Spinners earn Chennai a 32-run victory and leave Kolkata still searching for first IPL win

CHENNAI, India (AP) — Left-arm spinners Noor Ahmad and Akeal Hosein made full use of a slow wicket and led Chennai Super Kings to a 32-run victory over winless Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League on Tuesday.

Ahmad (3-21) grabbed all his wickets in space of seven balls and Hosein tied down batters with a tidy spell of 1-26 to restrict Kolkata at 160-7.

Kolkata is still searching for its first win in the tournament after four losses and one point from a rain-abandoned game.

Chennai, at No. 8 in the table after back-to-back wins, had earlier posted 192-5 mainly due to its strong finish of 72-2 in the power play when Ayush Mhatre made 38 off 17 balls and Sanju Samson started the innings with three successive boundaries on the off side against fast bowler Vaibhav Arora (1-55).

Chennai buckled down Kolkata to 36-2 in the power play despite Ajinkya Rahane demoting himself down the order after the skipper struggled to give his team strong starts.

The promotion of Sunil Narine saw the left-hander score 24 off 17 balls with two fours and two sixes, but Finn Allen (1) yet again perished inside the power play when he skied a simple catch to point.

Narine got a life when captain Ruturaj Gaikwad dropped a straightforward catch, but couldn’t capitalize and sliced a low full toss of Khaleel Ahmed to short third in the fifth over.

Ahmad then ran through the middle-order with the wickets of Rahane and Kolkata’s million-dollar signing Cameron Green of successive balls when he bowled the tall Australian with a quicker delivery.

Rinku Singh denied Ahmad a hat trick but perished soon after when he attempted a big shot against the left-arm Afghan spinner but holed out at mid-on.

Ramandeep Singh (35) and Rovman Powell (31 not out) never looked to threaten the target against some disciplined Chennai bowling with fast bowler Anshul Kamboj (2-32) and Ahmed (1-24) also among the wickets.

Earlier, spinners played pivotal role in pulling things for Kolkata when Narine (1-21) and Varun Chakrvarthy (0-26) squeezed the runs in the middle overs.

Samson, who also struck three sixes, fell to the pace of Kartik Tyagi in the 12th over when the fast bowler rattled the stumps of a delivery that clocked 148.1kph.

Dewald Brevis (41) and Sarfaraz Khan (23) shared a 51-run stand before Narine finished of his spell by clean bowling Khan in the 17th over. Tyagi followed with the wicket of Brevis when the South African batter sliced a tame catch to short third and Kolkata added 50 of the final five overs.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Kolkata Knight Riders' Angkrish Raghuvanshi plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai, India, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo)

Chennai Super Kings' Akeal Hosein, center, celebrates with teammates the wicket of Kolkata Knight Riders' Angkrish Raghuvanshi during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai, India, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo)

Chennai Super Kings' Sanju Samson plays a shot during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai, India, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo/ Str)

Chennai Super Kings' Noor Ahmed celebrates the wicket of Kolkata Knight Riders' captain Ajinkya Rahane during the Indian Premier League cricket match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai, India, Tuesday, April 14, 2026. (AP Photo)

MIAMI (AP) — Javier Mascherano and Lionel Messi led Inter Miami to the MLS Cup title in December, the latest victory in their long line of successes together.

Barely four months later, Mascherano is done with the club.

Mascherano is out as Inter Miami’s coach, the team announcing that stunning development on Tuesday with the club off to a 3-1-3 start and sitting in third place in MLS' Eastern Conference — but winless in its first two matches at its new stadium.

The team said Mascherano cited personal reasons, much like his predecessor, Gerardo “Tata” Martino, did in November 2024 when he stepped aside in the move that ultimately led to Mascherano joining the club and reuniting with Messi. Mascherano and Messi were teammates with Barcelona and Argentina's national team.

In Mascherano's place is another Argentine with ties to Barcelona — Guillermo Hoyos, who is credited, at least on some level, with discovering Messi at the Spanish club’s academy and predicting that he could become an all-time great.

“I would like to thank the club for the trust they placed in me, every employee who is part of the organization for the collective effort, but especially the players, who made it possible for us to experience unforgettable moments,” Mascherano said in remarks released by the team.

Mascherano's entire coaching staff has also left the club, though the team did not reveal any specifics as to why. Mascherano was 27-9-11 in 47 regular-season and playoff matches with Inter Miami.

“Javier will forever be part of this club’s history. ... We respect his decision and are deeply grateful for everything he contributed,” managing owner Jorge Mas said in comments released by the team. “Wishing him nothing but the very best in his professional and personal future.”

It is the latest in a line of surprising moves around the club in recent months, including Jordi Alba — another longtime Messi teammate — deciding to leave the final two years of his contract on the table and retire after last season. His retirement announcement came just days after the team held a retirement ceremony for another longtime Messi teammate, Sergio Busquets.

And now, Mascherano is out as well.

In barely over a year, he not only got the team its first MLS Cup but helped the Herons reach the knockout stage of the Club World Cup, the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup and the Leagues Cup final. The team clearly was disappointed by falling flat in the CONCACAF Champions Cup earlier this year — getting ousted in the round of 16 after making some offseason moves largely with that trophy in mind.

But even amid the frustration with not advancing in that tournament, few would have thought Mascherano's time with the club would soon be ending.

“I will always carry with me the memory of our first star, and wherever I am, I will continue to wish the club all the best moving forward,” Mascherano said. “I have no doubt that the club will continue to achieve success in the future.”

Hoyos and Messi have a relationship that goes back for more than 20 years.

Hoyos famously touted Messi as a potential all-time great back when the then shaggy-haired kid was playing for Barcelona's B team. Messi was 16 at the time, in the very earliest days of a career that would see him win eight Ballon d'Or trophies, the World Cup and four Champions League titles. Messi has referred to Hoyos in interviews over the years as a mentor of sorts.

Hoyos is Messi's coach now, though how long that'll be the case remains a bit unclear. As part of Tuesday's moves, the team also said chief soccer officer Alberto Marrero is assuming the duties of sporting director, filling the spot vacated by Hoyos.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Inter Miami head coach Javier Mascherano reacts during the second half of an MLS soccer match against Austin FC, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)