DC: 175/3 (20 overs)
CSK: 131/7 (20 overs)
Man of the Match: Prithvi Shaw

CSK lost its second successive match in IPL-13 when it suffered an unexpected 44-run loss at the hands of Delhi Capitals (DC), which now tops the table with two wins in two matches.

Chasing a modest score of 175 for a win, CSK was never in the chase, always falling way below the required run-rate (RRR). CSK’s 100 came only in the last ball of the 16th over, thus needing an improbable 76 in four overs (3.16 per ball!). Even die-hard CSK fans had given up hope though du Plessis and Dhoni were at the crease at that time. After du Plessis fell in the 18th over and with Dhoni not finding boundaries as frequently as he would have liked, it was a lost case for CSK which could hit only 131.

After winning last Saturday’s opening match against Mumbai Indians and losing Tuesday’s match against Rajasthan Royals, CSK was expected to come back against DC (a team it has dominated with a 15-6 win-loss till Friday) with a strong win; what happened, though, is a grim reminder that CSK is a team full of 30+ cricketers most of whom may not have a burning desire to take the team to victory each time they play.

CSK won the toss and asked DC to bat first, though teams batting first have won more times this tournament thus far. Young gun Prithvi Shah and veteran Shikhar Dhawan started off slowly, scoring just run-a-ball in 6 power-play overs without being separated. The duo, however, shifted gears after the power-play, hitting fours and sixes at will, scoring at 10 an over. Both the openers fell in quick succession but had laid a strong platform with Pant making a 43-ball 64 and Dhawan making a 27-ball 35. Pant and Iyer kept the momentum going and reached 175/3 with H(i)etmyer not getting to bat.

In reply, CSK was served badly by both the openers. Watson fell cheaply for 14 and was followed by an out-of-sorts Vijay who would have felt happy that he was out as he could hardly middle the ball. Looking like a pale shadow of himself, Vijay struggled very hard to put bat to ball. Plessis and Kedar Jadhav couldn’t do much as the asking rate had already climbed to 13 per over.

MSD, the great finisher could not create any magic in this situation. CSK has been trolled that it played a T-20 match like a test match. Unfortunately the captain himself is very much part of this flaw.

CSK brought in Hazlewood for Ngidi but still couldn’t resolve its bowling blues. It’s now upto MSD and the think-tank to come up with new ideas and rediscover the art of winning!