Keeping their IPL playoffs hopes alive by handing Delhi Capitals a comprehensive eight-wicket defeat, Chennai Super Kings were justified in putting up disciplined bowling and an unbeaten 87 from opener Sanju Samson on Tuesday.
Delhi’s decision to bat first on a challenging wicket proved costly as they stumbled to 69-5 before finishing with 155-7 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Chasing the target, Chennai lost two quick wickets early but Samson adjusted his 52-ball innings quite nicely as his side chased down the total with 15 balls to spare.
Wicketkeeper-batter Samson shared an unbroken 114-run partnership with Kartik Sharma (41) as the duo saw out a fifth win for Chennai in 10 matches to be sixth in the 10-team table.
Call it a good day for the Royals, or a dismal one for Delhi Capitals whose chances to make the playoffs took yet another blow– defeat number 6 on the trot.
The top 4 teams will qualify for the playoff stage on the basis of their performances in this league phase.
Samson, who has scored two hundreds this season, took only 32 balls to complete his fifty and ended with seven fours and six sixes.
So far in this edition, Ruturaj Gaikwad (402 runs in 10 matches) is fifth in the batting chart led by Delhi’s KL Rahul (445).
Samson arrived in this IPL edition after scoring three half-centuries in India’s last T20 World Cup home triumph matches in March.
Delhi was boosted by the return of South Africa pacer Lungi Ngidi who had missed the last two games with concussion.
Ngidi (1-30) removed skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, for six, with a fast delivery.
But it was the Chennai bowlers who made good use of the surface. Noor Ahmad, the Afghanistan spinner led the attack with a brilliant 2-22 and was excellently backed by fellow wrist-spinner Akeal Hosein (1-19).
Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh and England’s Jamie Overton all took a wicket each as they kept hitting good lengths to limit the opposition.
After Delhi’s top-order capitulated and they were reduced to 49-for-5 in the 11th over, South Africa’s Tristan Stubbs fought back with 38, assisted by impact substitute Sameer Rizwi who scored an unbeaten 40 off just 24 balls.
Stubbs shared a sixth wicket stand of 65 runs with Rizvi, who hit four sixes, but the effort still fell well short of challenging Chennai’s batters.
Chennai, who are one of the most successful franchises in the T20 tournament’s history will want veteran MS Dhoni to return quickly from injury as he is yet to play a game this edition.