Delhi fail to grab chances as CSK beat Capitals by 6 wickets to register second consecutive win
Dwayne Bravo's brilliant comeback with the ball, sloppy fielding by Delhi players, some sensible batting at the top by Shane Watson and Suresh Raina and classic MS Dhoni's finishing touch helped Chennai Super Kings beat Delhi Capitals by 6 wickets in the fifth game of Indian Premier League here at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium on Tuesday.
Chasing the target of 148 runs to win the second consecutive game of the season, defending champions never looked in trouble despite finishing the game in the last over and return back to the top spot in points table.
After failing to get off the mark in the first game, Shane Watson played some brilliant short and exploits Capitals attack my scoring 44 off just 26 balls which includes four boundaries and three sixes.
But his opening partner Ambati Rayudu failed to make a mark yet again as he could only manage five runs before being Ishant's first victim.
And after Rayudu's dismissal, IPL leading run scorer Suresh Raina took the charge and the duo added 52 runs in just 24 balls to keep Chennai in command.
This was followed after Dwayne Bravo justified the tag of his dominance in the shortest format of the game by restricting Delhi Capitals for 147 runs.
After getting smashed for 17 runs in his first over, two times leading wicket taker made a superb comeback in the next two and picked up three crucial wickets for just seven runs to help defending champions cut short Delhi's advantage and turn the game in its favour.
He was the wrecker in chief for Chennai side picking up three for 33 while Tahir, Chahar and Jadeja picked up a wicket each.
After winning toss and electing to bat first Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar dhawan provided delhi a blistering start by adding 35 runs in first four overs. Especially Prithvi was looking in good touch as the 19-year-old batsman smashed hat-trick of fours in the last three balls of Shardul Thakur’s first over but just when it was looking like the young prodigy is going to make it big he was caught by Shane Watson off Deepak Chahar in the third ball of fifth over.
The local Mumbai youngster smashed 24 runs off just 16 balls which includes five fours. After his departure, shreyas Iyer arrives at the crease but the Delhi captain failed to score runs quickly and as a result Delhi’s run rate saw a sudden dip.
Iyer was out lbw for 18 by Imran Tahir in the 12th over but his departure turned out to be good for his side as it brings in form Rishabh Pant to the crease.
And the flawless hard hitter showed no mercy to Chennai bowlers and started playing his natural game. In his small but quick innings of 26 runs of 13 balls, the local Delhi lad hits two fours and a six but before he could create serious problems for CSK, he was sent back to the dugout by Bravo after a superb fielding effort from Shardul Thakur.
And his dismissal turned out to be a crunch moment in the game as two balls later expensive Colin Ingram before he could manage to do anything was also sent back to the hut.
He could only make two runs in as many balls. And the Delhi side could not recovered from that collapse. Jadeja too joined the party by dismissing Keemo Paul for duck before Bravo in his first ball of third over got rid of Shikhar dhawan (51 of 47balls), who was holding one end from the start but was looking no way near to his brand of attacking cricket.
And with no recognised batsmen left at the crease for the last 17 balls, Capitals could only manage to score 20 runs in the death end.