Brief Scores:
Chennai Super Kings 179/4 in 20 overs (Faf du Plessis 58, Ambati Rayudu 45*; Anrich Nortje 2-44)
lost to
Delhi Capitals 185/5 in 19.5 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 101*; Deepak Chahar 2-18) by 5 wickets.
Shikhar Dhawan enjoyed the rub of the green to jack up his maiden IPL century as Delhi Capitals trumped a fearsome 180-run chase to retrieve the top spot in the 34th match of the Indian Premier League. Notwithstanding the left-hander's masterclass, things came a bit too close for comfort as DC required 17 off the last six balls. Chennai Super Kings rued the services of an ailing Dwayne Bravo in the ultimate over, with Axar Patel scourging Ravindra Jadeja for three mind-boggling sixes to seal the deal on Saturday, October 17 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
The tables have turned and how. Touted as hot favourites, CSK now find themselves into the must-win territory and ought to conquer all their remaining games in order to progress to the qualifiers.
Shaw fiasco, Curran blinder, and Iyer's injury scare
Deepak Chahar's swing and Prithvi Shaw's fidgety technique was the perfect recipe for disaster and a cagey return chip in the quick's follow-through vindicated the fact. The catching benchmarks just keep refining with each passing day as Sam Curran plucked an absolute screamer at backward point to leave Ajinkya Rahane in awe. Shreyas Iyer twitched a muscle while scampering through for a risk-laden single and would have been a goner had Shane Watson nailed the bullseye.
Dhawan's third fifty on the bounce
Iyer posed for the cameras as he bejewelled an exquisite lofted on-drive off Shardul Thakur before Dhawan survived a dropped chance against Jadeja. The ace opener continued to live on the knife's edge, with another reckless flash evading Watson at third-man by a smidgen. However, it seemed as if there was a magnet attached to his willow's sweet spot from there onwards. He skipped out from the blocks to flog Karn Sharma over his head while threading the needle with a magnificent backfoot punch through covers.
While Dhawan was back to his best, Iyer rode pillion for the best part of their 68-run partnership, eventually succumbing to Bravo in a bid to produce an encore of his gun-barrel straight jewel.
Lady luck showers blessings on Dhawan
Believe it or not, fortune smiled upon Dhawan once again as Ambati Rayudu flubbed his aerial thump. Despite Marcus Stoinis' exit for a quickfire 24, the southpaw's daredevilry kept DC in the hunt. He launched Curran into the stands with an eye-popping check-drive before manoeuvring across the stumps to ramp Thakur to aggregate his career-high IPL score. He was adjudged caught behind one short of hundred but technology arrived to the rescue, following Alex Carey's departure in the 19th over off Curran.
Axar you beauty!
The celebration was rather subdued when he did notch the magical three figures because the game was still far from finished. The jury's still out on whether Dhoni's verdict to gamble with Jadeja in front of left-hander Axar Patel, although there's nothing to snatch away from his match-winning cameo, that helped DC recapture the monarch's throne in terms of the points tally.
Seasoned campaigners' alive and kicking
Partners-in-crime Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis hit the dance floor after Sam Curran erred a pull down to the third man off young Tushar Deshpande. The first four overs brought an exigent 15 runs but CSK broke the shackles henceforward. Du Plessis read compatriot Anrich Nortje like a book, kneeling on his haunches to lap an audacious maximum. Ravichandran Ashwin turned predictable with those carrom balls in his second over to concede three boundaries while Deshpande had his morale dented courtesy du Plessis birching a six and a four.
CSK meet a bump on the road
Nortje retaliated for a second wind to nip the 87-run association in the bud, castling Watson with a cross-seamed shooter for 36. DC could've tightened the noose even further but Dhawan shelled a low, dying chance sauntering in from long-on to reprieve du Plessis. However, the thigh-slap shenanigans were witnessed soon as he compensated for the faux pas to remove the Protea.
Jadeja fireworks hog the limelight
Ambati Rayudu stoked the ire of his detractors who label him a sluggard with an urgent 45, albeit MS Dhoni feathered behind to vanish without troubling the scorers. For all of the pyrotechnics hitherto, Ravindra Jadeja stole the thunder towards the fag end, barreling a six-studded 13-ball 33 to help CSK plant the cherry on their cake. It was perhaps poetic justice that he was the one who stood at the receiving end of Axar's carnage later in the zero hour.
Next on the itinerary
If you peer from the cynic's lens, poor levels of groundwork plotted CSK's downfall tonight as the batsmen and bowlers did measure up the expectations. Catches win matches. Cliched, yet a holy grail of this beautiful sport. Hopefully, there won't be so much of butter smeared into their fingers as Rajasthan Royals lie in wait for at Abu Dhabi on Monday, October 19.
DC have earned their spurs with a crackerjack seven victories in nine games and would aspire to cut the ticket to play-offs in their next feud versus bottom-dwellers Kings XI Punjab. Should be a walk in the park, eh.
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