Brief Scores from CSK vs DC, Match 2, IPL 2021: Chennai Super Kings 188/7 in 20 overs (Suresh Raina 54, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran; Avesh Khan 2/23, Chris Woakes 2/18)
Delhi Capitals 190/3 in 18.4 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 85, Prithvi Shaw 72; Shardul Thakur 2/53, Dwayne Bravo 1/28)
A confident start to the season for Rishabh Pant captained Delhi Capitals (DC) as they stamp a 7-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their first match of the season at Wankhede on Saturday.
Being put to bat first, CSK had a shaky start to their innings as they lost the openers Ruturaj Gaikwad (5) and Faf du Plessis (0) in the first few overs, but bounced back in style courtesy of the trio of Suresh Raina, Moeen Ali and Sam Curran, who took on the Capitals’ attack to post a competitive 189-run target on board.
Sensing the need for a majestic opening partnership, Delhi openers – Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan, took on the Chennai bowlers from the 3rd over and went on to contribute a mammoth opening stand of 138 runs in 88 deliveries. Shaw and Dhawan’s departures didn’t affect the Capitals as the equation had lowered down to 17 needed off 18 deliveries, eventually chased down by the Capitals with 7 wickets in hand and 8 balls to spare.
Here are the talking points from the second match of IPL 2021 between CSK and DC –
Raina back with a bang!
The veteran cricketer had skipped the previous edition of IPL owing to personal reasons. However, being the champion player that he is, Suresh Raina announced a majestic comeback in the very first match of IPL 2021 – smashing a 34-ball 54, comprising 3 fours and 4 sixes to propel Dhoni & Co. from 7/2 in 2.2 overs to 137/5 in 15.1 overs.
Raina smashed four of Chris Woakes’ final delivery to open his tally in IPL 2021. He then whacked two consecutive fours off Ravichandran Ashwin in the 5th over to get to 12 runs off 9 deliveries.
Keeping the scoreboard ticking with running in between the wickets and frequent boundary hitting, Raina raced to 44 off 30 deliveries, then smashed a mouth-watering six over square leg to register his 39th fifty in the cash-rich tournament.
The southpaw first fetched a 53-run partnership with Moeen Ali for the third wicket, then a 63-run stand for the fourth wicket with Ambati Rayudu, before being run-out owing to miscommunication between him and Ravindra Jadeja. Nonetheless, he played his part well during his stay in the middle.
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Sam Curran’s sizzles down the order
The knocks from Moeen Ali (36) and Suresh Raina (54) cemented CSK’s position in the first innings, but it was the blistering cameo from English all-rounder Sam Curran that eventually paved way for a competitive total on the wicket offered at Wankhede.
Coming in to bat at number eight when the score read 137/6 in 15.3 overs, Curran smashed a four on his first delivery, played singles in the 17th and 18th overs, then went ballistic in the penultimate over with 2 consecutive fours and a six off Tom Curran.
The southpaw rammed a four of the first ball of the final over and was caught and bowled on the last ball of the innings on a fuller delivery off Chris Woakes. He, however, had done considerable damage to Delhi Capitals, which comprised a partnership of 51 runs off merely 28 deliveries.
Dhawan, Shaw stitch a match-winning show
Both sides had their share of difficulty with the ball, however, CSK ended up suffering more, as DC’s opening combo of Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw toyed with their attack and denied them any opportunity to even make a breakthrough in the first ten overs.
The openers capitalized on each scoring opportunity that was offered, even on those deliveries that might’ve been trickier if not for their immaculate timing, eventually posting 138 runs in 13.3 overs, comprising an awe-striking 38-ball 72 studded with 9 fours and 3 sixes.
Dhawan, who has always enjoyed the contests against CSK, bashed 85 runs off 54 deliveries with 10 fours and 2 sixes whilst batting at a strike rate of 150-plus.
Though Shaw and Dhawan got out in the 14th and 17th overs respectively, they had done their job exceedingly well to extend a hat-trick of wins against CSK since 2019.
With 7 runs needed off the last 12 deliveries, the chase was eventually wrapped up with skipper Rishabh Pant hitting a four off Shardul Thakur while he remained unbeaten on 15 alongside Shimron Hetmyer.
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