Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by six wickets at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday.
CSK captain MS Dhoni blamed the dewy conditions for their loss and expressed satisfaction with Shivam Dube's performance, who top-scored for CSK with an unbeaten 48 off 34 balls.
Dhoni said the conditions, including dew, had a big impact on the match.
"The dew made a big difference in the second innings. We can't really blame any of our bowlers. Just that the conditions had a big impact on the game," Dhoni, who waved to the crowd, said at the post-match presentation.
"When we bowled the first ball in the second innings, we knew we needed 180. But there was no way we could have got 180 on that pitch."
Batting first after winning the toss, CSK could only make 144 for six. Shivam Dube top-scored with an unbeaten 48 off 34 balls at the Chepauk, while there were two wickets apiece for KKR spinners Sunil Narine (2/15) and Varun Chakravarthy (2/36).
Chasing 145 for victory, KKR faced some early hiccups before reaching the target in 18.3 overs with Rinku Singh and skipper Nitish Rana making 54 and unbeaten 57 respectively.
Speaking about Dube, Dhoni said, "Very happy with what Shivam has done, but important think is that he is not satisfied and keeps improving."
Meanwhile, KKR captain Nitish Rana credited his team's spinners for the win and was relieved with the outcome.
"The ball didn't turn in the second innings. Credit to our spinners for how well they bowled. I always felt that if I or Rinku could hold one end up, we will chase this down. That's what happened," Rana said.
