dc vs csk
Live - Dhoni is in with CSK falling behind
DC win!
Chennai Super Kings are starting to lose control of their fortress. For the second time this season, a visiting team that hadn't tasted victory against them at Chepauk in years was able to utterly dominate them. This resulted in the strangest situation. The crowd here bays for MS Dhoni to come out and bat. They cheer their own team's wickets in anticipation of his arrival. Well, on Saturday, he was there in the 11th over, but there was only silence.
Rahul anchors DC
In the absence of Faf du Plessis, who was not quite fit to play, KL Rahul opened the batting. He needed a little time to get used to the pace of a pitch that was quite dry and therefore prevented the ball from coming into the bat. He was 25 off his first 20 balls.
Then there was a brief period where CSK's bowlers missed their marks and every time they did, Rahul was there to punish them. He was especially severe on the IPL's purple cap holder, Noor Ahmad, taking him for 20 off nine balls including two fours and a six. From 25 off 20 balls, he hit 36 off 18, which included a reverse scoop off Mukesh Choudhary, the only bowler he actually targeted. Mukesh conceded 40% of the boundaries that DC hit.
CSK batting unravels
Even towards the end of Rahul's innings, it was apparent that hitting out was becoming difficult. He only scored 16 off his last 13 balls. DC understood that. Mukesh Kumar took pace off even with the new ball and picked up Rachin Ravindra. Ruturaj Gaikwad timed the pants off a Mitchell Starc short ball but didn't quite place it well enough. He threw his head back as soon as Jake Fraser-McGurk took the catch at deep backward square leg. CSK were 20 for 2 in the fourth over.
Vijay's tortured fifty
He had only one boundary from his first 31 deliveries. That's not for the lack of trying. According to ESPNcricinfo's data, he had presented an aggressive response to 13 balls but that only earned him 19 runs. Capitals were so good in denying him the freedom of his arms. The pitch being slow as well didn't let him get away with the connections that he made. More than once, he grimaced through the innings that brought him 69 runs in 54 balls.
Dhoni time
In the last match, Stephen Fleming said Dhoni cannot bat for a long time and therefore they ration his appearances. That's why he batted at No. 9 against Royal Challengers Bengaluru because there was no point in him coming any earlier.
This time they had no choice. Half the side was in the hut with only 10.4 overs on the board. Kuldeep Yadav had delivered a killer googly to Ravindra Jadeja. The batter did not read it. He wasn't even allowed the chance to pick it off the pitch. The length was so perfect, bringing him forward and then turning the wrong way to hit his pad instead of his flailing bat.
That brought Dhoni to the crease. He's won World Cups before. But this might have been the first time he was batting in front of his parents. They were at the ground, to watch him score 30 off 26 and his team lose by 25 runs. It was a difficult evening for CSK fans. Their chances of winning, according to ESPNcricinfo's Forecaster, was down at 9.51% even before the chase was halfway through. Jadeja is yet to bowl his full quota of overs in four matches. Ashwin has done so only twice in two games. CSK have hit the fewest sixes in IPL 2025. Their middle order (4-7) is struggling badly, averaging 21.23, the third-lowest of the tournament.
Comments
Post a Comment