KL Rahul dazzles as DC dominates CSK in Chennai.
DC, which hadn’t secured a victory against CSK at Chepauk in 15 years, managed to completely overpower them.
Delhi Capitals scored 183 for 6 (Rahul 77, Khaleel 2-25) and defeated Chennai Super Kings, who managed 158 for 5 (Vijay 69*, Nigam 2-27), by 25 runs. Chennai Super Kings are beginning to lose their grip on their home turf.
For the second time this season, a visiting team that hadn’t won against them at Chepauk in years came in and dominated. This led to an unusual scene where the crowd eagerly awaited MS Dhoni’s turn to bat, even celebrating their own team’s wickets in anticipation. On Saturday, he arrived to bat in the 11th over, but an unexpected silence fell over the crowd. Rahul Steers DC’s Innings With Faf du Plessis sidelined due to fitness issues, KL Rahul stepped up to open the innings. Initially, he took some time to adjust to a dry pitch that made it challenging for the ball to come onto the bat, scoring only 25 runs off his first 20 deliveries. However, there was a brief moment when CSK’s bowlers lost their rhythm, and Rahul capitalized on it.
He targeted the IPL’s purple cap holder, Noor Ahmad, racking up 20 runs off just nine balls, which included two fours and a six. After starting slow, Rahul transformed his innings, scoring 36 runs off the next 18 balls, employing a reverse scoop against Mukesh Choudhary, the only bowler he seemed to focus on, who ended up conceding 40% of DC’s boundaries. CSK’s Batting Falls Apart As Rahul’s innings progressed, it became clear that scoring was becoming increasingly difficult, with just 16 runs off his last 13 balls. DC recognized this shift in momentum. Mukesh Kumar delivered a ball that stuck in the surface, leading to a leading edge from Rachin Ravindra. Meanwhile, Ruturaj Gaikwad connected brilliantly with a short delivery from Mitchell Starc but failed to position it correctly, resulting in a catch taken by Jake Fraser-McGurk at deep backward square leg.
CSK found themselves at 20 for 2 within thehttps://surl.lu/bcezou third over, marking a disappointing start in their quest to chase down a target over 180—something they hadn’t accomplished in eight years in the IPL.
