Chennai (Tamil Nadu), April 5 (ANI): A composed knock by KL Rahul and masterful spin bowling from Vipraj Nigam and Kuldeep Yadav led Delhi Capitals (DC) to a 24-run victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Chepauk Stadium in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Saturday.
With this win, DC maintain their unbeaten streak, sitting on top of the points table with three wins in three matches, while CSK have slumped to eighth place, managing just one win from four games.
DC Set Competitive 183/6, Rahul Anchors with 77
Opting to bat first, Delhi Capitals lost opener Jake Fraser-McGurk for a duck in the opening over to Khaleel Ahmed. But KL Rahul (77 off 51) and Abishek Porel (33 off 20) counter-attacked with a strong powerplay partnership.
After Porel’s dismissal post powerplay, Axar Patel contributed a quickfire 21 off 14 before falling to purple cap holder Noor Ahmad. KL Rahul then accelerated alongside Sameer Rizvi, forming a 50-run stand in just 27 balls. Rahul brought up his first IPL fifty for DC in 33 balls, showing a balanced mix of patience and power.
Towards the death, Tristan Stubbs (24 off 12)* took over the scoring with some aggressive strokes, while Rahul’s fine innings ended in the 19th over via Matheesha Pathirana. DC eventually posted 183/6.
Top Performers (DC Batting):
- KL Rahul: 77 (51), 6 fours, 1 six
- Abishek Porel: 33 (20), 4 fours, 1 six
- Tristan Stubbs: 24* (12), 2 fours, 1 six
Top CSK Bowlers:
- Khaleel Ahmed: 2/25 (4)
- Ravindra Jadeja: 1/19 (3)
- Noor Ahmad: 1/36 (4)
- Matheesha Pathirana: 1/31 (4)
CSK Falter in Chase Despite Vijay-Dhoni Stand
CSK’s chase got off to a rocky start with Rachin Ravindra (3) and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (5) dismissed early by Mukesh Kumar and Mitchell Starc respectively. Devon Conway and Vijay Shankar attempted to stabilize the innings but Vipraj Nigam struck with a googly to remove Conway for 13.
The wickets continued to tumble as Dube (18) and Jadeja (2) fell to the spin duo of Vipraj and Kuldeep, leaving CSK reeling at 74/5 in the 11th over.
MS Dhoni walked in to loud cheers and shared an unbeaten 84-run partnership with Vijay Shankar, but the required rate kept climbing. Despite a few late boundaries and Dhoni’s six on the 19th ball he faced, the effort wasn’t enough.
CSK ended their innings at 158/5, falling 24 runs short.
Top Performers (CSK Batting):
- Vijay Shankar: 69* (54), 5 fours, 1 six
- MS Dhoni: 30* (26), 1 four, 1 six
Top DC Bowlers:
- Vipraj Nigam: 2/27 (4)
- Kuldeep Yadav: 1/30 (4)
- Mitchell Starc: 1/27 (4)
Match Summary:
Delhi Capitals: 183/6 in 20 overs
(KL Rahul 77, Abishek Porel 33; Khaleel Ahmed 2/25)
Chennai Super Kings: 158/5 in 20 overs
(Vijay Shankar 69*, MS Dhoni 30*; Vipraj Nigam 2/27, Kuldeep Yadav 1/30)
📈 Result: Delhi Capitals won by 24 runs.
(ANI)
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