Toby Marshall
In their final league game of IPL 2023, Chennai Super Kings secured a convincing 77-run victory against Delhi Capitals at Delhi, solidifying their place in the playoffs.
Chasing a daunting target of 224, Delhi Capitals struggled and could only muster 146/9. Opener David Warner fought valiantly with a resilient 86 off 58 balls. However, the Super Kings’ pacer Deepak Chahar stood out with an exceptional performance, claiming figures of 3 wickets for 22 runs in his four overs.
Having won the toss and electing to bat, the Super Kings amassed a massive total of 223/3 on the scoreboard. Openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway laid a scintillating foundation with a formidable partnership of 141 runs. Ruturaj, playing in his 50th IPL game, displayed his brilliance with a superb innings of 79 off 50 balls, while Conway blazed his way to 87 off just 52 deliveries. Quickfire cameos from Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja added impetus, propelling the Super Kings beyond the 220-run mark.
In the earlier stages of the match, Chennai Super Kings skipper David Warner lost the toss and his team was asked to bowl first. Lalit Yadav and Chetan Sakariya were included in the playing XI for the match. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway provided a flying start for CSK, putting the opposition under pressure. It required some clever bowling to end the partnership, and Sakariya delivered in style. He deceived Gaikwad with a well-executed slower delivery in the third ball of the 15th over, resulting in Gaikwad holing out to Rossouw over deep square leg.
Khaleel Ahmed struck an important blow on the last ball of the 18th over, dismissing the dangerous Shivam Dube. Then, in the second ball of the 19th over, Anrich Nortje accounted for the wicket of Devon Conway. These timely wickets affected CSK’s scoring rate in the death overs, as they were looking set to score over 230 runs.
Tushar Deshpande made an early breakthrough by dismissing Prithvi Shaw, thanks to an exceptional catch from Rayudu at mid-off. Chahar capitalized on the powerplay by taking two more wickets, removing Salt and Rossouw, which slowed down the Capitals’ momentum. Salt attempted to force a length ball over the infield but found cover, while Rossouw ended up chopping the ball onto his stumps.
Warner, after a slow start in the powerplay, found his rhythm and started attacking Ravi Jadeja, hitting him down the ground with power. He reached his fifty off just 32 balls and further accelerated in Jadeja’s last over. Warner’s ability to handle the spin and execute shots like the switch hit for six displayed excellent hand-eye coordination and wrist work.
Despite losing wickets regularly, Warner continued to counter-attack. However, due to a bowling meltdown and their top-order collapse, the required run rate had become unattainable early on. Warner’s dismissal, dragging a cutter off Matheesha Pathirana to long-on, seemed to seal the game in favor of the opposition. CSK secured a comprehensive victory, along with a significant boost to their net run rate, ensuring their qualification to the next stage of the tournament.
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to kick off on March 31, and cricket fans are buzzing with excitement on social media. Recently, a new rule was announced for the IPL stating that team captains will announce their playing XI only after the toss, instead of exchanging the final XI before the toss.
MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings defeated Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians by six wickets at the Chepauk stadium in Match 49 of the Indian Premier League. Deepak Chahar played a crucial role in restricting Mumbai to 34/3 in the Powerplay by picking up the wickets of Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma. Mumbai's Nehal Wadhera top-scored with a 51-ball 64 to help Mumbai reach a total of 139/8.
