Abu Dhabi: Talismanic opening batsman Rahul Tripathi's 81 run knock help Kolkata Knight Riders post 167/10 against Chennai Super Kings here at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
After opting to bat first, KKR openers gave the side a solid start by scoring 37 runs by the fifth over. Shubman Gill, who was looking in good touched, nicked one to MS Dhoni on the bowling of Shardul Thakur after scoring 11 runs.
Rahul, who was opening the batting for Kolkata franchise for the first time, played a gem of an innings by scoring 81 runs in 51 balls studded with three maximums and eight boundaries.
KKR's favourite choice at number three Nitish Rana also failed to make an impact in this innings. He was removed by Karn Sharma, who was playing his first match of the season.