Toby Marshall
In their final league game of IPL 2023, Chennai Super Kings secured a convincing 77-run victory against Delhi Capitals at Delhi, solidifying their place in the playoffs.
Chasing a daunting target of 224, Delhi Capitals struggled and could only muster 146/9. Opener David Warner fought valiantly with a resilient 86 off 58 balls. However, the Super Kings’ pacer Deepak Chahar stood out with an exceptional performance, claiming figures of 3 wickets for 22 runs in his four overs.
Having won the toss and electing to bat, the Super Kings amassed a massive total of 223/3 on the scoreboard. Openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway laid a scintillating foundation with a formidable partnership of 141 runs. Ruturaj, playing in his 50th IPL game, displayed his brilliance with a superb innings of 79 off 50 balls, while Conway blazed his way to 87 off just 52 deliveries. Quickfire cameos from Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja added impetus, propelling the Super Kings beyond the 220-run mark.
In the earlier stages of the match, Chennai Super Kings skipper David Warner lost the toss and his team was asked to bowl first. Lalit Yadav and Chetan Sakariya were included in the playing XI for the match. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway provided a flying start for CSK, putting the opposition under pressure. It required some clever bowling to end the partnership, and Sakariya delivered in style. He deceived Gaikwad with a well-executed slower delivery in the third ball of the 15th over, resulting in Gaikwad holing out to Rossouw over deep square leg.
Khaleel Ahmed struck an important blow on the last ball of the 18th over, dismissing the dangerous Shivam Dube. Then, in the second ball of the 19th over, Anrich Nortje accounted for the wicket of Devon Conway. These timely wickets affected CSK’s scoring rate in the death overs, as they were looking set to score over 230 runs.
Tushar Deshpande made an early breakthrough by dismissing Prithvi Shaw, thanks to an exceptional catch from Rayudu at mid-off. Chahar capitalized on the powerplay by taking two more wickets, removing Salt and Rossouw, which slowed down the Capitals’ momentum. Salt attempted to force a length ball over the infield but found cover, while Rossouw ended up chopping the ball onto his stumps.
Warner, after a slow start in the powerplay, found his rhythm and started attacking Ravi Jadeja, hitting him down the ground with power. He reached his fifty off just 32 balls and further accelerated in Jadeja’s last over. Warner’s ability to handle the spin and execute shots like the switch hit for six displayed excellent hand-eye coordination and wrist work.
Despite losing wickets regularly, Warner continued to counter-attack. However, due to a bowling meltdown and their top-order collapse, the required run rate had become unattainable early on. Warner’s dismissal, dragging a cutter off Matheesha Pathirana to long-on, seemed to seal the game in favor of the opposition. CSK secured a comprehensive victory, along with a significant boost to their net run rate, ensuring their qualification to the next stage of the tournament.
In the 65th match of IPL 2023, Royal Challengers Bangalore secured an emphatic eight-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in Hyderabad. RCB successfully chased down a target of 187 runs, reaching the target in 19.2 overs. Leading the charge was Virat Kohli, who played a scintillating innings of 100 runs off 63 balls.
In a thrilling encounter, Ravindra Jadeja played a crucial role as Chennai Super Kings matched Mumbai Indians' record for the most IPL titles. Earlier, Sai Sudharsan's explosive knock of 96 off just 47 balls powered Gujarat Titans to a formidable total of 214/4. In response, Wriddhiman Saha contributed 54 off 39 deliveries, while Shubman Gill managed 39 off 20.
