IPL 2022, CSK vs KKR, Top Performances: Rahane’s 44, Umesh’s 2-20 trump Dhoni’s 50*

IPL 2022, CSK vs KKR, Match 01, Top amazing performances from the opening game

Shreyas Iyer-led KKR beat CSK in opening game. (Image ©BCCI/IPL)

Brief Scores: KKR 133/4 (Rahane 44, Billings 25, Shreyas 20*, Bravo 3/20) beat CSK 131/5 (Dhoni 50*, Jadeja 26*, Uthappa 28, Umesh 2/20, Chakravarthy 1/23, Narine 0/15) by six wickets

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 kicked off with the opening game between defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.

KKR, under the able captaincy of new skipper Shreyas Iyer, aced an easy chase against the Ravindra Jadeja-led CSK and won the match with ease by six wickets. The pitch barely allowed CSK to flip their wings and aim for a competitive total.

Shreyas Iyer won the toss and elected to bowl first as CSK openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway took the crease. CSK, as well as its fans, witnessed an unusual brittleness in their innings, however, skipper MS Dhoni with his sedate, yet composed half-century, helped his side post a modest 131/5 in 20 overs.

On the contrary, KKR had a terrific start to their innings, with opener Ajinkya Rahane anchoring the side’s chase with a top score of 44 runs for his side. And with a collective contribution from the middle order, KKR went on to chase down the target with six wickets in hand and nine balls to spare. While the game saw complete dominance from KKR, there were a few top moments during the game.

MS Dhoni raises his bat after scoring 38-ball fifty against KKR (Image ©BCCI/IPL)

Fans witness a classic MS Dhoni knock

What could have been better than witnessing the former CSK skipper giving a delightful treat of a half-century in the opening game of IPL 2022. MS Dhoni came onto the crease when CSK were struggling at 61/5 halfway through the game.

CSK desperately needed a partnership with their new skipper Ravindra Jadeja in the middle along with old captain MSD. Dhoni, in his usual cool as a cucumber mode, started the innings slowly, but eventually upped his game as the final overs of the innings approached. He loosened up his hands once he went past the 25-run mark. Due to his stay, CSK managed 47 runs in the final three overs at a run rate of 15.66.

MS Dhoni scored his 24th half-century in IPL and thereby, became the oldest Indian cricketer to score a fifty in IPL. Due to his knock, CSK who were struggling to reach the 100-run mark managed to post 131/5 in 20 overs.

Umesh Yadav takes 2/20 in the opening game of IPL 2022 against CSK (Image ©BCCI/IPL)

Umesh Yadav’s initial burst of 2/20 put CSK on the backfoot

The former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), and before that former KKR pacer joined the men in purple again this season. And acquiring him seemed to have paid early dividends to the Shreyas Iyer-led side.

Ahead of IPL 2022, CSK boasted of one of the most fierce opening batters, comprising Ruturaj Gaikwad and New Zealand’s Devon Conway; both the batters touted as T20 specialists, were sent back cheaply as Umesh Yadav dismissed both of them within the powerplay overs. He put KKR in command and finished with 2/20 in four overs and later went on to lift four awards including the player of the match award after KKR’s victory by six wickets.

Ajinkya Rahane scores 34-ball 44 in the opening game against CSK (Image ©BCCI/IPL)

Ajinkya Rahane led from the front with a fantastic 44

Ajinkya Rahane played in IPL, especially in India, after two seasons. KKR acquired him as one of the experienced campaigners, in the opening slot, to fill in the shoes of Shubman Gill. Rahane showed wisdom and his experience of playing domestic matches at Wankhede seemed to have helped him get into the rhythm and he top-scored for the side with 44 runs off 34 deliveries.

Rahane got into a 43-run opening stand with Venkatesh Iyer (16) and further added 36 runs with Nitish Rana for the third wicket. His presence and the form he resonated with the bat can be useful for KKR going forward in the tournament.

Mayank Agarwal-led Punjab Kings (PBKS) will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai on March 27 in the second game of IPL 2022. The match will kick off at 19:30 hours IST.