Delhi Capitals displayed a clinical performance to register yet another win at the IPL 2021. Having restricted their opponents to a below-par score, the Capitals got off to a brisk start. CSK's spinners applied the brakes and Thakur was brilliant too as he finished with 2/13 in his quota of four overs, which included the prized scalp of Dhawan. With 28 needed off final 18 balls Capitals suffered a mini collapse but in the end last year's runner up prevailed to continue their dream run in the UAE leg. 137 was always going to be a tricky totals and CSK bowlers put up a brave effort to make a match out of the situation.
Earlier, Ambati Rayudu's unbeaten 55 carried Chennai Super Kings to 136/5 in 20 overs. Apart from a 70-run partnership between Rayudu and MS Dhoni, Chennai's batting was lacklustre. Delhi put up an impressive show with the ball, with spin twins Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel sharing three wickets for just 38 runs, conceding no boundaries. Pushed into batting first, Chennai lost their prolific opening pair of Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad in power-play. While du Plessis pulled to deep mid-wicket off Axar Patel, Gaikwad, who had reversed a lbw decision off Anrich Nortje in the opening over, top-edged a pull on a pacy short ball to mid-wicket, giving the South African pacer his first wicket of the match. Patel grabbed his second wicket of the match in the eighth over as Moeen Ali's half-hearted flick was caught by deep mid-wicket. In the next over, Chennai plunged into deep trouble as Robin Uthappa's miscued slog was caught by Ravichandran Ashwin off his own bowling. Ambati Rayudu crunched Avesh Khan for boundaries through backward point and extra cover in the 12th over as he and MS Dhoni started to rebuild Chennai's innings. Rayudu brought up Chennai's hundred in the 17th over with a full toss from Kagiso Rabada slammed down the ground.
