Noor Ahmad claimed a three-wicket haul as Chennai Super Kings defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 32 runs in their IPL 2026 encounter. This victory marked CSK’s consecutive second triumph, whereas KKR remains winless in the tournament. Despite Ramandeep Singh’s 35 and Rovman Powell’s 31, their efforts proved insufficient. Previously, Sanju Samson contributed 48 while Dewald Brevis added 41 as CSK managed 192/5 across 20 overs. Ayush Mhatre also chipped in with 38, though effective death bowling from KKR’s pace attack prevented CSK from reaching the 200-run mark. Kartik Tyagi emerged as KKR’s standout bowler, capturing two wickets. Chennai Super Kings Claimed to 2nd Win as Kolkata Knight Riders Remain Winless
TOSS
Kolkata Knight Riders won the toss and elected to bowl first.
PLAYING XI
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI):
Ajinkya Rahane(c), Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi(w), Rovman Powell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakaravarthy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI):
Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Khaleel Ahmed
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
CSK’s opening partnership faltered within the first three overs for the fourth instance in five matches. Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad endured another brief innings, marking his fifth short stay this season. After an uncertain beginning that included an edge past slip off Cameron Green for four, Gaikwad attempted a slog sweep against Anukul Roy but found deep midwicket. Meanwhile, Sanju Samson established the pace during Vaibhav Arora’s opening over with three consecutive boundaries. Ayush Mhatre, who was retired out in the preceding match, emerged determined to make his mark, regularly finding the boundary and launching two sixes off Green to propel CSK beyond fifty within four overs. Samson struck his first maximum off Anukul during the fifth over, maintaining his momentum from the previous game. Arora’s final Powerplay over proved costly again as Mhatre smashed three straight fours, though the youngster departed on the over’s final delivery after a brisk 17-ball 38.
The South African batsman, who missed batting opportunities last match, immediately made his presence felt by hitting Sunil Narine for six in his opening over. Varun Chakaravarthy, returning after a two-game absence, was struck for four by Samson on his comeback. The following delivery saw Samson’s bat slip from his grasp, prompting a glove change after the over concluded. Brevis managed a leading edge off Narine that evaded the fielders, while Samson’s six off Kartik Tyagi pushed CSK past 100 in the tenth over. Varun began promisingly, restricting the batsmen and allowing just 11 runs from his opening two overs. Samson attempted to relieve mounting pressure with another six off Tyagi but was clean bowled shortly afterward, falling two runs short of his half-century. KKR managed several tight overs before Sarfaraz Khan’s six and Brevis’ pair of fours during the 14th over off Varun helped CSK reclaim control.
Narine and Tyagi delivered crucial breakthroughs for their team. Despite Arora conceding 20 runs in the 16th over, Narine dismissed Sarfaraz while allowing only seven runs in his final over, and Tyagi claimed the important wicket of Brevis in a six-run over. Arora supported these efforts with a nine-run 19th over, while Tyagi concluded effectively by conceding merely eight runs. The final four overs produced just 30 runs, with Shivam Dube and Jamie Overton managing only one boundary apiece.
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS
Narine opened alongside Impact Player Finn Allen and launched Khaleel Ahmed for six in the opening over. The CSK captain offered him a reprieve, and he capitalized by adding another six plus a boundary. However, CSK dominated the Powerplay phase. Allen edged Anshul Kamboj while Narine did likewise against Khaleel. Ajinkya Rahane and Angkrish Raghuvanshi struggled initially, leaving KKR at 36 for 2—their third-lowest Powerplay total this season.
Following a sluggish Powerplay, KKR improved significantly as Raghuvanshi and Rahane accumulated boundaries and sixes during their fifty-run partnership. Both batsmen enjoyed fortunate escapes when Brevis dropped a difficult running catch to spare Raghuvanshi and Sarfaraz put down Rahane. However, Akeal Hosein managed to remove Raghuvanshi, with Brevis completing the catch on this occasion. Noor Ahmed eliminated Rahane, immediately followed by dismissing Green for a golden duck, then removed Rinku Singh in his subsequent over, reducing KKR to 90 for 6 in the 13th over. Rovman Powell and Ramandeep Singh could only minimize the defeat margin from that point, which remained substantial.
Brief scores:
Chennai Super Kings 192/5 in 20 overs [Sanju Samson 48 (32), Dewald Brevis 41 (29), Ayush Mhatre 38 (17); Kartik Tyagi 2-35] beat Kolkata Knight Riders 160/7 in 20 overs [Ramandeep Singh 35 (23), Rovman Powell 31* (22); Noor Ahmad 3-21, Anshul Kamboj 2-32] by 32 runs.
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