IPL 2021: DC vs CSK – Delhi complete the double against Chennai two years in a row  

Delhi Capitals managed to beat Chennai Super Kings for the second time in the IPL 2021 season, beating them by three wickets in a nail-biting finish in Dubai International cricket stadium. The match went down to the wire with DC only winning with two balls to spare.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant won the toss and elected to bowl first. The plan worked as Delhi bowlers gave important breakthroughs in the powerplay. Faf du Plessis went for 10 while Ruturaj Gaikwad didn’t get past 13. Robin Uthappa, who came into the team for Suresh Raina, scored a run-a-ball 19. However, at 62 for 4, CSK were in a bit of bother.

A partnership between MS Dhoni and Ambati Rayudu kept the runs ticking. Rayudu was the aggressor in the 70-run stand as Dhoni found it hard to get going. The skipper ended up making 18 from 27, while Rayudu scored 55 from 43. Their efforts could only help CSK reach 136 for 5. Axar Patel was the pick of the Delhi bowlers, ending with figures of 2 for 18. Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje picked up a wicket each.

Delhi started the run chase with some firepower. Prithvi Shaw made 18 from 12 while Rishabh Pant scored 15 from 12. Shreyas Iyer didn’t trouble the scorers much, but Shikhar Dhawan was attacking early. However, the southpaw found it tough to keep the rate up, eventually getting 39 from 35. Ripal Patel, on debut, made 18 runs as well. But, momentum slowly shifted towards CSK as the bowlers dried runs up. Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur with four wickets hurt Delhi’s chase.

When Thakur got two wickets in the 15th over, the score was 99 for 6. But a change in the batting order meant Shimron Hetmyer was there in the middle after the collapse happened. He made sure that this didn’t turn out to be one of Chennai’s miraculous comebacks. Hetmyer was unbeaten on 28 runs from 18 balls while it was Rabada’s four of his first ball which sealed the deal for Delhi.

Top performers:

Axar Patel: The left-arm spinner is having his more productive year with the ball and was at the forefront of Delhi’s bowling effort. He was economical and kept the runs down, giving only 18 runs in his four overs. He picked up the crucial wickets of du Plessis and Moeen Ali.

Shikhar Dhawan: The Delhi opener has been batting pretty well this season, but despite not finishing the job today, he must take some pride in the way he batted. He started well, even hitting Deepak Chahar for 6, 4, 4, 6 to Deepak Chahar.

Shimron Hetmyer: ‘I am paid to finish the games and I wanted to do that,’ Hetmyer said with a sense of responsibility after the match. At 99 for 6, CSK had roared back into the match, but Hetmyer kept his calm. He picked up boundaries when required and took singles and doubles, taking the game deep, never keeping too many for later. He was dropped once, but fortunes do favour the brave.

Personal achievements/records:

• Deepak Chahar dismissed Prithvi Shaw sixth time today, the most he has been dismissed by a single bowler.
• The opening pair of Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad are the first partnership pair to score more than 600 runs in a single season.

Way ahead:

Delhi’s next game is against Bangalore on October 8, while Chennai will face Punjab on October 7.