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The MA Chidambaram Stadium was bathed in yellow as Chennai Super Kings' loyal fans were in attendance to cheer their team which returned to its den after a gap of 2 years. However, CSK's fans were silenced in the first half by Kolkata Knight Riders' Andre Russell (88 no., 1x4, 11x6) whose 36-ball massacre helped his side finish on 202/6. But as the match ended, the smiles were back.
CSK chased down a stiff target, scoring 205 for 5 and sealing the deal in the penultimate ball of the contest. The hosts were kept in the hunt right till the end thanks to a 23-ball blitz by Sam Billings (56, 2x4, 5x6). In the company of MS Dhoni (25, 2x4, 1x6), Billings added 54 from 30 balls for the fourth wicket that gave wings to CSK's chase. Despite losing Dhoni in the 17th over, Billings continued to strike lusty blows to bring down the equation down to 27 off the last 12.
The first half of the evening belonged to the merciless Russell who single-handedly helped KKR finish off in style after being inserted in. The KKR all-rounder walked in with half of his side back in the dugout with just 89 on board in the 10th over. A fierce drive over covers for a four in the 12th over bowled by Shane Watson got the Jamaican going. Interestingly, that was the only four Russell was to score since he preferred to fetch runs through sixes.
