IPL 2021: Twitter Reacts As Delhi Capitals Take The Top Spot On Points Table With A Last-Over Win vs CSK

Updated - 05 Oct 2021, 02:23 AM

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Delhi Capitals (DC) go to the top of the points table with 20 points after a 3-wicket win over the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a close encounter in Dubai on Monday.

Chasing 137, Prithvi Shaw got off to a cracking start with three hits to the boundary before he was outdone by Deepak Chahar. Shikhar Dhawan then took apart Chahar in the fifth over, hammering the pacer for 21 runs.

Josh Hazlewood, though, kept CSK in the hunt with the wicket of Shreyas Iyer as DC finished the powerplay at 51/2. Rishabh Pant then thumped Moeen Ali for a maximum, Ravindra Jadeja for a four but the latter had him top-edging a slog.

Debutant Ripal Patel ticked a couple of boundaries off Jadeja before the southpaw dismissed him, caught at long-on. R Ashwin, who was promoted up in the batting order over Shimron Hetmyer, was bowled by Shardul Thakur, who would also account for Dhawan (39 off 35) as DC slipped to 99/6 at the 15-over mark. The required rate now went over 7. CSK were well in the game and DC’s hopes lay on Hetmyer and Axar Patel.

The pair steadied the ship with singles and doubles. Hetmyer picked two fours from Dwayne Bravo’s 18th over; the left-hander was given a life by Krishnappa Gowtham, who dropped a sitter at long-on.

Hetmyer would hit Hazlewood for a biggie on the leg side in the 19th over to bring the equation down to 6 runs needed off the last over. DC went over the finishing line as Bravo was off his radar today, taking the remaining runs with 2 balls to spare.

Earlier, after being asked to bat first, CSK got off to a flyer in the first over with Anrich Nortje leaking 16 runs: he sprayed on the leg side for five wides, and four leg byes, while also being taken for runs by Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was given a reprieve by the third umpire when the batsman asked for a DRS after being given lbw out by the on-field umpire.

At the other end, Faf du Plessis cut and pulled Avesh to take a couple of boundaries in the second over. Axar Patel, in the third over, gave DC their first breakthrough, having du Plessis caught at deep mid-wicket. Nortje would get his revenge on Gaikwad, bouncing out the young opener.

Robin Uthappa stroked his first boundary to cap off the powerplay at 48/2. As the run rate dipped, Moeen Ali got out chipping Axar Patel in the deep in the 8^th over. In the 9^th, R Ashwin had Uthappa caught and bowled.

From being 26/0 in 20 overs, CSK reached 69/4 at the 10-over mark. Ambati Rayudu and MS Dhoni rotated the strike, with the former picking up a couple of boundaries, in the next five overs.

Rayudu would then take charge against the DC pacers, carting them for few more boundaries and a couple of sixes, while bringing up his fifty. MS Dhoni, however, struggled for proper timing at the other end, before getting out for 18 runs off 27 balls to Avesh Khan in the last over. Rayudu’s 55* off 43 balls dragged CSK’s total to 136.