Hyderabad: Chennai Super Kings rode on late bursts from skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo to post a fighting 157 for four against Indian Premier League champions Kolkata Knight Riders in a Group A match of the Oppo Champions League Twenty20, here today.
With CSK in a spot of bother at 86 for four in 12.3 overs, Dhoni and Bravo joinded hands to pull the team out of trouble with an unbeaten 71 runs partnership off just 45 balls.
Dhoni finished the innings unbeaten on 35 off 20 balls with the help of three fours and two sixes, while Bravo decorated his unconquered run-a-ball 28-run knock with two boundaries and as many hits over the fence.
Also see: CLT20: Match 1: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings scoreboard
Sent into bat, KKR were off to a quick start with the opening pair of Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum sharing 37 runs runs off 24 balls.
Smith's 20-run knock off 13 balls was laced with four boundaries before he was caught behind off leg-spinner Piyush Chawla's (2/26).
McCullum (22 off 19) followed suit as he was struck plumb in front of the wicket by part-time spinner Yusuf Pathan (1/16) while attempting a reverse sweep.
With CSK in a spot of bother at 49 for two in 6.4 overs, Suresh Raina took the onus on himself to ressurect his side's innings in the company of Faf du Plesis.
The duo added 35 runs for the third wicket before Raina was adjudged LBW off Sunil Narine (1/9) in the 12th over with CSK's score reading 84 for three.
With KKR producing a disciplined bowling effort in the middle overs, the CSK batsmem found it difficult to score runs easily.
CSK's problems compounded further when du Plessis departed in the 13th over to give Chawla his second wicket of the day.
With runs hard to come by off the spinners, CSK batsmen waited for the pacers to open up.
They finally did when a gutsy Dwayne Bravo opened up against Umesh Yadav and punished the pacer for two fours in the 14th over.
Inspired by Bravo's strokeplay, Dhoni too opened his arms and smashed Andre Russell for two bounadries to pick up 12 runs in the 15th over.
With overs running out, it was desperate times for CSK bastmen and young Pat Cummins became the victim when Bravo clobbered the pacer for two sixes in the 17th over that yielded 21 runs.
Cummins was once again at the firing line as Dhoni whacked the bowler over deep midwicket boundary for a six in the penultimate over.
Dhoni took Umesh Yadav for task and struck a four and a humongous six off the last ball to finish off the innings in style.
