rubber plantation

Rahane dazzled with an unbeaten 29-ball 71 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens on Sunday and was also adjudged Player of the match for his stunning knock. "I really enjoyed my knock, but I feel my best is (yet) to come. I really want to continue this form. The turning point for me is the fact that I am getting a chance to play. If you see one or two years back, I was not getting a chance to play. If you can't play consistently then how can you show the kind of shots that you have?" Rahane said in the post-match press conference.

KKR suffered a crushing 49-run defeat against CSK at the Eden Gardens on Sunday. Chasing A mammoth 236-run target, Knight Riders were restricted to 186/8 as they slumped to their fourth straight defeat in the competition. Harbhajan has questioned KKR's approach and emphasized the need for the team to stick to a consistent strategy.

After Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube struck half-centuries and carted Kolkata's bowlers all over the park in posting the highest IPL total at this venue, where they were greeted by a sea of yellow in the stands, Jason Roy and Rinku Singh struck valiant half-centuries for KKR. But they were not enough to chase down a massive total as Kolkata slumped to their fourth straight defeat in the competition.

Conway continued his impressive show while Dube attacked spinners effortlessly and Rahane went after both pace and spin, timing his shots magnificently as Chennai posted the highest IPL score at this venue and against Kolkata. After a blistering 73-run opening partnership Rahane and Dube shared a fantastic stand of 85 runs off 32 balls for the third wicket, giving many fans wearing the yellow jersey in stadium enthralling moments.

Chennai are currently in third place in the points table while Kolkata are in eighth position. In head-to-head IPL record, Chennai have won 17 out of 26 times against Kolkata and a win for them on Sunday will take them to the top of the points table. After winning the toss, Rana said that fast-bowling all-rounder David Wiese and wicketkeeper-batter N. Jagadeesan have come into the playing eleven in place of Litton Das and Mandeep Singh, with Shardul Thakur still out due to a niggle.

SRH were restricted to 134/7 in 20 overs in front of CSK's brilliant bowling performances led by Jadeja. In response, the openers gave a strong start to CSK. Despite a slump in the run rate in the middle overs, Conway's unbeaten 77 off 57 laced with 12 boundaries and a six helped the hosts to seal the win with eight balls remaining.

CSK bowlers were at their best as they didn't let SRH batters pace up the innings. After a modest start in the powerplay, SRH scored 57 runs in the middle overs with just four boundaries and a maximum and also lost four wickets in quick succession, getting reduced to 102/5 after 15 overs.

"This pitch is 50-50 because it is slightly cloudy. There might be dew so it is always better to chase. All packed together on the points table, we need to do well and not look at the table at this moment. Combination-wise, we have been fortunate because we haven't had all players available. The headaches start later when everyone becomes available," CSK skipper MS Dhoni said at the toss.

Devon Conway slammed 83 off 45 deliveries while Shivam Dube blazed away to a 27-ball 52 as CSK posted an imposing 226/6 after being asked to bat first. In reply, RCB skipper Faf du Plessis (62 off 33 balls) and Glenn Maxwell (76 off 36) gave a scare to CSK till they were at the crease, sharing 126 runs for the third wicket to raise hopes of a famous win.

The match, originally scheduled for May 4, 2023, has been rescheduled because of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation elections. "The Indian Premier League Match 46 between Lucknow Super Giants and Chennai Super Kings, originally scheduled for May 4 in Lucknow, has now been rescheduled for May 3," the IPL informed in a statement on Monday.