Chennai Super Kings assistant bowling coach Sridharan Sriram revealed that Noor Ahmad benefited from a detailed discussion with MS Dhoni during a net session, where he was advised to work on his leg breaks.
Noor produced a match-winning performance with figures of 3/21 in four overs as Chennai Super Kings defeated Kolkata Knight Riders in their IPL 2026 match on Tuesday. He played a key role in breaking up the middle order as Kolkata lost control of the chase.
After the match, Sriram spoke about the adjustments Noor made and the role Dhoni played in his preparation.
“It was good. The wicket helped today. There was a bit of spin for it. The other wickets are quite flat, but today it was a bit slower in the air. There was more lateral spin of the ball and more drop,” Sriram said.
“That’s something he’s been working on. MS even had a long chat with him in one of the practice sessions, especially about how to get his broken leg going. I think it was very helpful today, and the results were there to see,” he added.
Sriram emphasized the importance of eliminating off-field drift for spinners.
“I think being able to deflect something off the surface is very important. I think that’s what he’s been working on. “Everyone accepts that there will be days when the terrain is very flat.
“But continuing to look to be aggressive, speed up the ball and get it to spin will definitely help you a lot, and that’s where you can induce errors. Because once you start getting defensive, hitters are going to jump on you,” he said.
Noor has taken four wickets in five matches this season, three of them in this game. According to the coaching staff, the nature of the fields at the beginning of the tournament also influenced their limited performances.
Chasing 193, Kolkata were 79/3 in the 10th over before Noor struck in the 11th over. He dismissed Ajinkya Rahane and Cameron Green in consecutive deliveries to reduce them to 85/5.
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Rovman Powell, who reached an unbeaten 31, and Ramandeep Singh (35) tried to revive the chase but could never maintain the requested pace.