging conditions and keep the pressure on a formidable opponent.
Initially, Rinku was the aggressor, but Rana picked up pace and extinguished any hope of CSK defending the total. Rana made the most of a dropped catch on 18 by Matheesha Pathirana in the deep to reach his fifty and stood firm to hit the winning runs.
Rinku, who became an IPL sensation with his five sixes off the last five balls against the Gujarat Titans to conjure up a miracle win for Kolkata last month, struck another fifty of the season before being run out. He was eventually awarded the player of the match.
