Chennai overcomes top-order batting collapse to beat Kolkata in IPL

KOLKATA, India (AP) — Chennai Super Kings pushed defending champion Kolkata Knight Riders to the brink of elimination with a nervy two-wicket victory in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday.

Chennai, which is already out of the playoff race, overcame another top-order batting collapse to reach 183-8 for only its third win in 12 matches. Kolkata lies at No. 6 with 11 points and just two games in hand.

Wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad had earlier picked up 4-31 on a favorable wicket for spinners to restrict Kolkata at 179-6.

Brevis stands tall for Chennai

Dewald Brevis didn’t hold back despite Chennai losing half the side inside the first six overs of the batting powerplay. Kolkata had Chennai on the mat at 60-5 inside the first six overs despite young IPL debutant Urvil Patel making a rapid 31 off 11 balls that featured four sixes.

With 87 needed of the last 10 overs, Brevis turned the game on its head with his wide range of shots and smashed fast bowler Vaibhav Arora for 6-4-4-6-6-4 in one over as he raised his maiden IPL half-century off 22 balls.

Kolakta fought back when Brevis holed out at long-on in the 13th over, but impact player Shivam Dube (45) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni brought Chennai closer to victory with 43-run partnership.

Arora picked up the wickets of Dube and Ahmad in the penultimate over but experienced Dhoni (17 not out) ensured Chennai doesn’t slip up in the last over as he lofted Andre Russell for six over mid-wicket and No. 10 batter Anshul Kamboj sealed the game with a boundary.

Ahmad restricts Kolkata

Noor Ahmad exploited perfect bowling conditions for spinners to restrict Kolkata as he combined with Ravindra Jadeja (1-34) and Ravichandran Ashwin (0-19) to restrict Kolkata.

The three spinners bowled 11 overs between them to finish with 5-84.

Kolkata lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz (11) in Kamboj’s first over but Sunil Narine (26) and captain Ajinkya Rahane (48) hit a combined eight fours and two sixes to take it to 67-1 in first six overs.

But once the spinners were deployed from both ends, Kolkata struggled to keep up the momentum. Ahmad had two wickets in his first over when he had Narine stumped and then Angkrish Raghuvanshi edged the left-arm spinner to give Dhoni his 200th catch in the IPL.

Rahane and Manish Pandey, who replaced injured Venkatesh Iyer, added 32 runs before Rahane was caught by Devon Conway at backward point to give Jadeja his first wicket.

Russell provided impetus by smashing three sixes and four boundaries in his 21-ball knock of 38 before Ahmad had him caught at long-off in the death overs and also dismissed Rinku Singh for 9.

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