Chennai Super Kings raised their level of play to beat Delhi Daredevils

After a shocking defeat to Kings XI Punjab, Chennai Super Kings took on a resurgent Delhi Daredevils. CSK has dominated DD every season but this time Daredevils were pumped up after good win against Kolkata Knight Riders and they made CSK work hard for every run in the initial stages. CSK posted their lowest ever score - 34/1 - in the PowerPlay but credit goes to DD captain Dinesh Karthik for giving Murli Vijay the ball. That turned the momentum back in CSK’s favour. Suresh Raina is most successful batsman in IPL and he showed why he is rated so highly all over the world when it comes to shortest format of game. Raina and Dwayne Smith were struggling at start of their inning but they played sensibly and set the stage for a firepower performance by the middle order in slog overs. MS Dhoni was at his best and hit some lusty blows and but CSK needs to bring Dhoni up in the order; he remains their most potent batsman but doesn’t get to play more than 25 balls. You can’t waste one of the world’s most destructive batsmen like Dhoni at down the order as Mumbai Indians did with Kieron Pollard. [caption id=“attachment_1490841” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Ishwar Pandey showed off his bowling skills. BCCI[/caption] However, the injury to Dwayne Bravo is not a good sign for CSK’s championship chances. Bravo will be missed by CSK not just in batting or bowling but also in fielding where he saves 5-10 run per match and takes excellent catches that can turn any match on its head. The injury turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Ben Hilfenhaus though. He is quality bowler and with Bravo out for 4-6 weeks, Hifenhaus will get long run in team. He is a wicket-taking bowler and did no harm to his chances by making the ball talk even after 10 overs. Another addition to today’s CSK squad was Ishwar Pandey. He bowled in good areas and swung the ball both ways. He looks a good prospect for both team CSK and team India. Sir Ravindra Jadeja also found his bowling rhythm and that will be big respite for the men in yellow. The icing on the cake was some unbelievable catching by CSK fielders. Faf du Plessis could even beat Superman in field. He took not one but two catches of this IPL season. It was complete performance for which CSK is known. You don’t expect Super Kings to lose two in a row. This kind of win not only enhances a team’s confidence but also raises the team standard to different level.