IPL 2022: MS Dhoni fifty in vain as KKR thump CSK in the opener in Mumbai

IPL 2022: Shreyas Iyer began his new stint as KKR captain with a commanding win over defending champions CSK. Old guards MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo's efforts went in vain as Chennai were comfortably outlcassed at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

MS Dhoni's first Indian Premier League (IPL) fifty in 3 years was in vain as defending champions Chennai Super Kings lost their season opener to Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday, March 26.

Riding on a solid knock from new-recruit Ajinkya Rahane (44 from 34) and quickfire cameos from Nitish Rana (17-ball 21) and Sam Billings, KKR chased down a paltry total of 132 to avenge their defeat in the IPL 2021 final and begin their campaign under new captain Shreyas Iyer with victory.

Fittingly, Iyer hit the winning runs as KKR got past the finish line with 9 balls and 6 wickets to spare. The new captain can be proud of his effort as he did not put a foot wrong during the largely one-sided contest.

Umesh Yadav won the Player of the Match award for his terrific opening spell as he removed Chennai openers Rutturaj Gaikwad for 0, making sure Orange Cap winner from 2021 did not get going. He got new-recruit Devon Conway early after getting an extra over in the powerplay from captain Iyer.

Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine, as expected, were miserly in the middle overs as skipper Iyer flaunted his tactical acumen, using his two spinners to great effort against Chennai.

CSK vs KKR,IPL 2022 Highlights

KKR were clinical with both bat and ball as the 2-time champions were the better side as the Mumbai crowd welcomed the IPL back home. On the other hand, Ravindra Jadeja, who took over from MS Dhoni, had an evening to forget with the bat as he struggled to get going in what could have proved to be a decisive stand with MS Dhoni.