Delhi Capitals enjoyed a winning start to IPL 2021 after a destructive opening partnership between Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw against Chennai Super Super Kings.
Delhi Capitals (DC) sent out a big statement to other teams in the tournament by clinching an emphatic win against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Wankhede Stadium. Half-centuries from openers Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan were enough for DC to chase down 189 inside 19 overs in their first game of IPL 2021. Fittingly, Rishabh Pant scored the boundary to win the game by seven wickets in his captaincy debut for DC.
While chasing a mammoth target of 189, Shaw and Dhawan scored 65 runs in the powerplay. The Mumbai-based batsman raced away to his 50 with some classy shots on the ground. He was eventually dismissed for 72 runs in 38 deliveries. At the other end, Dhawan scored at a fairly healthy rate, posting 85 runs in 54 deliveries.
MS Dhoni tried all bowling options during the innings, but both DC openers were dispatching the ball across the boundary. Dwayne Bravo was the most economical bowler for CSK as he took one wicket for 28 runs in his four overs.
Earlier in the day, Suresh Raina rolled back the time by scoring an explosive half-century for CSK. The elegant southpaw made his return for CSK on a good note after missing IPL 2020 due to personal reasons. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf Du Plessis were dismissed cheaply early in the innings. Alongside Moeen Ali, Raina rebuilt the innings for CSK. The English all-rounder looked in good hitting form, but he threw away his wicket by playing an ambitious reverse sweep.
After Ali’s departure, Raina went berserk and smashed the ball out of the park to get to his half-century. Ambati Rayudu also looked good during his brief stay. CSK lost a bit of momentum just before death overs as they lost MS Dhoni, Raina, and Rayudu in a short time. Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran showed some amazing hitting to power CSK to 188/7.
Chris Woakes and Avesh Khan were the best bowlers for Delhi on Saturday. Both of them bowled a tight spell at the top and took crucial wickets. They managed to take three wickets between them in seven overs at the expense of just 41 runs. DC ticked a lot of boxes in this game and looked set for a strong campaign. CSK has a lot of questions to answer as they are going to play at this batting paradise for four more games.
Scorecard
Chennai Super Kings: 188/7 (Suresh Raina 54 (36), Moeen Ali 36 (24), Chris Woakes 1/18, Avesh Khan 2/23)
Delhi Capitals: 190/3 (Shikhar Dhawan 85 (54), Prithvi Shaw 72 (38), Dwayne Bravo 1/28, Shardul Thakur 2/53)
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