CSK vs KKR Live Score, IPL 2023: Rinku Singh, Nitish Rana hand KKR comfortable six-wicket win over CSK in Chepauk

CSK vs KKR Live Score, IPL 2023, Match 61 Updates: Kolkata Knight Riders defeated Chennai Super Kings by six wickets in their own backyard in Chepauk. Stupendous fifties by Rinku Singh (54) and Nitish Rana (57*) helped the visitors go past the 145-run chase with nine balls to spare. The win keeps KKR's IPL 2023 campaign alive and CSK missed the chance to qualify for the playoffs in their last home game. Follow CSK vs KKR Live Score at Sportskeeda in IPL 2023.

So that will be all from our coverage of this double-header. We're heading into the final week of the league stage and we still don't know who can qualify! One of them, the Gujarat Titans, can secure their berth with certainty should they beat the Sunrisers Hyderabad tomorrow. The Sunrisers too need a win, mind you, with their playoff hopes hanging by the proverbial thread. What will transpire there in Ahmedabad? Do join us for our coverage of the same right here on Sportskeeda while keeping yourselves updated with all the other cricketing news and action from around the world on this very platform. For the moment though, this is the duo of Pratyush Rohra and Sooryanarayanan Sesha taking your leave. Thank you so much for tuning in and we wish you a great week ahead. See you tomorrow - good night and take care!

A dream season for Rinku Singh and he has added yet another lovely chapter to the same. What it does is keep the Knight Riders alive - only just but it is worth clinging onto with this points table twisting and turning at every end. They've got one more match to go and while they need to win that by a huge margin, they will take heart from what was a fantastic performance here at Chepauk and look to build on it. As for the Chennai Super Kings, this is a loss that will hurt. It suddenly opens up endless possibilities as far as that top four is concerned and now, they have to sit back and wait for the rest of the week to see how it all unfolds before they take the field one last time in the capital city. They seem unfazed though - there's a lap of honor for the crowd here as their home campaign comes to an end. Dhoni is spotted wearing a knee cap - he's been managing that pretty well and the fans have hung around to soak this all in as they get some souvenirs coming their way. And Sunil Gavaskar walks up to get his shirt signed by MSD as well before giving him a hug. Oh what a lovely moment between two of India's greats!

Live Score

Chennai Super Kings

144/6 (20)

Kolkata Knight Riders

147/4 (18.3)

Kolkata Knight Riders won by 6 wickets

Rinku Singh is the Player of the Match for his knock of 54 off 43 deliveries. Here's what he has to say: We lost wickets early so my plan was that this was a tough wicket and we had to take it in singles. Even in domestic cricket I bat at number 5 or 6 to that help. I work out well in the gym and eat well so that's how I get that power. I've worked very hard. If I bat well of course I'll get a lot of accolades but I've put in a lot of hard work behind this.

Nitish Rana (Kolkata Knight Riders captain): I said at the toss too that if we do well in all three departments, the chances of getting those two points increase. I want to give credit to Chandu sir (Chandrakant Pandit) since I wasn't in favor of taking the heavy roller. I felt if the pitch crumbles because of it 140 (144) could be too much. We wanted to bat first but we had to bowl. I'd like to give credit to all the spinners. We knew they will bowl well on this track and the seamers also did well. I was skeptical on bowling Vaibhav's fourth but he told me that he will get me a wicket and he did. Rinku and I just wanted to bat until the end. Home advantage is there with every team. For us, sometimes we have to score 220 odd and when the track changes we have to change the plan accordingly.

MS Dhoni is signing an autographed jersey for Rinku Singh. Oh that's a prized possession for someone who shows a lot of composure under pressure, much like the legend himself. Are we poetically seeing the heir to the great man in national colors? Time will tell, but this is a picture to frame!

Sunil Narine: [What was different tonight] Probably the pitch and the ground. I knew it was going to spin a bit and the ground is one of the biggest in India. So, just trying to use the conditions. [Reasons for lack of wickets] The pitches are good and the extra player coming in gives the batters a bit of leeway. [New plans and tricks] We always try to do something different. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. We've played for so many years, that's the game of cricket.

MS Dhoni (Chennai Super Kings captain): I think it was one of those where you win the toss and bat first. And the moment you bowled first in the second innings, it was a 180 wicket. Dew made a big difference. There was a lot of purchase for the spinners in the first innings. Whenever there's no certainty about dew, the decision becomes slightly tricky. Chasing against their spinners, even if it was 150-160 would have been tough. We can't blame any players, it was the conditions that got the better of us. [Chats with Shivam Dube] It should remain in the dressing room, what we've spoken about. It's important to not be satisfied with what he's done and go in the middle to get as many runs as possible to continue what he's been doing. [Chahar] He's somebody who swings the ball. He's experienced enough to realize when it's not swinging, what lengths to bowl. Once you realize it's not swinging, you've got to correct the lengths and know what fields to set and bowl accordingly.

Match Summary: Kolkata Knight Riders beat Chennai Super Kings by 6 wickets!

Nitish Rana 57* (44) | Sunil Narine 2/15 (4)
Shivam Dube 48* (34) | Deepak Chahar 3/27 (3)

When only one of your bowlers gets amongst the wickets, it's hard to defend totals with success no matter how good a team you might be. The Chennai Super Kings weren't helped by their batters coming up a cropper either, with only Shivam Dube turning in a knock of substance to give them a modest 144 runs to play with. It was something though on a track that was tacky and had some hold for the spinners.

Once Deepak Chahar made inroads into the Kolkata Knight Riders' top-order, 144 felt like a lot all of a sudden. Chahar swung the new ball although an unorthodox straight short third man field placement worked a charm for MS Dhoni, with both Venkatesh Iyer and Jason Roy picking out that fielder to perfection. This was after Rahmanullah Gurbaz holed out to deep backward point with Tushar Deshpande pulling off an excellent catch and it was game on with the slower ones gripping in the surface.

Once again though, the chips were down and Rinku Singh stood tall. Any boundary ball was duly dispatched to the fence. Skipper Nitish Rana gave him company as they went about building a solid partnership to stay on par with the asking rate. Dew started to set in and make life difficult for the spinners - it wasn't heavy dew, but it was just enough to allow the ball to skid on nicely for the batters. Matheesha Pathirana putting down a chance in the deep gave Rana a lifeline that he duly capitalized upon as the partnership continued to flourish.

The game slipped out of hand thereafter for CSK as the 99-run stand between the two southpaws, who both notched up their half-centuries, buried the game for good. Dhoni could have turned to Pathirana a lot earlier but once the slinger came back for his second spell, it was too late. A brilliant throw from Moeen Ali caught Rinku short of his ground but it was just a case of delaying the inevitable as KKR coasted home with plenty of time to spare. Stick around for the presentations...

Game, set and match! It's the skipper who hits the winning runs albeit in slightly streaky fashion. Their campaign remains relevant with a much-needed victory and this has been quite a professional display!

18.3 Tushar Deshpande to Nitish Rana

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS KEEP THEIR CAMPAIGN ALIVE! It's the captain who has led from the front and hits the winning runs. It was pitched up outside off, Rana reaches out for it and slices a thick outside edge that runs away into the third man boundary. KKR win by 6 wickets with 9 balls to spare, adding two crucial points to their points tally.

18.3 Tushar Deshpande to Nitish Rana

wide. Attempting the wide yorker but it missed the tramline.

18.2 Tushar Deshpande to Nitish Rana

OH! Off-cutter on the good length in the probing channel outside off. The ball breezes past the outside edge after Rana pushed at it, no run

18.1 Tushar Deshpande to Andre Russell

low full toss on the middle stump line. Russell calmly pushes it down to long-on and gets his captain back on strike

Tushar Deshpande [3.0-0-19-0] is back into the attack

Pathirana is trying his best to keep it tight with his yorkers, but there just haven't been enough runs for him to work with. CSK are staring at a third defeat at home this season - gosh when was the last time that happened, eh? Kolkata Knight Riders require 4 runs off 12 deliveries at 2.00 RPO.

End of over 18 (9 runs), Kolkata Knight Riders 141/4

Nitish Rana 53(42)
Andre Russell 1(1)
Matheesha Pathirana 23/0

17.6 Matheesha Pathirana to Nitish Rana

full and straight this time. Rana flicks it along the turf to pick up a pair at deep square leg. KKR are only one big hit away now

Second excellent effort in the over from Moeen Ali!

17.5 Matheesha Pathirana to Nitish Rana

MIX UP! No damage done though. Pitched up another one in the block hole. Rana shovels it out towards cover where Moeen ensures there's no run

One hit away - can Rana finish it off in style?

17.4 Matheesha Pathirana to Andre Russell

pitched up outside the off-stump. Russell opens his bat face to drive this to deep point to open his account

As Simon Doull points out on air, that stand between Rinku and Rana was the highest ever fourth-wicket partnership against CSK at this venue.

17.3 Matheesha Pathirana to Nitish Rana

low full toss outside the off-stump. Comfortably driven to sweeper cover to take the single on offer

17.2 Matheesha Pathirana to Nitish Rana

nails the yorker to precision. Rana does well to jam down on it in the nick of time, no run

Even MS Dhoni in his prime wouldn't have been able to stop that. He has still done well to get a hand to it but it just sums up the night for the Chennai Super Kings!

17.2 Matheesha Pathirana to Nitish Rana

FIVE WIDES! Wayward delivery to say the least. Well down the leg side and Dhoni couldn't do much about it, expect tipping it around the corner but not being able to prevent the boundary

Andre Russell, RHB, comes to the crease

Fantastic throw from Moeen Ali! Just the moment of inspiration that CSK were after and it brings the crowd to life again. Rinku Singh has done his job again though - what a knock that was!

17.1 Matheesha Pathirana to Rinku Singh

DIRECT HIT AND IT SEEMS TO BE CURTAINS FOR RINKU! It is! At the back of a length around the off-stump line, tapped towards cover to take a risky single. Moeen swoops in a flash and hits the bullseye at the non-striker's end. Probably too little too late though.

Rinku Singh run out (Moeen Ali) 54 (43b, 4x4, 3x6)

Just five singles off that and CSK would want to try and stretch this as much as they can. Anything is possible in this format and this game isn't over just yet, but for all practical purposes, it is hard to see how they can possibly pull it off hereon. Kolkata Knight Riders require 13 runs off 18 deliveries at 4.33 RPO.

End of over 17 (6 runs), Kolkata Knight Riders 132/3

Rinku Singh 54(42)
Nitish Rana 50(38)
Maheesh Theekshana 22/0

16.6 Maheesh Theekshana to Rinku Singh

angled in from a shortish length. Rinku hangs back to work it to deep mid-wicket for one

50 for Nitish Rana now! His 18th in the IPL and he has made the most of that dropped chance with a fantastic, mature display. All the Knight Riders support stand in applause and rightly so!

16.5 Maheesh Theekshana to Nitish Rana

FIFTY FOR THE CAPTAIN! Another one sliding into the pads. Rana nudges it through mid-wicket and brings up his half-century

16.4 Maheesh Theekshana to Rinku Singh

keeping it stump to stump on the middle stump. Rinku works it to deep mid-wicket for a single

16.3 Maheesh Theekshana to Nitish Rana

angled into the middle and leg stump. Rana nudges it into the leg-side

16.2 Maheesh Theekshana to Rinku Singh

pitched up full and outside the off-stump. Rinku leans forward to drive it to Moeen at cover for a single

16.1 Maheesh Theekshana to Nitish Rana

carrom ball sliding into middle and leg. Rana nurdles it around the corner and pinches a single

Well played Rinku Singh again. First full season and already 400+ runs👏🏻👏🏻 in #TATAIPL2023
— Ian Raphael Bishop (@irbishi) May 14, 2023

Timeout!

How has Rinku Singh found the gap on that one? Brings up a fantastic half-century as well and what a player this lad is. He has been the Knight in shining armor for his team and time and again, he continues to deliver brilliantly under pressure. He's got ice in his veins this man and is on the verge of taking his team home. Kolkata Knight Riders require 19 runs off 24 deliveries at 4.75 RPO.

End of over 16 (9 runs), Kolkata Knight Riders 126/3

Rinku Singh 51(39)
Nitish Rana 47(35)
Matheesha Pathirana 14/0

15.6 Matheesha Pathirana to Rinku Singh

FOUR! FIFTY FOR RINKU SINGH! In the galaxy of stars in this team, he's the one shining the brightest this season. Nothing wrong with that ball from Pathirana, finding the yorker again. Rinku stayed deep in his crease and managed to clip it through mid-wicket. The timing and the placement was good enough, finding the gap in the deep

Dhoni has challenged it. He has no choice of course! But it is of course an optimistic one. Free hit loading!

15.6 Matheesha Pathirana to Rinku Singh

was it a no-ball? Yes. CSK review it though. It was the yorker gone wrong, well outside the off-stump on a high full toss. Was it high enough? Ball tracking confirms it was above waist height. Free hit loading...

'CSK! CSK!' goes the crowd.

15.5 Matheesha Pathirana to Nitish Rana

a pinpoint yorker almost on command from the bowler. Rana gets his bat down in time and gets it off the toe-end with the ball rolling behind square to allow a run