IPL 2021: Match 50, DC vs CSK – Who Said What

Delhi Capitals reclaimed the top spot in the table courtesy of a three-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in a low-scoring nail-biter in Dubai. After being put in, CSK managed only 136/5 on a difficult batting track, with only Ambati Rayudu managing to strike performance of note.

Known this season to provide flying starts one after another, both Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad fell cheaply inside the powerplay. Both du Plessis and Gaikwad struck a couple of boundaries after a scratchy start, but the former miscued Axar Patel to midwicket to walk back for 10 off 8. Only a couple of overs later, Gaikwad, fresh from a century in the previous game, picked Ravi Ashwin in the same area off Anrich Nortje.

It was not a day for Moeen Ali either, who failed to provide the impetus as he has throughout the season at No. 3, as he perished to Axar (2/18) before Rayudu and MS Dhoni held the innings together. With the ball not coming to the batters’ liking, Dhoni scored a boundary-less 18 off 27 before falling to Avesh Khan. Although Rayudu accelerated after getting his eyes in to remain unbeaten on 55 off 43, including five fours and two sixes.

Out in a pursuit 137, DC themselves lost a couple of wickets inside the powerplay, as Deepak Chahar got Prithvi Shaw (18 off 12) for the sixth time in IPL, while Josh Hazlewood saw the back of Shreyas Iyer. From the other end, however, Shikhar Dhawan kept his wicket secured and took the attack to Chahar to score 21 off his 35-run knock in the fifth over. His knock had three fours and two sixes.

The situation became tricky in the middle phase when Rishabh Pant (15 off 12) and debutant Ripal Patel (18 off 20) were removed by Ravindra Jadeja before Shardul Thakur cleaned up R Ashwin. But the nerves were evident for CSK, as Krishnappa Gowtham, in the 18th over, spilled Shimron Hetmyer’s catch off Dwayne Bravo in what eventually proved to be the turning point of the game. To add insult to injury, the ball went on to the ropes to give DC four runs instead of a wicket to CSK. Needing only 6 off the final over against Bravo, things became easy for Hetmyer, who stood unbeaten on 28 off 18, with Bravo being wayward and far from his usual best.

Losing skipper MS Dhoni:

 We were looking to get closer to 150. After we lost a few wickets, around the 15-16th over mark the platform was nice. We failed to accelerate. I thought it was a tough pitch. Anything close to 150 would’ve been a good score. It’s a two-paced wicket. It’s not like it slowed down drastically. Can’t just play your shots. That’s what the Delhi batters also faced. The taller bowlers were getting movement. It was a very good effort to make a game out of it. Was important not to give too many in the first six. Was one expensive over in the first six, but when quality players are batting it can happen.

Winning skipper Rishabh Pant:

Not a birthday present, was a tough match, we made it tough for ourselves. In the end if we win everything is fine. In the powerplay, they came hard and got away. After that we bowled some good overs. In the end, they got away with some extra runs. With the bat, Prithvi got us to a good start. We were always in the chase as it was a low total, in the end we got over the line. Prithvi is going to play that well and Shikhar is going to help him playing that way, but started well. We got what we needed from him and in the Hetty (Hetmyer) finished it off for us. (On Ashwin’s promotion) We were just trying to keep the right-left combination. Big win, because of this we can be absolutely sure that we can finish in top two. So it’s a great win for us.

Player of the Match Axar Patel:

 It is difficult, but important to assess the lines and the speeds at which we needed to be bowling on this pitch. I thought they were five or ten runs short in the powerplay. The discussion with Hetmyer was about the lines they’d bowl. He told me that they would bowl wide and he asked me to play straight and look for singles. Such matches give you a lot of confidence in the knockouts.