Sameer Rizvi came out to bat as an Impact Player, and he dazzled under the lights in New Delhi. With a bit of drizzle around, Sameer Rizvi managed to navigate the situation and helped DC recover from a precarious position, getting them to a defendable score. Rizvi shone with 40 while Stubbs made 38 as DC did well to recover and finish with 155/7 in 20 overs. CSK bowlers bowled well, with Noor Ahmad picking up 2 wickets and others chipping in as well. It is a sporting pitch. Let’s see how this match pans out.
CSK bowlers keep things tight and remove both openers inside the power play.Â
Winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Pathum Nissanka and KL Rahul came out to bat for DC while Akeal Hosein had the ball in hand for CSK. Nissanka started things off with a boundary with a sweep down on one knee past diving square leg. Nissanka then rocked back and opened the bat face to cut it past backward point for a boundary.
Mukesh Choudhary had the ball in hand for CSK from the other end. Rahul then creamed the ball through the covers and backward point for a boundary. Akeal Hosein continued as Rahul pierced the gap by cutting it past the square of the wicket for a boundary. Mukesh continued as Nissanka stood tall and slashed it away in front of the square at deep point for a boundary. Nissanka then took on Mukesh and lapped it away over fine leg for the maximum, the first six of the game.
Mukesh hit back and got the breakthrough for CSK as he removed Nissanka for 19 off 15 balls with 3 fours and one six to his name as he hit it to mid-on. Nitish Rana came out to the middle next. Anshul Kamboj came into the attack next. Rana took him on as he drove through the covers for a boundary. Akeal Hosein changed ends and got rid of KL Rahul for 12 off 13 balls with 2 fours to his name as he miscued the shot, and Gaikwad took the catch.
Karun Nair came out to bat next. At the end of 6 overs of power play, DC were 37/2 with Rana unbeaten on 5 off 4 balls and Karun Nair unbeaten on 1 off 4 balls.
CSK chip away at the wickets to keep DC under check.Â
Anshul Kamboj continued as Karun showed innovation by shuffling across the stumps and lapping it past fine leg for a boundary. Noor Ahmad came into the attack next as Karun bisected the gap as he rocked back and cut it between the backward point and short the third man for a boundary. The 50 came up for DC in 7.2 overs. Noor struck for the first time this evening as he got rid of Nair for 13 off 13 balls with 2 fours to his name as the batter hit it to short fine leg fielder. The Time Out was taken at the end of the 8th over with the score at 52/3 in 8 overs.
Captain Axar Patel came out to bat next. Gurjapneet Singh came out to bat next and bowled a good first over. Noor continued as Rana rocked back and cut it away past diving cover point for a boundary. Noor hit back and got rid of Rana for 15 off 13 balls with 2 fours to his name as Kartik Sharma took the slog sweep in the deep. Tristan Stubbs came out to bat next and got off the mark as well. DC were 62/4 after 10 overs at the halfway stage of the game.
Gurjapneet continued as Stubbs when batting on 1 was dropped at covers by Noor Ahmad when the score was 62/4 in 10 overs. Stubbs added salt to the wounds as he stood tall and pulled it away over a deep backward square leg for the maximum. Gurjapneet got his man in the end as he prized out Axar Patel for 2 off 6 balls with a simple catch at covers by Akeal Hosein. Sameer Rizvi, the Impact Player, came out to bat next.
Hosein continued and bowled a tight over. Mukesh continued and bowled a tight over as DC were 77/5 in 13 overs when we paused for the Time Out, the second of the innings. Gurjapneet changed ends after the break as Stubbs broke the shackles by clearing his front leg and clubbed it over long-on for the maximum. Noor Ahmad came back into the attack for the 15th over. Stubbs hammered him away with a shot through deep covers for a boundary.
At the end of 15 overs, DC were 97/5 with Rizvi unbeaten on 8 off 10 balls while Stubbs was unbeaten on 28 off 20 balls. Big 5 overs lay in front of us.
Late overs flurry helps DC recover and post 155/7 in 20 overs.Â
Mukesh Choudhary came to bowl his final over. The 100 came up for the Capitals in 15.2 overs. Rizvi took on Mukesh as he shuffled across and took on the short ball with a hook over deep fine leg for the maximum. Gurjapneet Singh came to bowl his final over and bowled a decent over at that. Anshul Kamboj now had the ball for the 18th over. Rizvi took him on by going down on one knee and sweeping it away over backward square leg for the maximum.
The 50-run stand came up between the two players. Rizvi went big again as he took on Kamboj and launched the lofted sweep over deep backward square leg for the maximum. Jamie Overton came to bowl the 19th over of the innings. Rizvi survived a scare as the miscue landed in no man’s land. But Overton hit back and got rid of Stubbs for 38 off 31 balls with one four and two sixes to his name as the ball went straight to the deep backward square leg fielder. Ashutosh Sharma came out to bat next and got off the mark as well.
Kamboj came to bowl the final over of the innings as Ashutosh, with a one-handed shot, went up and over fine leg for the maximum. Ashutosh took the bowling on again as he sliced it away over the deep point region flat and hard for the maximum. Then we had a run out as Ashutosh was run out at the bowler’s end while trying to steal a single, as he fell for 14 off 5 balls with 2 sixes to his name. Mitchell Starc came to the crease at the bowler’s end.
Rizvi hit the last ball of the innings down the ground over long-off for the maximum as the 150 came up for DC. The Capitals finished with a competitive 155/7 in 20 overs, with Rizvi the impact player remaining unbeaten on 40 off 24 balls with 4 sixes to his name, while Starc remained unbeaten on 0 off 0 balls. Just 2 extras given by CSK.
CSK bowlers had a satisfying night with the ball. Noor Ahmad was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 2/22 in 3 overs. Akeal Hosein finished with 1/19 in 4 overs. Gurjapneet Singh finished with 1/29 in 4 overs. Jamie Overton bowled an over and finished with 1/5 in that. Mukesh Choudhary finished with 1/31 in 4 overs. Anshul Kamboj finished with 0/49 in 4 overs. This meant that CSK now needed 156 runs for an important win.
Who’s Winning, DC or CSK?Â
DC has got the runs on the board as 155 is a decent total on a challenging track. It won’t be easy for CSK to chase down 156 on this pitch. But if they get off to a good start, they can win this game. DC aims for wickets to create flutter in the CSK camp. CSK needs to apply itself to win this game. A fascinating chase awaits us all.
Also Read:Â DC vs CSK: High-Flying DC Takes On Affirmative CSK