For a change, everything clicked for Chennai Super Kings at the DY Patil Stadium on Sunday. The openers gave them a solid start which helped post an imposing total and the bowlers then tightened the noose on the Delhi Capitals batters for a 91-run win.
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Chasing 209 for victory, DC, without opener Prithvi Shaw, were never able to stitch a decent partnership to pose a threat to the CSK total and folded up at 117.
While CSK have only a very slim chance of qualifying for the playoffs, they are making life extremely hard for others, and it was DC’s turn. While CSK moved to eight points from 11 matches, DC stay on 10 from same number of games, four points adrift of Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore who occupy the last two play-off spots.
It started with another explosive opening stand of 110 from 67 balls between Devon Conway (87, 49b) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (41, 33b). This time it was Conway who got off the blocks quickly and he never allowed the DC bowlers to settle down, especially their spinners, while Ruturaj took a more calculated approach. Conway took 13 off the 14 conceded by Axar Patel (0/23) in his first over with two sixes. Later, he attacked Kuldeep Yadav (0/43), scoring 17 of the 18 the chinaman bowler conceded in his first over, hitting him for two sixes and a four.
Such was Conway’s impact that the two DC spinners didn’t complete their quota, bowling just three overs each. He was particularly severe on Kuldeep, who conceded 43 runs in three overs off which 37 were scored by Conway.
It was Conway’s third consecutive half-century. The New Zealand left-hander had scored an unbeaten 85 in his comeback match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, CSK having benched him after just one match. In the last match against Royal Challengers Bangalore, he hit 56.
Conway stitched a second-wicket stand of 59 from 32 balls with Shivam Dube (31, 18b), who played in place of the injured Ravindra Jadeja. Though CSK’s scoring slowed after they were dismissed, the explosive stands made sure they could reach a huge total. Skipper MS Dhoni put the icing on the cake with an eight-ball 21, which took them past 200.
The CSK bowlers kept up the pressure throughout which got them wickets. DC lost openers KS Bharat (8, 5b) and David Warner (19, 12b) in the powerplay. The loss of Warner hurt them most, especially as his runs at the top have been crucial in their victories. But he was trapped leg-before by spinner Maheesh Theekshana.
With the run rate mounting, Mitchell Marsh (25, 20b) and skipper Rishabh Pant (21, 11b) had to go for their shots and in the process fell to Moeen Ali (3/13). Marsh holed out to log-off and Pant chopped on to the stumps. Ripal Patel fell a couple of balls later to Ali.
At 85 for five, DC’s hopes had practically ended and an impressive Mukesh Chaudhary (2/22) made sure Capitals were in no position to mount a comeback with his twin blows in the 11th over, dismissing Axar Patel (1) and the consistent Rovman Powell (3).
