CSK vs DC, Highlights and Match Recap, IPL 2019 Full Cricket Score: Chennai hammer Delhi by 80 runs

No prizes for guessing who the Player of the Match is.

CSK’s talisman MS Dhoni walks to the chants of “Dhoni, Dhoni!”

Dhoni: They will stop eventually because they want to listen what I say. Watch the ball and hit the ball. You’ve spent time, you know the variations. By the 20th over you’re almost ready and you swing at everything. It’s easier for somebody who has played 10 or 15 overs than somebody who has just come in bat. I felt it would’ve been difficult for Rayudu to hit. We knew there won’t be much dew on the field. Once we started our innings of bowling, Bhajjupa (Harbhajan) didn’t get much turn.  But as they started losing wickets, it started spinning, it started turning. Cricket is one such a game that things start to happen after they lose wickets. It turns, swings, grips. I am not sure if it would have happened if they would have lost just two wickets. I felt it was a good wicket, 170-180 was a par-plus score. Great fun to watch him celebrate but have told him that Watson and I will be not joining in. The good thing is he returns to the same place after he is done celebrating when we tell him “Well bowled” and go to our respective fielding positions. (On stumpings) I think it’s something that’s come from a lot of tennis ball cricket.You might commit a lot of mistakes. So I would suggest to stick to the basics and then gradually move to the advanced course. So important to get the basics right and then graduate to that level.  I have always said it’s very special to get that kind of a nickname. The way I got accepted and the whole of Tamil Nadu don’t call my name, they call me ‘Thala’. It’s very nice and they have always supported us.

CSK got a drubbing at the hands of MI in the last game, but with their father figure back for this game, they played like one happy family again. Fittingly, it ended with the Tahir-Dhoni combo taking the final wicket and putting CSK back to the top of the table. This isn’t a team without flaws but when you add the Dhoni touch to it, they all manage to punch above their weight and appear impossible to beat. They are either destiny’s child or an incredibly driven unit under their captain. Whatever the reason for their success is, this is a super special sports team.

Shreyas Iyer, Delhi Capitals capitals: Yeah it’s really going to affect us, especially the run rate. Reality check for us, good that it happened. We’ll fight hard in the next game. Amazing start by the bowlers, and we should’ve curtailed them below 170. Amazing start with the bat as well, but we couldn’t convert it. (On Dhoni’s stumpings) I won’t blame myself nor the team. The way he stumped me, it was lightning quick. We know what abilities he has, the way he curtails runs and bowls yorkers. (On Rabada) For sure we were missing him. But he was having a stiff back and good that he took some rest. We are keeping that hope in our mind and definitely want to be in the top two. We’ll get another opportunity.

THE STREAK CONTINUES!

This is CSK’s sixth consecutive victory against Delhi at Chennai in IPL.

Chennai Super Kings win by 80 runs to reclaim the top spot.

ALL OUT!

Mishra edges it to MS Dhoni as Imran Tahir finishes with four wickets to his name. Mishra has a feel for the leg break from Tahir as he presses forward and gets an outside edge to MSD!

Complete performance from the Super Kings which is deservedly capped off by Mahi. What a difference he makes to this side. It has been his night and he has had the final say.

The massive win not only puts CSK on top but ensures their Net Run Rate is now in the positive. Meanwhile Delhi’s NRR has taken a severe beating.

Mishra c Dhoni b Tahir 8(11)

After 16 overs,Delhi Capitals 99/9 ( Amit Mishra 8 , Trent Boult 1)

Watson, who missed out with the bat has a contribution to make in the field, Delhi Capitals add seven runs in the over as they inch toward three figures mark. Number 11 batsman Trent Boult gets off the mark apart from Mishra collecting his first boundary.

FOUR! Full toss down the leg side is flicked away by Amit Mishra for a boundary to long leg. Jadeja did all hardwork to come around but just couldn’t flick the ball into field of play.

OUT! Suchith drives the ball on the offside and sets off for a single but there is a mix up between the two lower order batsmen. Mishra and Suchith are strangled right at the center of the pitch. Watson collects the ball has some time before hurling the throw and he hits it! Direct-hit and replays confirm Suchith is a good one yard shot of his ground. Watson has a smile on his face and CSK now one wicket away

J Suchith run out (Watson) 6(15)

After 15 overs,Delhi Capitals 92/8 ( Jagadeesha Suchith 6 , Amit Mishra 2)

Tahir returns to the bowling crease and for the first time he has just had to run in and bowl six consecutive deliveries unlike breaking away for his customary celebrations. Three runs from the over. CSK in line to return to the top of the table.

After 14 overs,Delhi Capitals 89/8 ( Jagadeesha Suchith 4 , Amit Mishra 1)

Bravo is recalled into the attack. Three singles come from the over before the second and final time out has been taken.

After 13 overs,Delhi Capitals 86/8 ( Jagadeesha Suchith 2 , Amit Mishra 0)

Bhajji too getting the ball grip and turn viciously. Suddenly it seems we are playing on a different surface altogether. Suchith and Mishra look to delay the inevitable. Harbhajan ends his final over giving just a single run.

Jadeja and Tahir have taken the wind out of Delhi’s sail in a space of two overs. From 80 for 4, they sunk to 85 for 8 in two overs. Their inexperience showed as the new batsmen underestimated the time left in the game and went too hard from the start. Ponting may be showing videos of Dhoni’s delayed assault later in the night to some of these young Delhi batsmen.

After 12 overs,Delhi Capitals 85/8 ( Jagadeesha Suchith 1 , )

The first six overs put the Delhi Capitals right in the game with the visiting side scoring almost 10-runs an over, the next six has been completely dominated by the home side with now the result a mere formality. In this over we saw two marvelous piece of wicket-keeping skills from ‘Miracle’ Singh Dhoni. His stumpings have made Jadeja’s ripping off break look mundane. Morris and Iyer dismissed in one over. CSK two wickets away from a massive win.

OUT! You got to be kidding! This is stupendous stuff from a magician behind the stumps. It seems like we are watching a replay of Morris’ dismissal but even a well-set Shreyas Iyer has been undone by MS Dhoni’s jaw dropping skills behind the stumps. Jadeja rips another past the outside edge of Iyer and his back leg also lifts for perhaps half a second. Well, that is as we know an eternity for Dhoni. He has whipped the bails againa and the TV umpire has been asked to judge this again, because it is not for the naked eye to comprehend such beguiling acts. 

Shreyas Iyer st Dhoni b Jadeja 44(31)

OUT! Oh MS Dhoni you beautiful thing! Morris’ horrendous IPL with the bat continues. Jadeja gets one turn past the edge as Morris lunges forward, lifts his back leg for a second and MS ‘flash’ Dhoni has timed his stumping to perfection. We have seen this before. Fascinating work from the wicket-keeper.

Chris Morris st Dhoni b Jadeja 0(1)

After 11 overs,Delhi Capitals 83/6 ( Shreyas Iyer (C) 43 , )

Delhi Capitals have switched on the self-destruct mode. Shreyas Iyer sees two more wickets fall from the non-striker’s end. Tahir has had to run around the ground couple of times, not as a punishment from his coach, but because he has struck twice in an over.

OUT! Another frolic run around the park for Tahir followed by some chest pumping as he lures his third victim of the day. Sherfane Rutherford comes in and heads back to the pavilion. Wide delivery that was turning away from the left-handed batsman and Rutherford was tempted to go for the big booming drive towards long off, doesn’t account for the turn, gets a thick outside edge to backward point. Delhi Capitals are imploding here.

 Rutherford c Chahar b Tahir 2(4)

The DC way in a chase is to stay in the hunt all the way through. There won’t be any ebbs and flows in their approach, they will rush as fast as possible and try to get home in the 19th over preferably. This provides Dhoni and CSK more opportunities to pick wickets in the middle overs, especially with the pitch offering some assistance for the spinners. Tahir, in particular, is a master of inducing the error from the batsmen with his courageous flight and deceptive variations. He has already sent back Pant, Axar and Rutherford. Jadeja at the other has been his accurate self with the wicket of Ingram to boot. CSK have now picked five wickets in the last six overs, all courtesy their spinners.

Delhi is reeling in these middle overs. They prefer the outright aggressive approach over CSK’s cautious onslaughts. They were going hard from the first ball. Dhoni held Harbhajan back for an extra over in the powerplay and his faith was repaid with the wicket of Dhawan. Pant started with a boundary but showed once again why his stocks refuse to rise beyond a limit despite all the talent he possesses. Two games ago he delighted his coaching staff by playing a few extra balls at the start and staying in to close a 190+ chase. Tonight, his team was already ahead of the required rate and he had the liberty of playing himself in but threw it away by playing an airy shot against Tahir.

OUT! Tahir has his arms spread wide and he is running around MA Chidambaram stadium. It can mean only one thing – a fall of wicket off his bowling – a very wide googly outside off that Patel looks to drive. He stretches and reaches for it. Gets an edge to Watto at first slip, who takes a very good catch

Axar c Watson b Tahir 9(9)

After 10 overs,Delhi Capitals 80/4 ( Shreyas Iyer (C) 42 , Axar Patel 9)

Jaddu continues after the break. One slip in place. Time for Delhi to stabalise their innings before they can take some risk. Iyer and Patel knock around five singles off the 10th over. DC need exactly 100 runs in the final 10 overs.

After 9 overs,Delhi Capitals 75/4 ( Shreyas Iyer (C) 39 , Axar Patel 7)

MS Dhoni removes Tahir from the attack after the wrist-spinner took a wicket in his first over. Dwayne Bravo’s first ball is jammed to boundary, followed by four singles before the time out has been taken. CSK in control after Delhi’s blazing start. Visitors need 105 off 66 balls.

FOUR! Dwayne Bravo replaces Imran Tahir into the attack and begins with a wide full delivery outside off that has been squeezed past backward point from Axar Patel.

After 8 overs,Delhi Capitals 67/4 ( Shreyas Iyer (C) 37 , Axar Patel 1)

Another successful over for Chennai Super Kings. Ravindra Jadeja comes into the attack and picks a wicket off his fourth ball. CSK have now struck three times as many overs. Delhi Capitals continue to lose their way. Another lefty in Axar Patel replaces the departing batsmen. Short stay for Ingram.

OUT! Another one for CSK! Colin Ingram departs for 1, he has been trapped by Ravindra Jadeja in his first over. Nitin Menon raises his finger and Shreyas Iyer asks Ingram to review it. No problems with the pitching, it landed outside off, turning into the southpaw, who misses the flick by some distance and he is caught on the backfoot. The impact is in front on middle and leg stump and the ball tracking suggests the ball is clipping the leg stump and that is enough for the home side. Umpire’s call on hitting wickets.

Ingram lbw b Jadeja 1(6)

Jadeja’s wickets this IPL:

Right-hand batsmen : 9
Left-hand batsmen : 0

After 7 overs,Delhi Capitals 65/3 ( Shreyas Iyer (C) 36 , Colin Ingram 1)
Tahir gets Pant after he has been slammed for a boundary down the ground. DC suddenly in a spot of bother. Colin Ingram joins Iyer in the middle.

Colin Ingram’s dismissals this IPL:

v Pace : Six
v Spin : One

OUT! Rishabh Pant has thrown it away. After a fabulous boundary of the previous delivery, Tahir flights another delivery in the same area, probably a touch towards the batsman and Pant falls for it. He goes to play the same shot but this time he has struck it straight to long off. Bravo breaks into a jig! Tahir is off!! CSK back on top.

Two ways of looking at Pant’s dismissal: This is how he plays or What the hell was that, Rishabh?

Pant c Dwayne Bravo b Tahir 5(3)

FOUR! Imran Tahir is welcomed into the attack with a boundary. Tahir tosses the ball outside off and Pant smashes it wide of long off fence for a boundary.

After 6 overs,Delhi Capitals 59/2 ( Shreyas Iyer (C) 35 , Rishabh Pant (W) 1)

Shreyas Iyer has looked absolutely unfazed to what has happened at the other end as continues to play some free flowing strokes. Harbhajan removes in form Dhawan. Rishabh Pant strides out at number four. DC go past 50-run mark in the Powerplay but have lost their openers.

Rishabh Pant this IPL – SR:

v Pace : 181.90 – Six dismissals
v Spin : 140.74 – Four dismissals

FOUR! Iyer has another boundary. Bhajji nods his head after the short and wide delivery that allowed Dhawan to rock back and slap it through point

OUT! Bowled’em! Dhawan misses the sweep and is cleaned up by Harbhajan Singh, who breaks into big celebrations. He is pumped with the wicket. The ball was slanted in that skids off the surface and Dhawan was perhaps playing for the turn. Beaten neck and crop.

Dhawan b Harbhajan 19(13)

After 5 overs,Delhi Capitals 49/1 ( Shikhar Dhawan 19 , Shreyas Iyer (C) 26)

Iyer begins the fifth over with a delightful shot for six. He improvises and collects another boundary and he has played some risk-free strokes to find himself batting at a strike rate of 200. Despite the early loss of Shaw, this is has been an excellent Powerplay for Delhi Capitals. Can they finish well?

FOUR! Wowzza! Iyer lets the short ball come into him and ramps it wide and over the short third man fielder. No need to run for that.

Harbhajan Singh has taken 21 wickets (24.00 average, 21.0 SR) against DC in IPL – the joint second most by any player.

SIX! Stunning shot from Shreyas Iyer. Chahar bowls it length ball outside off and Iyer simply cracks it over covers. The ball sails all the way over the skirtings

After 4 overs,Delhi Capitals 34/1 ( Shikhar Dhawan 16 , Shreyas Iyer (C) 14)

Dhawan continues his aggressive approach against spin, taking the advantage of the fielding restrictions. A six and a classy boundary in the over as Delhi take 13 runs from the over.

Shaw departs early for DC, but with Shreyas and Dhawan they have two batsmen who are at the peak of their powers. Harbhajan’s spell with the new ball will be critical for CSK. He would be looking to keep the batsmen quiet mainly, but if he can send back Dhawan then it will be a real bonus. Dhoni may also look to keep an over or two of Harbhajan in his back pocket to use against Pant.

FOUR! Terrific stroke from Dhawan. Dhawan opens the body just enough to play the inside out shot. He drives the ball along the ground past the cover fielder. Faf’s chase from long on ends in vain

SIX! Harbhajan tosses the ball wide of off perhaps seeing Dhawan charging down the wicket but the left-hander adjusts well, extends his arms and drags it over long on for a maximum.

After 3 overs,Delhi Capitals 21/1 ( Shikhar Dhawan 5 , Shreyas Iyer (C) 12)

Delhi skipper quickly moves into double figures with the help of couple of boundaries, a misfield from Harbhajan at covers allows Dhawan to steal a brace. Nine runs off Chahar’s second over.

FOUR! Short and bit of width from Chahar and Shreyas Iyer gets on the top of the bounce nicely to cut it through the yawning gap between point and cover for a boundary.

After 2 overs,Delhi Capitals 12/1 ( Shikhar Dhawan 3 , Shreyas Iyer (C) 5)

Spin from the opposite end. Harbhajan Singh starts the second over. Dhawan looks to attack the senior spinner straightaway but willy Bhajji not giving an inch away. Very tight lines and Dhawan almost miscues it to mid wicket fielder off the fifth ball. Tight start for Bhajji, only four runs from the over.

After 1 overs,Delhi Capitals 8/1 ( Shikhar Dhawan 0 , Shreyas Iyer (C) 4)

Disastrous start in the chase for Delhi Capitals, losing Prithvi Shaw in the opening over itself. Chahar, slightly lucky to have a wicket of not such a great delivery. Couple of boundaries in the over as well.

FOUR! Chahar for the second time in the first over sliding it down the leg side. Easy pickings for Shreyas Iyer, who tickles it to fine leg boundary

MILESTONE ALERT!

Suresh Raina becomes the first fielder to take 100 catches in IPL.

DID YOU KNOW?

Shikhar Dhawan is one of the three players to have amaased 600-plus runs against CSK in IPL. (604 runs, 19 innings, 37.75 average, 121.77 SR)

Shikhar Dhawan’s SR in the last six IPL matches is 151.01.

Shikhar Dhawan’s batting average of 54.20 at Chepauk in T20s – the highest among all the players who have scored atleast 200 runs at the venue.

OUT! Gone! Shaw cuts it straight to Suresh Raina at cover point and his inconsistent run with the bat continues. Chahar with an early wicket for Chennai Super Kings.

Prithvi Shaw c Raina b Chahar 4(5)

FOUR! Chahar strays in his lines, sliping it on the leg stump. Was a juicy length delivery that is flicked away by Prithvi Shaw to square leg fence

Time for the chase! Delhi Capitals need to show why they belong on the top of the table and if they do chase down 180 at Chepauk they might even finish at the top of the table irrespective of their result in their final league fixture. Shaw and Dhawan out in the middle. Chahar will start the bowling.

Anything is indeed possible with Dhoni in the middle. 27 for 1 at the end of 6th over and CSK have powered through at the end to a very healthy 179 on a slow pitch. Dhoni pitching in with some clean hitting at the end. There was the mandatory CSK no ball show also when Dhoni hit a high full toss nonchalantly over fine leg for six. CSK can feel safe with this total. DC have chased well away from home and if a Dhoni show is followed by some Pant magic later in the night then the fans are in for a treat.

MS Dhoni’s SR today:

First 12 balls : 108.33
Last 10 balls : 310.00

CSK – RPO today:

1-6 overs: 4.50
7-15 overs: 8.33
16-20 overs: 15.40

After 20 overs,Chennai Super Kings 179/4 ( MS Dhoni (C) (W) 44 , Ambati Rayudu 5)

Boult bowls the final over. Dot off the first, as Dhoni gets an under edge, the ball rolling straight to Pant. Dhoni slogs the ball towards deep midwicket, coming back for a second. He muscles the ball down the ground for a boundary off the third, but only collects a single off the fourth. Wide signalled in the fifth delivery, with Rayudu setting off for the non-striker’s end to bring Dhoni back on strike. Dhoni then signs off the innings with back-to-back sixes, finishing unbeaten on 44 with a SR of 200, as Boult concedes 21 off his last over. 

Delhi Capitals need 180 to collect their ninth win.

SIX! Back-to-back sixes for MSD, pulling another short ball from Boult over deep backward square-leg! High-flying finish for Chennai Super Kings after the slow start! The hosts finish with a competitive total of 179/4.

SIX! An almighty hit from MSD, pulling at a back-of-length ball from Boult! The ball lands in the vacant stands beyond deep midwicket! CSK 173/4

FOUR! A shot of brute power from MSD! A short arm jab that flies straight down the ground! CSK 164/4

After 19 overs,Chennai Super Kings 158/4 ( MS Dhoni (C) (W) 25 , Ambati Rayudu 5)

Dhoni starts off the penultimate over with a boundary off an inside edge, guiding the ball behind square on the leg side for a boundary. Jadeja departs two balls later, getting caught and bowled by Morris. Rayudu then gets off the mark with a boundary off his very first delivery. He then slices the ball high over the vacant mid on region next ball, getting a single in the end. Dhoni smacks a beamer, one that is called a no-ball, for a six towards fine leg, but only gets a single off the free hit that follows. Morris ends on an expensive note, conceding 18 off his fourth. MS will be on strike at the start of the final over.

SIX! Morris bowls a beamer at Dhoni, which is promptly called a no-ball for height by the umpire. What’s more, Dhoni hooks it over fine leg for a maximum, and will be on strike for the free hit. CSK 157/4

FOUR! Rayudu starts off with a bang, with the ball beating the fielder to the boundary rope at deep midwicket. CSK 149/4

OUT! Jadeja skies the ball towards midwicket while looking for another maximum, with Chris Morris running all the way to the edge of the circle, pulling off a fine catch in the end. Jadeja certainly has done his bit to boost CSK’s run-rate with his cameo. CSK 145/4

Jadeja c and b Morris 25(10)

FOUR! Dhoni gets an inside edge while attempting an on-drive, the ball then traveling unhindered towards the backward square-leg fence for a boundary. CSK 144/3

After 18 overs,Chennai Super Kings 140/3 ( MS Dhoni (C) (W) 13 , Ravindra Jadeja 25)

Boult returns to the attack. Dhoni pulls a back-of-length delivery towards the fence behind square off the second ball, collecting his second boundary. Jadeja then collects a maximum off the last delivery, smashing the bal over long on. Four singles collected aside from the four and the six, with 14 coming off the over.

A useful little cameo from Ravi Jadeja. Sent up the order to go against left-arm spinners, he rode his luck a bit early on but there were also a few deft touches in between. Anything is possible in the last two overs now with Dhoni at the other end.

SIX! Jadeja clears his front foot, and smashes the ball over long on for a biggie! CSK 140/3

FOUR! The boundaries are flowing for CSK in the slog overs! Back-of-length from Boult, and Dhoni pulls this behind square towards the leg side. CSK 131/3

After 17 overs,Chennai Super Kings 126/3 ( MS Dhoni (C) (W) 7 , Ravindra Jadeja 17)

Morris returns from the other end. After a couple of dots, Dhoni collects his first boundary, swivelling around to a back-of-length delivery to send the ball racing away to the backward point fence. Jadeja then collects his second boundary after guiding the ball towards third man off the penultimate delivery, before retaining the strike with a single off the last delivery. 10 off the over.

FOUR! Deftly guided by Jadeja past the man at short third man! Was a slower one from Morris, with Jadeja taking his time and opening the face of his bat in the last second. CSK 125/3

FOUR! Back-of-length from Morris, and Dhoni pulls this towards the backward square-leg fence for his first boundary! CSK 120/3

After 16 overs,Chennai Super Kings 116/3 ( MS Dhoni (C) (W) 2 , Ravindra Jadeja 12)

Jadeja, who is promoted ahead of the likes of Rayudu and Jadhav, gets off the mark with a single off the first delivery, with Dhoni following suit the next ball. After a single off each of the first four deliveries, Jadeja collects a six and a four off successive balls to boost the run-rate past seven. 14 off the over.

FOUR! Jadeja gets a bottom edge while shuffling down the track, the ball then travelling over Pant’s outstretched glove, and away to the third man fence. CSK 116/3

SIX! Slog-swept towards deep backward point by Jadeja, with Rutherford parrying the ball over the rope while getting under it attempting a catch. CSK 112/3

Raina gets his big over against Suchith but perishes in his attempt to capitalize further. Faf improved his horrible day with the bat somewhat towards the end with a couple of stylish straight hits over the top. But he also got out in his attempt to go big. CSK have two men with a zero against their names and pressure to grant respectability to their total.

After 15 overs,Chennai Super Kings 102/3 ( MS Dhoni (C) (W) 0 , Ravindra Jadeja 0)

Raina collects back-to-back fours and a six off the first three deliveries as he brings up his 50th T20 half-century off 34 balls, but perishes while attempting a shot too many, getting a leading edge that results in a catch for Dhawan at backward point. Suchith finishes with figures of 2/28 from four overs, conceding 14 off his last.

Umpire signals timeout at the end of the over. Both Dhoni and Jadeja yet to get off the mark, with another five overs to go in the innings.

Indians with 50-plus fifties in T20s:

Virat Kohli (60)
Rohit Sharma (54)
Shikhar Dhawan (53)
Gautam Gambhir (53)
Suresh Raina (50)*

OUT! Two fours, a six and and now a wicket! Raina gets a thick leading edge towards backward point, where Dhawan takes a fine catch, running in the opposite direction and ultimately collecting the ball despite getting into a bit of a tangle. CSK 102/3

Raina c Dhawan b Suchith 59(37)

SIX! Raina’s on a roll now! Smashes this towards cow corner, where Boult leaps to his left, and would’ve pulled off a stunner had the ball landed on his palm. Instead, it lands beyond the boundary rope as Raina collects his first six. Also brings up the 100 for CSK. CSK 102/2

FOUR! Fine way for Raina to bring up his half-century! Takes 34 deliveries to get to the milestone, which he brings up by charging down the pitch and smashing the ball over the bowler’s head! CSK 96/2

FOUR! Raina slog-sweeps towards the cow corner fence off the first delivery of Suchith’s final over! CSK 92/2

After 14 overs,Chennai Super Kings 88/2 ( Suresh Raina 45 , MS Dhoni (C) (W) 0)

Axar returns to the attack in the 14th over. While Faf collects another maximum off the second delivery, hitting the ball straight over the umpire’s head, he perishes for 39 after getting caught by Dhawan at long off, attempting to collect back-to-back sixes. MSD walks out to the center and his arrival cranks up the volume at the Chepauk. Dot off the last two deliveries, with Dhoni yet to get off the mark. Seven runs and a wicket off the over.

MS Dhoni v DC in IPL: 20 innings, 519 runs, 34.60 average, 135.50 SR

OUT! Faf once again charges down the pitch, looking for back-to-back sixes, but doesn’t quite get the timing on this one. Skies the ball towards long off, where Dhawan settles under the ball and collects it safely in the end. Axar is the one to break the partnership. CSK 87/2

Du Plessis c Dhawan b Patel 39(41)

SIX! Straight as an arrow! Faf charges down the pitch, and smashes the ball from the meat of the bat! CSK 87/1

Faf finally finds his range as he tonks one over extra cover for a delectable six. He is one of the best straight hitters in the game when in flow. His setup at the crease, his grip, his technique, everything is primed for going straight over the top whenever an opportunity presents itself.

After 13 overs,Chennai Super Kings 81/1 ( Faf du Plessis 33 , Suresh Raina 44)

Rutherford continues from the other end. Faf collects the first six of the innings with an inside-out loft, sending the ball flying over the extra cover fence. 12 off the over, with the over boosting CSK’s run-rate beyond the six-an-over mark. Current partnership worth 77 so far.

SIX! First big hit of the innings, and this one’s come from the middle of Faf’s bat, travelling over the deep extra cover boundary for a maximum! CSK 79/1

After 12 overs,Chennai Super Kings 69/1 ( Faf du Plessis 25 , Suresh Raina 42)

A dot and a single to Raina off the first two deliveries. Faf sweeps hard towards square leg for a brace off the third. “Frustrate ho raha hai” is what Pant screams out to Mishra from behind the stumps, and he is somewhat correct as Faf charges down the pitch to loft the ball towards the wide long off region, although the SA skipper collects only a single. Raina ends Mishra’s third over with a sweep over the man at short fine, resulting in his sixth boundary. Eight off the over.

Chepauk hasn’t been a high scoring ground this season, but CSK needs a move on to get something in the range of 140-150 to reach par. It’s also a difficult pitch to start so CSK needs to ensure they have one set guy in at all times. Raina looks like the one who is going to take more risks in these middle overs and allow Faf to delay his charge.

FOUR! Raina sweeps the ball over the fielder at short fine, the ball travelling anxiously close to the fielder’s outstretched hand. CSK 69/1

After 11 overs,Chennai Super Kings 61/1 ( Faf du Plessis 22 , Suresh Raina 37)

Sherfane Rutherford brought into the attack in the 11th over. Couple of singles collected off the first two deliveries, the first one bringing up the fifty-stand for the second wicket. Raina guides the ball towards fine leg for a brace. Rutherford then bowls a short delivery that is signalled a wide by the square-leg umpire. Single collected off each of the last three deliveries. Eight off the over.

Fifty partnership up between Raina and du Plessis for the second wicket, the former bringing up the milestone with a single after guiding the ball towards midwicket. CSK 54/1

After 10 overs,Chennai Super Kings 53/1 ( Faf du Plessis 20 , Suresh Raina 32)

Another tight over from Mishra, with just three singles coming off it. Massive appeal for lbw against Raina off the fourth delivery, although it’s only Pant who’s doing the screaming. At the halfway stage in their innings, CSK are scoring at a little over five an over. They have to accelerate now if they are to get to a competitive total.

Good intent from Suresh Raina. He has looked scratchy all season but has started well today. DC probably missed a trick by bowling two left-arm spinners against him early on that allowed him to settle his nerves and get some early boundaries. Raina is the antithesis of Watson in T20 batsmanship. Watson likes to feel a few balls in the middle of the bat without worrying about the score early on, but Raina needs the confidence of scoring a few boundaries early on to propel his inning. He has scored just one fifty so far this season, CSK need him to get another and a few more tonight.

After 9 overs,Chennai Super Kings 50/1 ( Faf du Plessis 19 , Suresh Raina 30)

Morris returns to the attack in place of Axar. Raina lofts the ball down the ground for a boundary off the second delivery, and steers the ball through cover for a single two deliveries later. Du Plessis collects a boundary off the penultimate delivery to bring up the team fifty. Nine off the over. Umpire signals timeout at the end of the over.

FOUR! Another back-of-length delivery from Morris, and du Plessis pulls this towards fine leg for his second boundary! 50 up for the Super Kings now. CSK 50/1

Always up for some bantz

Just @RishabPant777 things 😅😅 pic.twitter.com/efUrfbzxBI

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) May 1, 2019

FOUR! Back-of-length stuff from Morris, and Raina makes room, slapping the ball down the ground for a four! CSK 45/1

After 8 overs,Chennai Super Kings 41/1 ( Faf du Plessis 15 , Suresh Raina 25)

Mishra into the attack now. Both du Plessis and Raina deal in singles in this over, with five runs collected in the over. Meanwhile, the second-wicket stand is worth 37 off 28 deliveries, and might be starting to worry Delhi skipper Iyer already.

Rishabh Pant is the only keeper to affect 20 dismissals in an IPL season.

CSK gain some respectability in the last over of powerplay as Raina took a liking to Axar Patel’s friendly orthodox spin. Despite 10 runs coming off the last over, CSK could get only 27 in the powerplay. But this team has found success in their cautious approach at the start so the lack of runs wouldn’t worry them so much given they haven’t lost too many wickets.

After 7 overs,Chennai Super Kings 36/1 ( Faf du Plessis 13 , Suresh Raina 22)

Suchith brought in place of Morris after the PP, and he starts off his third over by conceding a boundary to Raina. The southpaw though, gets a leading edge after stepping out of his crease, the ball eventually landing out of Shaw’s reach at point, allowing the batsman to run a double in the meantime. Single collected off each of the last three deliveries. Nine off the over.

Lowest PP scores this IPL:

16/1 – CSK v RCB, Chennai
24/4 – CSK v RR, Jaipur
27/1 – SRH v KXIP, Mohali
27/1 – CSK v DC, Chennai*

FOUR! Suchith tosses this outside off, with Raina driving this past extra cover to collect his third boundary. CSK 31/1

After 6 overs,Chennai Super Kings 27/1 ( Faf du Plessis 12 , Suresh Raina 14)

Change from both ends now, with Axar replacing Suchith. FDP collects a single off the third delivery. Raina then boosts CSK’s run-rate by collecting back-to-back fours, although Chennai still finish with 27 runs at the end of the powerplay, well below average.

FOUR! Back-to-back fours to Raina, as the southpaw sweeps this towards the backward square-leg fence! CSK 26/1

FOUR! A well-timed cut through the cover point region, perfectly threading the gap between two fielders! CSK 22/1

After 5 overs,Chennai Super Kings 17/1 ( Faf du Plessis 11 , Suresh Raina 5)

Chris Morris replaces Trent Boult, and angles the ball into du Plessis’ pads right away. Du Plessis collects the first boundary of the innings off the second delivery, tickling a full toss angling into his pads towards fine leg. Raina ends the over by steering the ball towards the backward point fence for a boundary. 10 off the over.

FOUR! And now a boundary to Raina! A full delivery outside off, Raina steers this over backward point. CSK 17/1

Are Delhi Capitals going to be the next IPL bullies? CSK got a huge boost before the start in the form of MS Dhoni coming back to captain the side. But the joy was short lived as DC imposed themselves on the game right from the start. Trent Boult troubled both the openers with some movement, and eventually got Watson with probably his worst delivery of the evening. Watson eventually went back without troubling the scorers despite playing 9 balls, a rare sight in T20 cricket, but that’s how Watson plays and it’s a risk if he doesn’t capitalize on his watchful starts.

Suresh Raina needs to score one fifty to complete 50 fifties in T20s.

FOUR! First boundary of the innings, and this one comes in the fifth over. Full toss angling into the leg stump, and du Plessis simply redirects this towards fine leg. CSK 11/1

Suresh Raina v DC in IPL: 23 innings, 537 runs, 26.85 average, 132.59 SR

After 4 overs,Chennai Super Kings 7/1 ( Faf du Plessis 6 , Suresh Raina 1)

Faf collects only a single off the first delivery of Suchith’s second over, despite a fumble by Ingram at midwicket. Watson, looking to finally get off the mark, is dismissed for a nine-ball duck after holing out to Axar at deep midwicket. Single collected off each of the next three deliveries, with new batsman Raina getting off the mark right away. Dot off the last delivery, with four runs and a wicket off the over.

Before today, Shane Watson has scored 431 runs from 13 innings at an average of 39.18 against DC in IPL.

OUT! A nine-ball duck for Watson today! The dot balls were piling up, and Watson was desperate to open his account. Went for the slog towards deep midwicket, straight to Axar Patel waiting patiently in front of the boundary rope. CSK 4/1

Watson c Axar b Suchith 0(9)

After 3 overs,Chennai Super Kings 3/0 ( Faf du Plessis 3 , Shane Watson 0)

Faf sets off for a risky single off the third delivery after Boult collects a couple of dots at the start of his second over. Watson survives as Prithvi Shaw misses a direct hit at the striker’s end. Watson, meanwhile, has faced eight deliveries now without scoring a run.

After 2 overs,Chennai Super Kings 2/0 ( Faf du Plessis 2 , Shane Watson 0)

Spin from the other end, as Iyer tosses the ball over to Jagadeesha Suchith for the second over. Du Plessis collects a single off the second delivery. Watson continues to strike the ball around, or attempt to do so, and is yet to open his account at the end of the over. One off Suchith’s first over of the evening. Another slow start for Chennai.

After 1 over, Chennai Super Kings 1/0 ( Faf du Plessis 1 , Shane Watson 0)

Boult gets some movement right away. After four dots, Faf collects the first run of the innings, working the ball towards square leg for a single. Dot to end the over. Tidy start for Boult in his second game of the season.

Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis walk out to the centre at the start of the CSK innings. Trent Boult, playing his first game since DC’s season opener at Mumbai, has the ball in his hand.

DC have won five of their six away matches this IPL.

Murali Vijay’s last four T20 scores : 38, 107, 74, 77. He is not playing today though.

CSK have won each of their last five IPL matches at Chepauk against DC in IPL.

Faf du Plessis is playing his 200th T20 match today.

CSK v DC head to head

CSK have a 13-6 record against DC in IPL.

Delhi Capitals playing 11 today

Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Colin Ingram, Sherfane Rutherford, Axar Patel, Jagadeesha Suchith, Chris Morris, Amit Mishra, Trent Boult

Chennai Super Kings playing 11 today

Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c, wk), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir

“We were looking to bat first anyway. Not much dew expected today. Me Faf and Jadeja come in place of Vijay, Santner and Shorey,” says CSK skipper Dhoni, who doesn’t look a hundred percent, but good enough to take the field this evening.

“Boult and Suchith comes in place of Ishant and Rabada. Stiff back for KG and Ishant has ankle issues,” says Delhi skipper Shreyas Iyer, adding that he’s looking to exploit the dew factor later in the evening when it’s his team’s turn to bat.

Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals toss result today

Delhi Capitals win the toss, and skipper Shreyas Iyer opts to bowl first.

Dark clouds are looming over Chennai today, but the biggest worry in dressing would still be over Dhoni’s health. CSK are half the team without him in the field. If Dhoni is going to miss another game then it will be interesting to see who takes the mantle of captaincy for Chennai as Raina hasn’t impressed so far either with his bat or his leadership. If it is a rain shortened game then batting second will be a no brainer, although it’s already the norm this season. Although qualification race is already over for these two teams but there is still much to play for as both the teams will be keen to top the table and earn some bragging rights.

IPL 2019 Purple Cap, Leading Wicket Taker latest updates

Delhi Capitals’ Kagiso Rabada continues to wear the Purple Cap on his head, having collected 25 wickets in 12 games at an average of 14.72, seven wickets more than the nearest rival Shreyas Gopal. Check out the full list for the leading wicket-takers this season here .

IPL 2019 Orange Cap, Highest Run Scorer latest updates

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s David Warner earlier signed off from IPL 2019 with a bang, smashing 81 off 56 deliveries against Kings XI Punjab at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, winning the Man of the Match for that effort after the Orange Army pulled off a 45-run victory. With his blistering knock in his final appearance in the season, the Australian opener consolidated his spot at the top of the run-scorers’ list, extending his tally to 692. Check out the full list of leading run-getters  here .

IPL 2019 Points Table, Team Standings and Rankings Latest Updates

There’s been a bit of a tussle going on between Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings for the top spot in the IPL 2019 points table, with the Delhi outfit currently occupying the No 1 slot after their victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday. Check out the full points table here .

Tuesday’s fixture between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals ended in a no-result, but not before Shreyas Gopal exhibited his brilliance with the ball yet again. The leg-spinner collected the second hat-trick of IPL 2019 — dismissing Kohli, de Villiers and Stoinis to undo RCB’s strong start. Snehal Pradhan writes on how the memorable performance caps a fantastic season for Gopal, and may even open bigger doors going forward in her analysis .

CSK leader MS Dhoni though, is not a hundred percent as far as his availability in the upcoming match is concerned. Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming had earlier said that a call on his participation shortly before the toss. Read the full report here .

It’s a match that will witness the top two sides on the points table face off at Chepauk. Both CSK and DC have already qualified for the playoffs, and the match will perhaps give us a good measure of the side that is likelier to finish on top of the table at the end of the league stage. Read the full preview of Match 50 of the ongoing tournament here .

Today’s IPL match live blog between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals 

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the 50th match of the ongoing tournament, with CSK hosting DC at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.