CSK vs KKR, IPL 2024 Highlights: Gaikwad finishes run-chase; Jadeja does star turn with ball as KKR lose first match of season

Ravindra Jadeja is the player of the match: (On being asked if he is cool with the title of Cricket Thalapathy) 'My title hasn't yet been verified, hopefully they'll give me one [laughs]. I always enjoy my bowling on this track. I was hoping the ball grips a little, if you bowl in the right areas with helps you.' 

No change in position on the IPL points table. Chennai Super Kings defeated Kolkata Knight Riders on Monday as the standings of the points table remained the same with CSK retaining the 4th spot and KKR staying put at 2nd. But that is the first defeat of the season for KKR and they missed the chance to retake top spot. Rajasthan Royals remain the only unbeaten side. 

Ruturaj Gaikwad reaction: Bit of nostalgia for me. My first IPL fifty was also with Mahi bhai in the middle and we finished the match. With Jinx injured a little bit, the onus was on me to bat through. I didn't want to put the youngsters in a difficult situation. Maybe a little bit for for experts to talk about, with my strike rate in the end (laughs).

Shreyas Iyer (who started off saying it's deafening in the middle and couldn't hear himself): We fell short in terms of assessing the wicket. Phenomenal start in the power play but we couldn't capitalize. Couldn't assess conditions, pitch completely changed after power play and to score runs, it wasn't easy. They know conditions pretty well, bowled according to their plan.

Venkata Krishna B from Chepauk: You know how loud it was when Dhoni walked in at Chepauk? Right through the evening, you could hear the songs that DJs were playing. But not when Dhoni walked in. It was absolutely deafening.

Some nice post-match moments there. A warm exchange between Dhoni and Gautam Gambhir. Big smiles exchanged between Dhoni and DreRuss. 

A typical bowling performance. Check. A serene knock from captain in need of runs. Check. A sighting of their icon with the bat. Check. A 100% record in the home. Check. A near perfect night for the Chepauk faithful. 

No winning runs from Dhoni but he has given Thala Dharshan to the Chepauk crowd today. He takes the single and gives the strike to Ruturaj who cuts it away for four. CSK complete a clinical win.

Guess what? Chepauk roars! And that means only one thing. MS Dhoni walks out to cheers that will be heard from Chepauk to Mylapore. Andre Russell holding his fingers next to his ears with a smile as the decibel levels go up. 

SIX AND OUT! Another lovely innings from Shivam Dube who continues to be the heartbeat of this CSK side. Smashes a six over midwicket, But Vaibhav sends the stump off the ground next ball. 

KKR use up another review, that always looked like a futile case. The ball pitching well outside leg. A matter of time now for CSK, just a question of how fast they want to get this over with. 10 needed off 24 balls. 

SIX AND SIX! There's a Shivam Dube spin-hitting show. Hint of width from Varun and Shivam goes downtown, first straighter and then a little wide of long off. 

Time for a timeout, not exactly sure what is going to be discussed on either side. Six runs in that Narine over. 

Pace on, CSK get a move on! First, as expected a short ball to Dube and he puts it away superbly for a one-bounce four. Starc goes short to Rutu as well, met with the same result. Finish line well in sight. 

Dube in, so KKR go to pace. Starc comes back in. Expect short balls (even though Dube has handled them well). 

Tidy over from Narine, but KKR need more wickets and need them quickly. Time running out. Could Shreyas have been a bit more attacking with his field placements? 

Breakthrough! Sunil Narine gets his first of the night, beating an advancing Daryl Mitchell with flight and turn. Through the gate and bowled. End of a valuable partnership. Out walks Shivam Dube as the Impact Sub. 

First half-century of the season for Ruturaj Gaikwad! His returns at the top of the order had come under the scanner. Hasn't been the fastest of knocks again but has largely been in control and enough for CSK in this run-chase. 

The required rate continues to remain below 6 an over. Will CSK now think of the NRR? 

DreRuss into the attack. CSK are keeping things well under control with risk-free batting. A four for Ruturaj as he uses his wrists to good effect to keep a pull down and find the gap for four. 8 runs from that over. 

Varun continues after the timeout. For the second time Rutu misjudges the bounce off the pitch and gets into a tangle. But CSK keep the scoreboard ticking. The average turn, meanwhile, has gone from 2.2 degrees to 1.5 degrees between the two innings. Dew impact.

Lucknow Super Giants pacer Mayank Yadav who has taken this season’s Indian Premier League by storm is set to miss at least a week in action due to “soreness in lower abdominal area.” He was taken for scan in the afternoon.

“Mayank felt soreness in lower abdominal area and as a precaution we are managing his work load over next week. We hope to see him soon in the field,” CEO of Lucknow Super Giants Colonel Vinod Bisht said in a statement on Monday.

This effectively rules out the pacer for the matches against Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders which are scheduled to take place on April 12 and April 14.

Mitchell and Ruturaj stick to rotation of strike in that Narine over, no need for risks at this point against Narine we suppose. A 7 run-over is better than par. Time for a timeout. 

Well, that feels like the best over of KKR's bowling innings so far. Varun concedes just one single. Good bounce on offer there for the spinner, who knows the local conditions well. 

Daryl Mitchell on the charge now! Not taking it cautiously against Narine. First steps down the track for a six straight over the ropes. Then pulls out of reverse sweep for four. That's the spin-hitter CSK had shelled out for. 

Not very different from the start that KKR had and this is where Jadeja changed the game. Can Narine do it for KKR? He is into the attack. Him and Varun hold the key. 

DROPPED! Vaibhav unlucky not to get a wicket. Mitchell plays an awkward looking pickup shot, Ramandeep is charging in from long leg to try and catch this but he has charged in too hard. Should've been taken. Meanwhile, Ruturaj! This is him somewhere close to his best. A lovely cut past point for four and then a lofted cut for another. He has timed the ball so well here. 

KKR lose a review early. They think this is pad and bat close to each other, could've been pad first but no, it's a clear inside edge from Ruturaj. Two fours for the CSK captain in the over, both piercing the packed offside ring field square of the wicket. Oh, then shot of the night. Gives room again, this time drives on the up through extra cover. 

Is Starc also struggling with a niggle? Dives to stop the ball at short fine and then gets up clutching his side. Good over from Vaibhav though. Time for Anukul's spin from the other end. No Narine or Varun yet. 

Rachin falls to the trap! KKR push long on back this over but the Kiwi still tries to target that region. Vaibhav gets the breakthrough. And as we thought, Mitchell walks in at No 3. 

Rachin on the move! After a watchful start, he takes on Starc. First, a slightly mishit but well-placed on drive that goes to the right of mid-on. Then goes further aerial through the same region for another four. Rachin finishes the over with another four as Starc bowls a high full toss on the pads. Dew effect? 

Vaibhav Arora earned praise from Mitch Starc last time for his use of the bouncers and ability to move the ball too. A really good over that is spoiled somewhat by an upper cut from Ruturaj for a four last ball. CSK not really looking to take on the powerplay just yet. 

There is some movement in the air for Starc, bowls a nearly perfect yorker to Rutu that moved back in to him. Kept out by the CSK captain on the full. Cautious from Ruturaj as he plays out four dot balls. 

Interestingly, Rahane is not to be seen in the dugout and Daryl Mitchell looks set to come in at No 3. 

To paraphrase Simon Doull: 'are we allowed to say this?' The Thala of Chepauk was seen as a mere mortal on more than one occasion  on Monday. In one instance, MS Dhoni failed to move quickly enough and bend down to collect a throw from the deep which came to the other side of the stumps. Then, he failed to get sufficiently off the ground to pouch what should have been a regulation outside edge from the dangerous Andre Russell off the bowling of the impressive Mustafizur Rahman. There were a few other times when Dhoni failed to collect the ball on the second bounce. Then on the last ball of the innings, the former skipper failed to hit the stumps as the last pair for KKR stole a bye. To be fair, there were many examples when Dhoni exhibited sharp glovework while standing up to the spinners. The pitch was not a straightforward one, and there was purchase for spinners and even seamers when they tried to cut the ball. None of the mistakes proved too costly, and one has to remember that one is talking about a wicketkeeper in his mid-40s. But Dhoni's performance behind the stumps wasn't up to the standards of Superman that his devoted followers consider him to be.

So clearly there is plenty of help for the bowlers on this track but the dew has set in early too as we saw CSK use the towels a fair bit. Will CSK go hard in the powerplay? Can Rutu lead his side to a win? Time for the run-chase. 

Ravindra Jadeja presents the Purple Cap to Mustafizur Rahman in the mid-innings break. Jadeja started the collapse, and CSK produced a classic stranglehold after that. 

What a sensational last over (in fact last two overs) from The Fizz. Cutters galore and he concedes just 1 run off the bat while picking up two wickets in the last over. Dhoni misses a run out chance (a rare second miss by him today) off the last ball as KKR sneak a bye. But that is some bowling performance by the hosts. 

Mustafizur has 2 in the over! Back in the side and back among the wickets. The idea was right from Starc to hit it along with the "turn", goes across but his pickup shot is straight to Rachin at deep square leg. 

THE FIZZ! Those wrists again. Shreyas Iyer hung around, struggled but managed to get to 34 off 32 balls. Jadeja with a simple catch in the deep midwicket region. 

KKR have used the Impact Sub and it is NOT Manisha Pandey, doesn't make sense this late in the piece. Anukul Roy is a better option as the allrounder who can perhaps contribute a few runs here. Could've been out here but Tushar misses a difficult skier. 3/33 for the pacer though, a good night for him. A streaky four for Shreyas in that over. 

As Rinku Singh fell, the whole of Chepauk had their eyes turned to the KKR dressing room. And after a brief wait, they got the first sighting of Andre Russell. What followed was a scene straight out of  Wrestlemania. As the dressing room door opened Jamaican jogged his way into the middle to ear-splitting noise, the loudest any visiting player has received so far this IPL. It took a few seconds for all the cheers to come down. The mood was totally contrasting a little later when each of Russell's strikes were met with silence.

DRERUSS GONE! Tushar does the CHAMPYAAN celebration, and DJ Bravo has his arm up in the air. IT seemed like a slot ball though, but Russell hits it to the fielder at long on. 

The Fizz doing the Fizz things! An over filled with his signature cutters. (How rubbery are those wrists!) One ball he missed his length was driven by DreRuss for four (no ball too). But Dhoni drops a catch to give Russell a reprieve! Edged and well to his right but that was catchable alright. Will it cost CSK? Top over from Mustafizur. 

Just four runs and a wicket in that Tushar over. Now The Fizz will have a go at DreRuss? Remember the yorker. 

DRERUSS TIME! He has produced fireworks at Chepauk before, can he again? Harsha Bhogle sys on air that he got a lovely welcome to the middle. 

Tushar Deshpande strikes! It's end of Rinku's struggles. It's a cutter from Tushar, dug into the surface and angling away from Rinku's hitting arc. He goes hard after that, inside edge and is bowled. 

An interesting update on air a while back. Rasheed has been on the field for a long time for CSK and it is apparently because Rahane is nursing a calf issue. Will it set CSK's batting back? 

The Chepauk surface had had a change of heart over the last season or two, becoming more batter-friendly than one on which the spinners were expected to call the shots. It facilitated the ultra-aggressive batting approach that the home team had taken. But Monday saw a return to what had been the norm at the venue over the years, with the ball stopping, spinning and bouncing for the tweakers. And who better to make use of such conditions than Ravindra Jadeja, who immediately finds the spot from where he can be the most effective? When Sunil Narine and Angkrish Raghuvanshi had ensured a decent comeback for KKR after the early loss of Phil Salt, the left-arm spinner came on to have an instant impact by getting rid of both the set batsmen. Jadeja then got Venkatesh Iyer before spin partner Maheesh Theekshana sent back Ramandeep Singh. The nature of the surface prompted the home team to employ the left-arm variety of Rachin Ravindra as well. It's the sort of template that MS Dhoni has made his own, choking opposition batsmen with spin and restricting them to a moderate total, so that the hosts don't have to exert too much in the chase.

Rinku has just not been able to find his timing on this sluggish surface. A top edge from him falls in no man's land. Shardul is upset with the fielding as Theekshana messes one up in the deep to concede a four to Shreyas. 

Theekshana finishes off a good spell after a tough start. An absolute peach to Rinku in that over, spinning one away past his outside edge. 1/28 from his four overs. 

Shardul with a really tidy over. But CSK miss a runout chance last ball. Mitchell's throw is down the middle of the pitch when Shreyas and Rinku were looking at each other. 

Meanwhile, Manish Pandey is all geared up it seems. An interesting sub option from KKR. Would still depend on whether they can make do with Shreyas, Rinku and DreRuss go. 

So far so good, says CSK coach and legend Dwayne Bravo, but he reminds the Big Man is still to bat and he can take this away. Shardul back into the attack. 

Jadeja finishes with sensational figures of 3/18 in his four overs. A bit upset in that over as an overthrow from sub fielder Rasheed took Shreyas off strike, he'd have liked to have a go at the right-hander. But finishes with two dot balls to Rinku. 

SIX AND OUT! Ramandeep decides to break the shackles, takes on Theekshana down the ground by clearing his front leg, just about clears the fielder at long on. But the Sri Lankan has the last laugh next ball, the stumps rattled. 

A quick stat on the screen as we suspected. Tonight the ball has turned roughly 2.5 degrees, compared to the average 1.9 degrees so far in Chepauk this season. More evidence of that in this over. But KKR do manage to end the boundary dry streak as Shreyas puts one away last ball, a lovely late cut. 

Nearly 5 overs since the last boundary as Jadeja continues. 

KKR realise that now is time to reconsolidate, ride the tide till they can unleash Russell and Rinku. Also worth considering if KKR might be tempted to use a batting sub instead of a bowling sub. Perhaps an Anukul instead of Suyash. 

Ramandeep Singh joins captain Shreyas Iyer in the middle. And now Rachin too gets an over, clear sign that CSK think there is enough help on the surface for spinners. 

Sunil Narine's stronger suit is still bowling, but his kamikaze approach with the bat at the top of the order is giving it a real run for the money. So furiously does he swing his shoulders that even shots not off the middle often go the distance. The counterpoint was seen at Chepauk on Monday when the Trinidadian swung so hard that he seemed to hurt his left shoulder and the physio had to come out to put it back in place. There would have been concerns in the Kolkata Knight Riders camp as though whatever he contributes with the bat is still a bonus, Narine is one of their main bowlers relied upon to send down four miserly overs. The West Indian allayed the concerns with a few big hits immediately after resumption, and was the prime driver for the KKR aggression during the Powerplay. He fell going for a big hit against Ravindra Jadeja, but for a player employing such a high-risk method, the results are coming at a consistent rate. It's a big plus for the player himself, who has worked to reinvent himself to stay relevant when one part of his game is not as potent as it used to be.