Sunil Narine stars as KKR thump CSK in 59-ball win | IPL

Chennai Super Kings’ IPL 2025 campaign went from bad to worse on Friday night as they slumped to a record fifth consecutive defeat, crushed by the Kolkata Knight Riders by eight wickets in Chennai.

CSK were completely outplayed in front of their home fans at Chepauk, posting just 103/9 with the bat before KKR chased down the total in just 10.1 overs — the heaviest loss of the season for the five-time champions.

Chennai’s innings never got going. Kiwi duo Rachin Ravindra (4) and Devon Conway (12) fell early, and while middle-order batters Rahul Tripathi (16), Vijay Shankar (29), and Shivam Dube (31) offered resistance, their cautious approach left the team well behind par.

A collapse of 6/14 late in the innings, triggered by KKR’s spin trio led by Sunil Narine (3/13), ensured CSK would struggle to defend the meagre total.

Narine backed it up with the bat, smashing 44 off 18 balls in a dominant opening partnership with Quinton de Kock (23 off 16) that wiped out most of the target inside the powerplay.

Ajinkya Rahane (20*) and Rinku Singh (15*) finished the job with ease, lifting Kolkata to 107/2 and completing a massive eight-wicket win with 59 balls to spare.

Cricket sportsbooks had KKR as slight favorites before the match, and they now shorten to $11 outright at BlondeBet after recording their third win of the season.

For Chennai, the result marked their worst-ever losing streak in the IPL and has left their 2025 campaign hanging by a thread.

“Quite a few nights haven’t gone our way,” said MS Dhoni post-match.

“Didn’t have enough runs on the board today. With quality spinners, it is difficult. We didn’t get partnerships as well.”

CSK’s odds to win the tournament have now blown out to +5000 across major betting sites, leaving them virtually out of title contention barring a miraculous turnaround.

Delhi Capitals remain outright favourites at +400, just ahead of Gujarat Titans (+450), Punjab Kings (+500), and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (+500).

The Knight Riders, buoyed by their net run rate and rising confidence, are climbing fast. If Narine continues to shine with both bat and ball, they could yet be a serious dark horse in the 2025 IPL.

SPORTS NEWS