Data Shorts: CSK outsmart KKR in tactics and matchups

The pace versus spin numbers in CSK's third home game of the season was reminiscent of their glory days from the past. At the T20 World Cup earlier this season, Chepauk was the most batting-friendly venue in terms of average runs per wicket (35) and run-rate (9.41), well ahead of the overall tournament aggregate of 25.04 and 8.74 respectively. The spin-bowling average of 31.41 was only exceeded by 32.88 in Ahmedabad.

And so came the contradiction. For the first time in IPL 2026, a team successfully defended a sub-200 total in a complete 20-over game after seven failed attempts. Spin dominated outright: 6/115 in 18 overs (ER: 6.38) compared to 6/231 in 22 overs (ER: 10.5) for seam. However, nothing about the batting - from Sanju Samson-Ayush Mhatre at the start to Rovman Powell-Ramandeep Singh's blitz in the closing stages - suggested that it was far from a true surface. KKR utilised the uneven boundary dimensions to perfection, but it were the hosts who seized the opportunity to play out ideal matchups.

The square leg boundary for the right-hander was 70 meters from the Anna Pavilion End compared to 63 meters from V. Pattabhiraman Gate End as CSK started their innings. With Shivam Dube walking in as late as the 17th over, 90% of the deliveries in CSK's innings (108/120) were faced by the right-handers. It reflected in the scoring; CSK made 192/5: 121/3 at 12.1 RPO from V. Pattabhiraman Gate End versus 71/2 at 7.1 RPO from Anna Pavilion end. Ajinkya Rahane deployed eight overs of spin from the latter, which yielded 2/45 (ER: 5.12), compared to 0/23 from two overs from the other.

Akeal Hosein bowls nearly half of his overs (48%) in the powerplay in T20s. Noor Ahmad has more wickets than anyone in the middle-phase in the IPL since 2025. In an ideal world, CSK would've wanted to play it out in the exact same manner. KKR though, presumably to neutralize the Akeal threat and the uneven boundaries, promoted Sunil Narine to open. It may be noted that batting in the first half of their innings had been in their otherwise disappointing run. The two KKR openers for the day were the only ones to have had a significant strike-rate against left-arm spin since 2023. Narine's numbers suggested a double-edged sword: 11 dismissals in 53 balls while striking at 177.35.

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Finn Allen was undone by some fine swing bowling by Anshul Kamboj. Narine, dropped earlier off the same bowler, was foxed by Khaleel Ahmed from the around-the-wicket angle. As absurd as it is, Narine had faced just 10 deliveries from left-arm quicks from that angle in the IPL previously, half of them by Khaleel. CSK had got the two potential threats out of the way. Promptly, they brought in Akeal in the sixth over, and now had the luxury of bowling their two left-arm spinners to a right-heavy line-up. Rinku Singh, the only leftie to follow, was cleaned up by Noor for the third time in 25 balls in the IPL (while managing 16 runs at a SR of 60).

The only overseas pair of specialist left-arm spinners to have bowled together in an IPL innings (after Shakib Al Hasan and Brad Hogg for KKR), combined for 4/47 in eight overs, which could have made for an even better reading if not for the dropped catches, one of which was parried over the ropes.

At the end of it all, CSK bowlers made the ends and dimensions aspect of it look immaterial. KKR scored 80 apiece from either in their effort of 160/7.