IPL 2024- The Delhi Capitals secured their inaugural victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season by triumphing over the defending champions Chennai Super Kings with a 20-run margin at the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium.
Despite former CSK skipper MS Dhoni’s valiant efforts (37*), thrilling the crowd with some vintage hitting in the final over, the game had already slipped away from Chennai well before his heroics.
With Dhoni’s late onslaught, the DC bowlers showcased exceptional prowess in defending their total of 192.
Khaleel Ahmed set the tone for Delhi by dismissing the opening pair of Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra for 1 and 2 runs, respectively.
Although Ajinkya Rahane (45) and Daryl Mitchell (34) attempted to revive CSK’s innings with a 68-run partnership, Axar Patel broke the momentum by removing Mitchell, followed by Mukesh Kumar dismissing Rahane. Shivam Dube and Sameer Rizvi struggled to contribute significantly.
Dhoni’s late surge yielded 20 runs off Anrich Nortje in the final over, but Delhi’s well-executed plans thwarted CSK’s hopes of victory.
Earlier, after winning the toss, Delhi Capitals chose to bat first, a decision that paid off handsomely.
Prithvi Shaw (43 runs from 27 balls) and David Warner (52 runs from 35 balls) laid a solid foundation with a blistering 93-run partnership.
CSK’s bowlers faltered in the initial powerplay, failing to make any breakthroughs.
Mustafizur Rahman provided the breakthrough by dismissing Warner in the 10th over, who had struck 5 fours and 3 sixes. Subsequently, DC skipper Pant (51 runs from 32 balls) played a crucial innings to set a target of 192 runs.
CSK’s star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja removed Shaw at a critical juncture, ending his explosive innings featuring 4 fours and 2 sixes.
Pant anchored the innings, but other DC batsmen like Mitchell Marsh (18 runs from 12 balls) and Tristan Stubbs (0 runs from 2 balls) couldn’t sustain against Chennai’s bowling attack.
Matheesha Pathirana’s fiery spell accounted for crucial wickets, including those of Marsh and Stubbs in the 15th over, and Pant in the 19th over. Pathirana finished with three wickets conceding only 31 runs in his four-over spell.
In response, Chennai Super Kings faced the daunting task of chasing down 192 runs for victory against Delhi Capitals. Brief score: Delhi Capitals 191/5 (David Warner 52, Rishabh Pant 51, Prithvi Shaw 43; Matheesha Pathirana 3-31) vs. Chennai Super Kings.
