IPL 2026: KKR's Winless Streak Continues As CSK Thrash Them By 32 Runs; Rahane Fined Rs 12 Lakh

Hyderabad: Kolkata Knight Riders' wait for the first win of the season continued as they lost against five-time champions Chennai Super Kings by 32 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday evening.

For CSK, opener Sanju Samson shone with the bat, scoring 48 runs, while young Ayush Mhatre provided a blistering start with a 17-ball 38. Noor Ahmad was the pick of the bowlers, scalping three wickets for 21.

Defending a total of 192, CSK struck early and maintained control throughout, restricting KKR to 160/7 in 20 overs despite late resistance from Ramandeep Singh, who topscored for them with 35, and Rovman Powell, who contributed an unbeaten 31.

In search of their first win of the season, KKR decided to send Sunil Narine to open the innings with Finn Allen instead of skipper Ajinkya Rahane. However, the move didn't bring much benefit as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals and never looked in control of the chase. Narine failed to build on his start and fell to pacer Khaleel Ahmed, leaving the three-time champions struggling at 36/2 for what was their lowest total after the powerplay since 2024.

Sunil Narine (24), Rahane (28), Angkrish Raghuvanshi (27) and Rovman Powell (31 Not Out), all scored in double digits, but none of them was able to convert it into a match-winning knock. The team eventually lost the match by 32 runs.

Sanju Samson started from where he left off in the last match and continued his good nick. The CSK opener was the leading run-scorer for the team with a knock of 48 runs from 32 deliveries, laced with three sixes. Dewald Brevis also played a crucial knock in the innings, scoring 41 runs while forming a crucial partnership with Sarfaraz Khan for the fourth wicket. Despite efforts from KKR bowlers, particularly Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy, to pull things back in the middle overs, CSK's aggressive start ultimately proved decisive.

Meanwhile, skipper Rahane has been fined Rs 12 lakh after his team maintained a slow over-rate during the match. "Kolkata Knight Riders Captain Ajinkya Rahane has been fined after his team maintained a slow over-rate during Match No. 22 of the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 against Chennai Super Kings at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai," IPL said in a release on Tuesday night.

"As this was his team’s first offence of the season under Article 2.22 of the IPL’s Code of Conduct, which pertains to minimum over-rate offences, Rahane was fined INR 12 lakh," it added.