Spinner Noor Ahmad’s match-winning spell against Kolkata Knight Riders followed a lengthy conversation with Chennai Super Kings icon M.S. Dhoni in the nets.

The left-arm wrist spinner from Afghanistan ended with figures of three for 21 in four overs, accounting for wickets of Ajinkya Rahane, Rinku Singh and Cameron Green in the middle overs to set up CSK’s 32-run win.

ike a restored Swiss watch, Chennai Super Kings ticked, getting the timing right again at Chepauk as it clinched a second straight win, beating Kolkata Knight Riders by 32 runs in IPL 2026 here on Tuesday.

Defending 192 under lights, CSK applied the classic Chepauk spin-choke. KKR was made to work for every boundary, with the asking rate nudging up incrementally until the chase slipped out of reach.

Like a metronome finding its beat after a stutter, Noor Ahmad’s rhythm returned, and with it, the steady ticking of wickets. He struck twice in two balls — Ajinkya Rahane (28) miscuing a googly to hole out, and Cameron Green (nought) having his stumps rattled. Later, he dangled a carrot outside off, luring Rinku Singh (six) into a catch at long-on to finish with three for 21.

Until Saturday (April 11, 2026), Chennai Super Kings was like King Lear in the storm this IPL — once a Super King, reduced to battling, carrying only the memory of power. Like Lear, it seemed unsure of itself. Nowhere more so than at home, where it had lost six consecutive matches since last season.

But on Saturday (April 11), it was as if CSK had shaken itself awake. Like Odysseus reclaiming Ithaca, it reclaimed Chepauk — a home recognising its own again.

On the eve of their clash at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Jamie Overton and Kolkata Knight Riders opener Finn Allen emphasised adaptability and trust in process as crucial elements in navigating the demands of an IPL season.

Overton, who impressed against Delhi Capitals, said the recent home victory has provided a timely boost for Super Kings.