Chennai Super Kings (CSK) registered back-to-back wins in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, as Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) campaign went from bad to worse. The Men in Yellow won a one-sided encounter at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday, April 14, to move to No. 8 on the points table.
Ajinkya Rahane won the toss on Tuesday and opted to field first. Ruturaj Gaikwad was dismissed cheaply once again, but Sanju Samson and Ayush Mhatre stitched another breathtaking partnership, adding 47 off 22
balls. After Mhatre was dismissed for 38 off 17 balls, Dewald Brevis gave great support to Samson.
The Samson-Brevis partnership yielded 39 runs off 32 balls, as the KKR bowlers did well to keep the scoring rate under control. However, after Sarfaraz Khan came in at Samson's dismissal, he added 51 runs in tandem with Brevis off just 29 balls.
In the end, Chennai finished on 192/5. The Knight Riders' spinners and Kartik Tyagi deserve a lot of credit for keeping the total below 200.
The Knights changed their opening combination, promoting Sunil Narine back at the top alongside Finn Allen. However, the latter was dismissed in the second over itself. Narine, Ajinkya Rahane, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi got starts, but all three of them departed in their 20s.
Rinku Singh and Cameron Green disappointed once again, as they were dismissed for 6 and 0, respectively. The former spent 12 balls in the middle and looked all at sea. In the end, Rovman Powell and Ramandeep Singh tried to pull off a miracle, but they were left with too big a task, and the CSK pacers also bowled according to their fields, making things all the more difficult for the big-hitting duo.
The touring side eventually finished on 160/7 in their 20 overs, with Noor Ahmad and Anshul Kamboj picking up three and two wickets, respectively. CSK won the match by a comfortable margin of 32 runs.
Key Moments from Match 22 of IPL 2026:
Sanju Samson and Ayush Mhatre dominate bowlers once again
Sanju Samson and Ayush Mhatre had pulverised the Delhi Capitals' bowlers in the last game. They continued from where they left off in that game as the right-handed duo forged a 47-run partnership off 22 balls, which gave the home side the momentum they would have wanted inside the power play, especially after losing their captain in the third over.
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝. 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫. 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡. 😎
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 14, 2026
Anukul Roy tried to give it some air, but Sanju Samson just gave it a farewell. 🚀#TATAIPL | #IPLRivalryWeek 2026 ➡️ #CSKvKKR | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/mjj0NOMNlU pic.twitter.com/OZeVpxrpqQ
Boundaries flowing freely for the Super Kings 📈
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 14, 2026
🎥 Ayush Mhatre & Sanju Samson brought the heat in the powerplay 💛#CSK 72/2 after 6 overs.
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/jWkXVCPxj5#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #CSKvKKR | @ChennaiIPL pic.twitter.com/ByydD7Lj3C
Noor Ahmad returns to form
Noor Ahmad was the second-highest wicket-taker last year in the IPL. However, this season wasn't going great for the Afghanistan spinner. In the first four matches, he had only picked up one wicket and given away runs at an economy rate of over 11. However, on Tuesday, he brought out his A-game, dismissing Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh, and Cameron Green to finish with figures of 3/21 in four overs.
Come for the wickets, stay for the celebration 😉
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 14, 2026
🎥 Noor Ahmad is 𝙏𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚 for the Super Kings 💛
Updates ▶️ https://t.co/jWkXVCPxj5#TATAIPL | #KhelBindaas | #CSKvKKR | @ChennaiIPL | @noor_ahmad_15 pic.twitter.com/IJa0OhBJWP
Sunil Narine vs CSK
Sunil Narine was fighting a lone battle, it seemed, during various stages of the match. The veteran spinner bowled brilliantly during the middle overs and restricted the scoring considerably. He was rewarded for his efforts when he got the better of Sarfaraz Khan. In his four-over spell, Narine gave away just 21 runs and bagged one wicket. Even with the bat, the 37-year-old scored 24 off 17 balls and gave the KKR fans hope of a crucial win.
Sunil says “𝙨𝙚𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧!” 👋
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 14, 2026
Sunil Narine cashes in on the half-tracker & sends it sailing over long-on for a MAXIMUM! 🙌#TATAIPL | #IPLRivalryWeek 2026 ➡️ #CSKvKKR | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/mjj0NOMNlU pic.twitter.com/Ai9qiCgMUK
