IPL 2019, DC Vs CSK: As It Happened...

RESULT: CSK WON BY 6 WICKETS

It was billed as the match-up between master MS Dhoni and his heir apparent Rishabh Pant. The youngster failed to replicate his season-opening exploits but showed flashes of brilliance, including a caught behind.

For Dhoni, his calming influence was written large, including his one batting. Not panicking. He remained unbeaten in the successful chase of 32 off 35 with two fours and a six.  But Shane Watson was the man of the match for his 44 off 26.

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Chennai Innings; Target 148

11:36 PM IST: A similar ball to the new man, Dwayne Bravo. Dot ball. Carbon copy of the previous delivery. Short on off and climbing. Swing and miss from Bravo. Dot ball. But the Windies star finished off the chase with a half pull four. Won by six wickets.

Brief Scores:

Delhi Capitals: 147 for 6 in 20 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 51; Dwayne Bravo 3/33).
Chennai Super Kings: 150 for 4 in 19.4 overs (Shane Warson 44, Mahendra Singh Dhoni 32 not out; Amit Mishra 2/35).

11:33 PM IST: Kagiso Rabada got his first wicket of the season, had Kedar Jadhav (27 off 34) caught behind. FoW - 146/4 (19.1 Over).

11:30 PM IST: Amit Mishra returned for his last over. A dot ball to Kedar Jadhav. Followed by a single. MS Dhoni almost holed out at long-off. A single. Followed by another. Then, Dhoni produced his vintage show. A huge six over long-off. Now two needed from seven balls. A dot to end the ball. Nine runs from the over. CSK were 146/3. with that six, Dhoni (187) became the leading Indian six-hitter in the IPL. But still behind Chris Gayle (296).

11:26 PM IST: Two overthrows. Pathetic fielder effort from Delhi. And the beneficiary was MS Dhoni, who just blocked five balls in the last over. And the CSK captain seemed in no hurry. Then, a four off the fifth ball to cover up the lost balls. Stole two to end the over. 11 runs from Keemo Paul's third over. CSK were 137/3 after 18 overs. Need 11 from 12 balls.

11:20 PM IST: Five dot balls to MS Dhoni, and a single from the over. Axar Patel thus completed his spell. 4-0-16-0. Brilliant. CSK were 126/3 after 17 overs. Chennai now need 22 runs in 18 balls. Meanwhile, little Ziva Dhoni urged father Dhoni.

11:14 PM IST: And Delhi continued to fight back. 17 runs from the last four overs. Kagiso Rabada returned for his third over. Five runs from the over. His figures so far: 3-0-22-0. CSK were 125/3 after 16 overs. Equation = 23 from 24.

11:10 PM IST: Just two runs from the over. Axar Patel's figures so far: 3-0-15-0. CSK were 120/3 after 15 over. Chennai need 28 runs in 30 balls.

11:07 PM IST: Shikhar Dhawan dropped Kedar Jadhav. Keemo Paul unlucky to have that wicket. Jadhav was a goner but Dhawan conspired against it, fielding at deep midwicket. Six runs from the over. CSK were 118/3 after 14 overs.

11:03 PM IST: Another tidy over for Delhi. Axar Patel leaked just four runs from his second over. CSK were 112/3 after 13 overs.

10:58 PM IST: One brilliant over from Keemo Paul. Only three singles. CSK were 108/3 after 12 overs. Equation = 40 off 46.

10:53 PM IST: MS Dhoni opened his account with a first-ball-four. Edged and beat the slip. Eight runs and a single from the over. CSK were 105/3 after 11 overs. They need 43 runs in 54 balls.

10:50 PM IST: What a take from Rishabh Pant. Suresh Raina caught behind off Amit Mishra. Just to be sure, he also stumped. FoW -98/3 (10.2). In the last four overs, Delhi have scored 32 runs, losing two wickets. Chennai need 50 runs in 58 balls. And MS Dhoni's in the centre,

10:48 PM IST: Some hitting from Suresh Raina. The legend came down the pitch and hit the ball with the turn, and it sailed over mid-wicket boundary for a six. That happened off the first ball of the 10th over. A single and a dot ball, then Kedar Jadhav played delicately to beat the fielder at point for a four. Another dot, then a skier from Jadhav. But the ball landed in no man's land. Sweep shot played without control. 12 runs from Rahul Tewatia's second over. CSK were 97/2. 51 off 60 now.

10:44 PM IST: Amit Mishra returned for his second over. A dot ball to Kedar Jadhav to start the over, then fours singles of the remaining deliveries. CSK were 85/2 after nine overs.

10:40 PM IST: Rahul Tewatia got his first over in the eight over. A single off the first ball, taken by Suresh Raina. Then a four, pulled over mid-wicket by Kedar Jadhav. A dot, then three singles. Eight runs from the over. CSK were 81/2. Equation: 67 off 72.

10:36 PM IST: After the break, Amit Mishra completed the over. 15 runs and a wicket. CSK were 73/2. Kedar Jadhav joined Suresh Raina in the centre.

10:32 PM IST: Shane Watson's angry. And that's good always good for Chennai. A double off the first ball, then a six. Straight. A dot ball, then a six. This time, pocketed in the square leg stand. Ball replaced. Rishabh Pant then produced a very very fast stumping. Watson stumped. (44 off 26). FoW - 72/2 (6.4 Over).

10:26 PM IST: Kagiso Rabada and Shane Watson having a go at each other. Needed team-mates and umpires to calm down the two and carry on with the match. It all started after Watson brushed with the bowler while taking a single off the first ball. Fortunately, Suresh Raina faced the next three balls, of which he took five runs, including a four off the second ball. Watson faced two remaining deliveries for a single. Seven runs from the over. CSK were 58/1 after six overs.

10:21 PM IST: Suresh Raina punished Ishant Sharma. Three successive fours to end the fifth over. 18 runs from it. CSK were 51/1, need 97 from 90 balls.

10:16 PM IST: What a first over from Kagiso Rabada. The South African had Shane Watson in all sorts of trouble, then the Aussie flicked the fifth ball for a four. First runs. Then, Watson pulled the last ball for a six. That's some tussle. 10 runs from it. CSK were 33/1 after four overs.

10:11 PM IST: Ishant Sharma gave Delhi the much-needed break. He had Ambati Rayudu caught at mid-off by Shreyas Iyer (5 off 5). FoW - 22/1 (2.5 Over). Seven runs and a wicket. CSK were 23/1 after three overs. Suresh Raina was the new man.

10:06 PM IST: Nine runs from the second over, bowled by Axar Patel. Two fours, both ht by Shane Watson and a single. Chennai were 16/0.

9:59 PM IST: Ishant Sharma started the proceedings. A dot ball to Shane Watson. Another dot ball. Then a single as Watson played it down the third man. A sublime cover drive from Ambati Ryudu with Ishant feeding the CSK opener with a half-volley on the off. A dot ball, then a hard chance for Shikhar Dhawan at first slip. A single, then one more to end the over. Seven runs.

Delhi Innings

9:40 PM IST: A double and a four off the first two balls as Rahul Tewatia took on Dwayne Bravo. It was followed by a well-executed hook shot, but only for a single. Axar Patel's wild swing resulted in a single, to the third man. Tewatia, already made his move by shuffling across, was brilliantly deceived by Bravo with a slower delivery. No run. A sweep shot to square leg, for a single. And Delhi managed 147/6. 29 runs from the last five overs.

9:36 PM IST: Shardul Thakur returned for his second over. Four singles then a four off the last ball. Axar Patel played a fine leg glance to beat the third man. Delhi were 138/6 with one over to play.

9:31 PM IST: Another wicket for Dwayne Bravo. He had Dwayne Bravo caught at mid-wicket by Shardul Thakur. Deceived by a slower delivery and top-edge. FoW- 127/6 (17.1 Over). Dhawan made  51 off 47 with the help of seven fours. Axar Patel and Rahul Tewatia were the new men. Delhi were 130/6 after 18 overs. Now, they will take anything near 150.

9:27 PM IST: Ravindra Jadeja got his wicket of the day. Bowled Keemo Paul (0 off 4), off-stump uprooted. FoW-123/5 (16.3 Over). But Shikhar Dhawan reached his fifty with a double off the fifth ball. He took 45 balls. After 17 overs, Delhi were 127/5. In the last four overs, Delhi have lost three wickets for 36 runs.

9:20 PM IST: After the break, after two balls, Dwayne Bravo dismissed new man Colin Ingram (2 off 1), caught by Suresh Raina at extra cover. FoW-122/5 (15.4 Over).

9:16 PM IST: Dwayne Bravo had Rishabh Pant (25 off 13) caught at deep square leg by Shardul Thakur. FoW - 120/3 (15.2 Over). 

9:14 PM IST: Rishabh Pant has just disdainfully dismissed Harbhajan Singh. It went like a rocket, hitting the sightscreen. With that six, Delhi were 118/2 after 15 overs. 10 runs from that over. Meanwhile, Shikhar Dhawan's holding the other end with 46 off 42.

9:08 PM IST: Ever reliable Dwayne Bravo started with a 17-run over. Rishabh Pant hit the first ball for a four, then Shikhar Dhawan hit a couple more off the fourth and fifth deliveries. Delhi were 108/2 after 14 overs.

9:02 PM IST: Rishabh Pant started his knock with a single in the previous over, then took two more balls to hit his first four, off the second ball of the 13th over. Ravindra Jadeja conceded 11 runs from it. Delhi were 91/2.

8:57 PM IST: Shreyas Iyer gone. Trapped in front by Imran Tahir, off the fourth ball of the over. Delhi captain made 18 off 20. 10 runs and a wicket from it. Delhi were 80/2 after 12 overs. And that brought Rishabh Pant in the centre.

8:54 PM IST: Another quick over from Ravindra Jadeja. Over in a jiffy. Five runs from it. His spell so far, 2-0-7-0.

8:51 PM IST: Bowling change for CSK. Imran Tahir on. A single off the first ball as Shreyas Iyer played toward the square leg. Shikhar Dhawan took a single, then Iyer lofted it straight for a six, over long-off. Ten runs from the over Delhi were 65/1 after 10 overs.

8:42 PM IST: Shreyas Iyer just survived MS Dhoni lightning strike. Delhi captain played and missed the first ball from Ravindra Jadeja and his opposite number dislodged the bails in no time. Some time taken by the third umpire to give a life to Iyer. It's close. Touch and go. Three runs from the over.  Delhi were 55/1 after nine overs. And time-out.

8:38 PM IST: Harbhajan Singh using all his experience and guile to tie down Delhi batsmen. Four runs from the over. Delhi were 52/1 after eight overs.

8:34 PM IST:  Deepak Chahar completed his spell of four overs. Good effort from the pacer. One wicket for 20 runs. He conceded five runs in the last over, all singles. Delhi were 48/1 after seven overs.

8:31 PM IST: Harbhajan Singh continued. Five runs from his second over. Delhi were 43/1 after the end of mandatory power-play overs.

8:27 PM IST: Deepak Chahar got the first wicket. He had Prithvi Shaw caught at mid-wicket by Shane Watson. FoW - 36/1 (4.3 Over). Three runs and a wicket from the over. Shreyas Iyer joined Shikhar Dhawan in the centre.

8:21 PM IST: Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan hit Harbhajan Singh for a four each, and the veteran spinner has conceded 11 runs in his first over. DC were 35/0 after four overs.

8:16 PM IST: One tidy over from Deepak Chahar, conceding only four runs. Delhi were 24/0 after three overs with Prithvi Shaw on 19 off 12, and Shikhar Dhawan on 4 off 6.

8:11 PM IST: Prithvi Shaw hit Shardul Thakur for three back-to-back fours as Delhi raced to 20 without loss after two overs.

8:07 PM IST: Eight runs from Deepak Chahar's first over, which included a four, off the third ball, hit by Prithvi Shaw.

7:59 PM IST: Sunil Gavaskar did the honours of ringing the balls. Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw to open for Delhi. 

Toss and Team News:

7:33 PM IST: Shreyas Iyer won the toss and opted to bat first.

Teams

Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Colin Ingram, Rishabh Pant (wk), Keemo Paul, Axar Patel, Rahul Tewatia, Amit Mishra, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma

Chennai Super Kings: Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (wk/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir

Preview:

Rishabh Pant has once again set the tone with a magnificent 78 off 27 balls in Delhi's 37-run away win against Mumbai. But CSK, with their experience of winning important moments, will certainly make Capitals wary.

However, Chennai Super Kings will be a different challenge for the Capitals, who don't have an enviable record against Dhoni's men at their home ground.

The nature of the Kotla track makes CSK favourites with their spin troika of Harbhajan Singh, Ravindra Jadeja and Imran Tahir having already hit the straps in the low-scoring opener against the Royal Challengers Bangalore.

A look at Pant's track record indicates that he has had problems against slow bowlers and Dhoni, who has seen enough of the youngster, will love to exploit the chinks in his armoury.

The Kotla pitch, which gets slower with the passage of play, might force Dhoni to start with his pacers and keep Harbhajan and Tahir for the overs when Pant is expected to be in action.

Harbhajan, after his man of the match performance against RCB, will be relishing the challenge of bowling to a left-handed batsman, who loves to play his shots.

Having disposed off Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in the first match, 'The Turbanator' won't mind showing Pant the dug-out way.

While CSK will expect their batsmen to score more freely at the Kotla, Capitals would want their opening bowlers Trent Boult and Ishant Sharma to be a bit more economical.

Squads:

Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (captain & WK), Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Murali Vijay, Kedar Jadhav, Sam Billings, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Shorey, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Rituraj Gaikwad, Dwayne Bravo, Karn Sharma, Imran Tahir, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Sharma, K M Asif, David Willey, Deepak Chahar, N Jagadeesan (wk).

Delhi Capitals: Colin Ingram, Manjot Karla, Prithvi Shaw, Sherfane Rutherford, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Bandaru Ayyappa, Harshal Patel, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Nathu Singh, Sandeep Lamichhane, Trent Boult, Axar Patel, Chris Morris, Colin Munro, Hanuma Vihari, Jalaj Saxena, Keemo Paul, Rahul Tewatia, Ankush Bains and Rishabh Pant.

Match starts at 8 pm IST.