IPL SRL | DC vs CSK Evaluation Chart - MS Dhoni's special finish powers CSK to thrilling win

Match Review

It was uncharacteristic of MS Dhoni to bat first but when the skipper decided to go that, it seemed like a plan. But Deepak Chahar, famous for his powerplay heroics, was nowhere close to his best, conceding 39 runs inside the first six overs. Although CSK bowlers, especially Ravindra Jadeja, brought sanity in the middle overs, Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant did well to hang in there and tonk few of them out of the ground, as Delhi scored a rather competitive 174/4 in the stipulated overs. 

Chasing 175, CSK suffered an early collapse, with Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis being Ishant Sharma’s early wickets. Ambati Rayudu and Suresh Raina had a mountain to climb, which they negotiated beautifully to keep CSK in the contest despite DC’s parsimonious bowling display. With the run-rate climbing, MS Dhoni turned the clock back to a more glorious time, with a timely finish to the proceedings. What a contest it was!

Turning Point

With 33 runs needed from the last three overs and two set batsmen in the form of Ambati Rayudu and Suresh Raina just dismissed, it was DC’s game to lose. But one Kagiso Rabada over to MS Dhoni changed the course of the game within the space of two minutes and it all came down to CSK needing eight runs in the last over. Suffice to say that the 20-run over was the turning point in the game.

Highs and Lows

The Shardul Thakur spell in the powerplay overs, for me, was the biggest differentiator. While Deepak Chahar had a rare bad day with the new ball, Thakur compensated it with a total of 20 runs in three overs while also dismissing Prithvi Shaw. It helped CSK set up the base for a Ravindra Jadeja masterclass.

The middle overs was the biggest cause of concern for Delhi Capitals, who despite having a great start to the innings, failed to keep the momentum in the middle overs, where they could add only 59 runs. The Shreyas Iyer dismissal ended the hope in a way, putting them behind the game, where had the potential to add a few more runs in the company of Rishabh Pant.

Rating Charts

Powerplay exploitation: Delhi  8/10 and Chennai 5/10

You always bank on Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan to do well when the fielders are up and the scene was no different today. Even though Shardul Thakur was trying to restrict the run-flow, with his first two over conceding only seven runs and the important wicket of Shaw, the damage was already done, courtesy Chahar. The Rajasthan pacer gave away 29 runs in the first two overs when Dhoni decided to change his end. Dhawan added runs for fun, and DC scampered to 59 runs in the powerplay itself. 

Despite not possessing the equally fluent batting line-up at their disposal, CSK actually took it on themselves to restore parity. Ishant Sharma and Kagiso Rabada struck upfront but the bad first two overs meant last year finalists’ managed to score 51 runs inside the powerplay. But losing two openers in a big run-chase was never the ideal way in a T20 game, and that put CSK behind the eight ball.

Middle-overs manoeuvring: Delhi  6/10 and Chennai 7.5/10

Although Dhawan continued blasting his way through, he couldn’t muster the same intensity afterwards with Delhi scoring a total of 59 runs in the next nine overs. Rahane played his part to perfection, but Ravindra Jadeja’s introduction choked the run-flow and Shreyas Iyer too. Dwayne Bravo too joined the party, with 11 runs in the next two overs after Dhawan and Shaw added as many runs in the first Over itself. Could have been much much better.

Chennai played with a set formula and when Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu started negotiating things, it seemed like the best ploy. Especially after Watson and Faf were sent back to the hut, the Indian duo had to set a tent in the middle, which they did effectively. By guiding the team to 121/3 in 15 overs, they brought the team close - and rest assured, the MS touch was enough for the remaining part.

Death bowling: Delhi 2/10 and Chennai 5/10

Well, if Dhoni starts doing what he does best, you can never have a good day on death. But if you are Kagiso Rabada, having the distinction of defending 11 runs against the same batsman, team bank on you. And Rabada will rue that the most as Dhoni milked 20 runs in the 18th over and then hit a winning six to finish things off - all against Rabada. Simply, it was not his day as Delhi squandered a fantastic opportunity. However, I will have to give credit to Ravichandran Ashwin for his regular pressure, but he needed some better support from the other end.

If DC were terrible, then CSK were not any good either. They gave away 58 runs in the last five overs - Shardul Thakur conceded 20 of his own in one over, which propelled DC over 170. Given the fact that Thakur was one of the best bowlers earlier in the innings, you could have hardly blamed the team management for the same but eventually, it rendered all pointless.

Match Frenzy O Meter - GREAT

Well, has there ever been a match with a classic MS Dhoni finish and it was not interesting? With his same old formula of taking the game deep, Dhoni gave thrills and the last over finish made it an interesting affair. 

Brief Score: Delhi Capitals 176/4 (Shikhar Dhawan 44, Rishabh Pant 43, Jadeja 2/16) lost to Chennai Super Kings (Suresh Raina 52, Ambati Rayudu 42, Ishant Sharma 2/31) by four wickets