Chennai Super Kings have removed the clouds of uncertainty by blocking a place in the top four of the points table in the 2023 edition of the Indian Premier League. The four-time champion got better off David Warner-led Delhi Capitals as they registered a massive 77-run victory at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
The Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi was painted yellow as Chennai Super Kings crossed swords with Delhi Capitals in their last league match of the T20 Championship. Despite being a visiting team, the stadium echoed with the chants and support for CSK, and MS Dhoni did not disappoint as his team scored a good victory.
The toss flipped in the favor of the former Indian skipper and he elected to bat first. The Yellow Army justified the decision by posting a mammoth score of 223 runs on the scoreboard. It was a breathtaking performance by the opening duo of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway as they stitched a partnership of an impressive 144 runs.
Young Indian seamer Chetan Sakariya gave the first breakthrough to the Capitals as he dismissed Gaikwad when he was playing at a score of 79 runs off 50 runs. His knock was laced with three boundaries and seven maximums. Though Gaikwad walked back to the pavilion, Devon Conway continued his assaults on the 22-yard pitch.
Conway then built a partnership with Shivam Dube but it was not as great as the opening stand. The Indian power-hitter was dismissed by Khaleel Ahmed in the 18th over after he added only 22 runs to the scoreboard off nine balls. Meanwhile, the New Zealand opener became the third and the last CSK batter to lose his wicket in the game as Anrich Nortje bowled a peachy delivery to end the stunning innings.
Devon Conway was the top run-getter for Chennai Super Kings on Saturday
After scoring 87 runs off 52 balls with the help of 11 boundaries and three maximums at a strike rate of over 167, Conway lost his wicket on the second ball of the penultimate over. With three batters back to the pavilion, the Delhi crowd was greeted with the pleasant view of MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja batting together.
Jadeja hammered 20 runs off seven balls while Dhoni could contribute only five runs to the scoreboard after facing four balls. The target of 224 runs in 20 overs was no easy task for Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings’ lethal bowling attack made their situation worse.
Chasing the total, DC had high hopes from their opening pair of Prithvi Shaw and David Warner. Just like his performance in the entire 16th season of the Indian Premier League, Shaw failed to deliver in the last game as well. He handed an easy wicket to Tushar Deshpande in the second over after scoring five runs off seven balls.
The other opening batter Warner looked in good rhythm but he did not receive any support from other players to chase the big total. The wicketkeeper-batter Phil Salt came to bat at number three and was dismissed by Deepak Chahar at a score of three runs off six balls. He was soon followed by the hero of the last game, Rilee Rossouw, who gave his wicket to Chahar to bag a golden duck.
Axar Patel and Yash Dhull also failed to impress with their batting mettle as they scored only 15 and 13 runs in eight and 15 balls respectively. While the wickets kept falling at one end, David Warner held his fort at the other end to keep DC’s chances of winning alive. However, the opening batter finally put a full stop to his fight on the third ball of the second-last over.
Warner was the only silver lining for the franchise with a knock of 86 runs including seven boundaries and five maximums off 58 balls. The right-arm medium bowler Matheesha Pathirana was the one who took the big wicket for the Super Kings. At the end of the 20 overs, Delhi Capitals found themselves at a poor score of 146 runs and only one wicket on hand.
Deepak Chahar caused the most carnage with three wickets while Pathirana and Maheesh Theekshana picked two wickets each. With the 77-run victory, CSK have confirmed their entry into the playoffs. Meanwhile, their chances of making it to the top two are also sky high considering the good net run rate.