Tahir and Faf seal win over Kolkata

South African stars Faf du Plessis and Imran Tahir played important roles, as the Chennai Super Kings beat the Kolkata Knight Riders by seven wickets in Tuesday's key Indian Premier League fixture at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk.

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The result pushed the Super Kings to the top of the 2019 tournament's six-team standings, while the Knight Riders were left in second position. Chennai, notably, have only lost one of their last 18 matches at this venue.

Chasing a modest 109-run target, Chennai relished early impetus provided by opener Shane Watson. The Australian stalwart, who has won the Player of the Tournament award twice, was aggressive against an opposition bowling attack that deployed legspinner Piyush Chawla for the opening over.

Watson and the left-handed Suresh Raina came and went inside the pursuit's first five overs, as the Super Kings sought quick runs.

Their departures left Du Plessis and sidekick Ambati Rayudu at the crease, as the so-called 'middle' overs yielded low-risk shot selection and calculated stroke play.

Du Plessis and Rayudu obliged, patiently and dutifully for almost 10 overs, sharing a 46-run alliance.

The Proteas captain, amid a cool, calm and collected 43 not out, was ultimately at hand to cap 111 for three - and victory with 16 deliveries to spare.

TAHIR BECOMES TOURNAMENT'S SECOND-HIGHEST WICKET-TAKER

Earlier, the Knight Riders were limited to a final total of 108 for nine - the fifth lowest in the 2019 IPL.

Chennai captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni's decision to bowl first after winning the toss enjoyed early reward, as openers Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn perished in quick succession.

Lynn was removed lbw by seamer Deepak Chahar's nagging line and length, while Narine fell prey to spinner Harbhajan Singh's clever change of pace.

The Knight Riders became the first team to lose four wickets inside the opening powerplay this IPL season, as the middle order struggled against Chahar and legspinner Tahir.

This was a stark contrast to the 65 without loss amassed inside the six-over powerplay against the Royal Challengers Bangalore last week.

Tahir, meanwhile, became the 2019 tournament's second-highest wicket-taker with nine, after Delhi Capitals star Kagiso Rabada's 11.

West Indian recruit Andre Russell afforded Kolkata some resistance, after being dropped by Harbhajan on eight. He also survived an lbw review on 19 - and eventually struck 50 not out from 44 deliveries.

He was visibly pained by a left hand injury, too. Chawla, making a 150th IPL appearance, and England tail-ender Harry Gurney offered brief support.

The Super Kings are the reigning champions, having beaten Hyderabad in last year's final, and also won in 2010 and 2011. The Knight Riders triumphed in 2012 and 2014.

Monday saw the Kings XI beat the Sunrisers in Chandigarh. Wednesday will see the Mumbai Indians host Punjab at the Wankhede Stadium.

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CHENNAI SUPER KINGS: Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Scott Kuggeleijn, Deepak Chahar, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir

KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (capt & wk), Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Harry Gurney, Prasidh Krishna