Kolkata, May 7 (UNI) Chennai Super Kings (CSK) pulled off a dramatic two-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in a last-over Indian Premier League (IPL) thriller at Eden Gardens here on Wednesday.
Chasing a target of 180, CSK recovered from 60 for 5, riding on a 72-run partnership between Shivam Dube (45 off 40 balls) and Dewald Brevis (52 off 25 balls) before Dhoni provided the finishing touch with an unbeaten 12 off 4 deliveries.
Earlier, KKR posted 179 for 6 after electing to bat. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane (48) and Andre Russell (38) were the chief contributors, while left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad returned impressive figures of 4 for 31 to derail the host's middle order.
CSK had a shaky start as Harshit Rana and Varun Chakaravarthy struck early. Brevis launched a counterattack with a flurry of boundaries and sixes before falling to Rinku Singh, who also held two more catches to remove Dube and Noor, triggering hopes of a KKR comeback.
With 12 required off the final over and two wickets in hand, Dhoni struck a six off the first ball and calmly guided his team home, sending the CSK supporters into raptures.
Vaibhav Arora, who took 3 for 48, was the most successful KKR bowler, while Rinku Singh's three outfield catches were notable contributions in the field.
In KKR’s innings, Rahmanullah Gurbaz started aggressively but fell early. Narine (26) added quick runs, while Rahane anchored the innings before being dismissed by Ravindra Jadeja. Russell struck three sixes in a fiery cameo but was dismissed by Noor Ahmad, who also removed Rinku Singh and Angkrish Raghuvanshi in a pivotal spell.
Manish Pandey remained unbeaten on 36 off 28 balls to help KKR finish strongly. UNI BDN SSP