Delhi Capitals(DC) chased a mammoth score of 189 without breaking a sweat against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their first match of IPL 2021 on Saturday. Rishabh Pant’s men managed to chase the score with seven wickets to spare inside 19 overs at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw were the key performers for DC on the night. The pair opened in a handsome style, forming a 138 run partnership for the first wicket. Both of them completed their half-centuries in the process. Apart from these two impressive performances here are key takeaways from the second game of IPL 2021.
Suresh Raina hits the ground running
Suresh Rain, one of the most experienced players who missed out on the last edition of IPL after pulling out due to personal reasons, made an instant impact for CSK. Courtesy of a rough start to the innings, CSK had lost both openers in just two overs. In came Raina and built a good partnership with Moeen Ali to stabilise the innings.
The 34-year old scored 54 runs in just 36 balls hitting fixes sixes in the process. He gaveCSK much-needed acceleration after the fall of two wickets. Dhoni would be counting on Raina to deliver similar performances as CSK will be looking to bounce back after a heavy defeat in the first game. The Southpaw will be the most crucial player for CSK in the batting department
Pant and Delhi’s bowling lineup need to improve in middle overs
It was a great start for Rishabh Pant’s side as they picked up two early wickets of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis. However, during the middle over, DC struggled to contain runs and take wickets to halt CSK’s momentum.
Chris Woakes and Avesh Khan both picked up two wickets each. But experienced bowlers like R.Ashwin and Amit Mishra leaked runs and gave CSK the chance to score runs. Ashwin conceded 47 runs in his 4 overs picking just one wicket. Pant still has a lot to learn in terms of making bowling changes, while DC bowlers need to find a way to do well in middle overs.
Delhi Capitals need to build on such a strong start
DC has made a very good start to their IPL 2021. They have sent a message across all teams that they mean business this year as Pant’s side outplayed Dhoni’s side. They need to build momentum if they want to go for the title and the players need to turn up for the occasion if they want the championship.
With few senior players returning in the upcoming games, DC should get even better on the paper. A good start to the campaign will make sure that they will be nailed down to qualify for the playoff even if there is a blip in the latter stages of group stages due to fatigue.