This IPL game between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals was important for the home team based on the fact they have registered 2 losses on the trott . Yellow shirts flocked the Chepauk Stadium in numbers in support of their home team, but the end result for the yellow shirts was yet another disappointing outing by their team on the park.
Experts anticipated the team winning the toss to bat first given its a day game would be the way forward to runs upfront than chasing taking into consideration the slowness of the pitch.
Delhi Capitals were without Faf du Plessis nursing an injury with K.L.Rahul given the responsibility to open the batting in the absence of the South African, a slot many believe belongs to K.L.Rahul and not the slot he bats for when representing India which is number 7.
Selectors will look at K.L.Rahul as an opener as he executed a state of the art innings playing orthodox cricket strokes in staying at the wickets till the very 20th over in holding the Delhi Capitals innings together with a well compiled 77 runs with 6f boundaries and 3 sixes in exactly 50 deliveries with a strike rate of 150.
Khaleel Ahmed, who opened bowling for Chennai Super Kings, found early inroads into the Delhi Capitaks batting when the left arm seamer had DC opener Frazer Mcgurk out without scoring in the very first over caught by Ravi Ashwin at long off.
Abisheik Porel and K.L.Rahul showed their class by building an innings before Ravindra Jadeja had the dangerous looking Porel caught at backward point by Matheesha Pathirana for 33. But K.L.Rahul stood tall with composure whilst aid came from Samir Rizvi and Triston Stubbs with 24, a middle order contribution to help the Axer Patel led Delhi Capitals to a good total of 183 for 6 wickets.
Khaleel Ahmed scalped 2 for 25, whilst Matheesha Pathirana looked very impressive with 1 for 31.
The slinger who bowled the 18th and the 20th over was a class act on the eye. World class death bowling that even had the great K.L. Rahul dismissed off an unplayable bumper in the 20th over for 77.
Chennai Super Kings loss of wickets in approach looked appaling. Rachin Ravindra out for 6, Devon Conway playing in his first match out for 13, Captain Rahane, Gaikward out cheaply for 5. It clearly indicated that 184 as a target for Chennai Super Kings looked a distance from planet earth to the moon.
Vijay Shanka made an unbeaten 69 in Chennai Super Kings toral of 158. He was plumb Lbw off Mitch Starc before he opened scoring, but Delhi Capitals did not refer the onfield umpires’ decision of not out for a DRS review and replays later confirmed that Shanker was plumb in front, done and dusted if referred.
Jadeja was LBW off Kuldeep Yadev for 2 as wickets kept falling, M.S Dhoni came to the rescue of further embarrassment for CSK and he remained unbeaten on 30 whilst guiding Vijay Shanker to remain calm during the storm and be unbeaten on 69. Chennai Super Kings looks vulnerable in their batting. Even Shivem Dube looks out of sort this season. He thumped Vpraj Nigam for a 96-meter six and was caught off his very next delivery showing signs that the curtain had started its descent on an inevitable Chennai Super Kings third loss on the trot in the 2025 version.
K.L Rahul was adjudicated the man of the match. Delhi Capitals thus edged out Punjab Kings to top the points table whilst Chennai Super Kings are now placed one before the last with a minus run rate.