At a Glance
- Chennai Super Kings defeat Delhi Capitals by eight wickets as they hunt down a play-off spot
- Sanju Samson hits an unbeaten 87 off of 52 balls in an unbeaten 114 run partnership to steer CSK to victory
- Delhi’s woes continue with fourth defeat in five as they look set to miss out on the play-offs
For what appeared to be a difficult wicket to bat on, Sanju Samson took the game to Delhi to defeat them by eight wickets. Being a crucial win to boost Chennai Super Kings play-off hopes as they win back to back games following their victory over Mumbai Indians.
Despite winning the toss, DC set CSK a target of just 156 runs after a brilliant bowling performance by Chennai. However, CSK had a slow start, losing Ruturaj Gaikwad and Urvil Patel early. Kartik Sharma and Sanju Samson then combined for an unbeaten 114-run partnership.
Chennai Super Kings 159-2 (Samson 87*, Kartik 41*, Patel 1-25) beat Delhi Capitals 155-7 (Rizvi 40*, Stubbs 38, Noor 2-22) by eight wickets. View the scorecard here.
CSK Dominate with Bat and Ball
Chennai set the tone for the game by skittling Delhi’s top five. The pick of the bowlers was Afghanistan international Noor Ahmad, who took the wickets of Nitish Rana and Karun Nair. The CSK bowling attack was highly disciplined, frustrating the Delhi batters; apart from Anshul Kamboj, no bowler conceded more than 7.75 runs per over.
In the second innings, CSK got off to a wobbly start, scoring just 40 in the powerplay. Ruturaj Gaikwad couldn’t find any rhythm and was dismissed for just six runs off 13 balls. Urvil showed some positive signs but was stumped after hitting back-to-back sixes in the previous over.
Sanju Samson and Kartik then came together in the middle and never looked back. Combining sensible stroke play with explosive hitting, the pair shut down any hopes of a DC comeback and secured a valuable two points.
Stubbs and Rizvi Dug DC Out of a Deep Hole
On a pitch that troubled Delhi Capitals’ top five, none of whom scored more than 20, DC slipped into serious trouble. The dismissal of Axar Patel left them at 69 for 5 after 11 overs.
Sameer Rizvi and Tristan Stubbs then built a 65 run partnership to steer Delhi towards a semi competitive total. Stubbs made 38 from 31 balls, not a particularly destructive innings but a crucial one as he played the anchor role. Rizvi was the more aggressive, finishing unbeaten on 40 from 24 balls.
Alas, both of their efforts were in vein, as despite a positive end to Delhi’s innings, their start is what killed any chance of them taking all two points.
DC vs CSK Report: What’s Next for Both Teams
With those two points, Chennai remain in sixth but are now within a game of the play-off places. After losing four of their first six games, CSK now have hopes of making it into the play-offs after picking up form and momentum at the right time, as the season draws to a close.
Delhi on the other hand are yet again drifting to yet another season of mediocracy. They have failed to make the play offs 12 times and along with the Punjab Kings, Delhi are the only side not to of won the IPL having been one of the founding teams in 2008.
Here’s how the table is shaping up:
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Punjab Kings | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 13 | 0.855 |
| 2 | Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 1.420 |
| 3 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0.644 |
| 4 | Rajasthan Royals | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 0.510 |
| 5 | Gujarat Titans | 10 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 12 | −0.147 |
| 6 | Chennai Super Kings | 10 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 10 | 0.151 |
| 7 | Delhi Capitals | 10 | 4 | 6 | 0 | 8 | −0.949 |
| 8 | Kolkata Knight Riders | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 7 | −0.539 |
| 9 | Mumbai Indians | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 6 | −0.649 |
| 10 | Lucknow Super Giants | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 4 | −1.076 |
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