Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Chennai Super Kings by six wickets in the blockbuster season opener of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Chasing 132 for the win, Ajinkya Rahane hit a brilliant 44 before skipper Shreyas Iyer scored an unbeaten 20 to steer them past the finish line. Earlier, Umesh Yadav plucked two early wickets before Varun Chakaravarthy and Andre Russell entered the wicket-takers column, leaving CSK tottering at 61/5. But Ravindra Jadeja (26) and MS Dhoni (50) did a brilliant job to resurrect Chennai’s innings after early blows. The pair put up 70 to help Chennai post 131/5 in 20 overs. On the bowling front, Umesh picked up two while Russell and Chakaravarthy registered one wicket each. Chennai, one of the most consistent sides since the tournament’s inception in 2008, had defeated Kolkata to lift their fourth IPL title last year.
