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IPL 2021 Live Analysis: Delhi Capitals complete a clinical win over Chennai

Dubai - The Delhi Capitals reached the final for the first time last season before going down to the near invincible Mumbai Indians.

Right then, the Delhi Capitals have got the better of the Chennai Super Kings in the second game of this season’s IPL with a comprehensive seven-wicket win with eight balls to spare, at the Wankhede in Mumbai. And it was a clinical performance by them with both bat and ball as Rishabh Pant tastes his first success as captain. It is not panic stations just yet for the Chennai Super Kings but skipper MS Dhoni will have points to ponder when they go up against the Punjab Kings in their next match on April 16. Delhi Capitals, meanwhile, take on the Rajasthan Royals on April 15.

9:32pm: Delhi Capitals are acing the chase

We are down to the home stretch and the Delhi Capitals are acing the chase despite opener Prithvi Shaw finally out after clubbing a 38-ball 72 with the help of nine boundaries and three sixes. Shaw earned two reprieves, dropped by Mitchell Santner on 38 and by Ruturaj Gaikwad on 47, both off Moeen Ali. And it is Moeen who gets hold of this one off Dwayne Bravo. The Delhi Capitals are running away with it though and are 151 for 1 in 15 overs, with 38 runs needed from 30 deliveries. Shikhar Dhawan is on 72 from 48 balls with seven boundaries and two sixes, while skipper Rishabh Pant is on six.

8:58pm: Shaw continues his rollicking form

Openers Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan are still going strong for the Delhi Capitals as they chase this down. Shaw, who had an average season last year, is showing the way, with a 27-ball half-century. The Mumbaikar has been in rollicking form this season in domestic cricket, with scores of 105 not out, 227, 185 not out and 165, helping Mumbai win the Vijay Hazare Trophy. Dhawan, meanwhile, is playing a good hand as Delhi reach 99 for no loss in 10 overs. MS Dhoni has employed left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja and off-spinner Moeen Ali but the Chennai Super Kings bowlers are yet to get a scalp.

8:29pm: Delhi Capitals want to get this done in a hurry

The Delhi Capitals want to get this done in a hurry, it seems. Openers Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw are steady as they hunt down the 189-run target and it is so far so good for the Delhi Capitals as they reach 58 for no loss in the first five overs. Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni will have to pull something out of the bag to stop this juggernaut. The bowlers Deepak Chahar, Sam Curran, whose heroics at the back end took CSK to a decent total, as well as Shardul Thakur have gone wicketless so far.

7:53pm: Curran, Jadeja give Chennai something to fight with

It wouldn’t have seemed possible but despite a stop-start innings, the Chennai Super Kings do end up with a decent total on the board. Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja’s heroics saw the three-time champions finish at 188 for 7 in their allotment. Curran and Jadeja put on the skates at the back end after Chennai had lost two quick wickets in an over, those of Suresh Raina and MSD. And it was an interesting sibling rivalry with Sam smacking his brother Tom two successive sixes and a boundary in the penultimate over as 23 runs came off it. Now, it is up to their bowling attack to defend that at the Wankhede.

7:22pm: Chennai Super Kings fightback but crumble again

Suresh Raina, who missed the IPL last season, is the rescue guy for the Chennai Super Kings with the left-hander forging a crucial 63-run alliance with Ambati Rayudu for the fourth wicket. The Chennai Super Kings reached 136 for four in 15 overs with Raina reaching his half-century, his 40th in the IPL. But yet again, they crumble, losing Rayudu, Raina and captain MS Dhoni, who is out for a two-ball duck.

7pm: Pant fifth youngest captain in IPL history

With a shoulder injury ruling out regular skipper Shreyas Iyer for the entirety of the IPL, the Delhi Capitals have taken a punt on Rishabh Pant. And at 23 years and 188 days, the southpaw becomes the fifth youngest captain in IPL history. Pant, who divided opinion previously, has come into his own over the past few months, since India’s tour of Australia, that has seen him make a comeback into the Indian team across all three formats. The focus will be on him again on how he handles the captaincy as well as his batting and wicketkeeping duties.

7pm: Chennai muster below par score in first 10 overs

After that terrible start, Moeen Ali and Suresh Raina have brought a semblance of normalcy with a fine rearguard, although just 33 runs came in the powerplay. The two left-handers ushered in a 50-plus partnership for the third wicket despite Pant bringing on R Ashwin in the powerplay to counter the southpaws.

Moeen has hustled his way to 36 from 24 deliveries with the help of four boundaries and two sixes but Ashwin finally gets him as he holes out to Shikhar Dhawan. It is still a below par first 10 overs for the Chennai Super Kings as they have mustered only 71 and lost three wicket

6:38pm: Delhi Capitals strike early, remove both openers

It is a bit of a quiet start from the Chennai Super Kings and the Delhi Capitals strike early. Medium pacer Avesh Khan sends back South African opener Faf du Plessis for nought, in the second over. Englishman Moeen Ali joins Ruturaj Gaikwad but the latter edges Chris Woakes to Shikhar Dhawan at slip. It is an exceptional start for last year’s runners-up Delhi Capitals considering their first-choice pace attack of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje are undergoing the mandatory quarantine after arriving in India on April 6.

4:37 pm: Chennai Super Kings take on Delhi Capitals

After a thrilling last-ball finish to open the tournament in Chennai, we are on to the second fixture of this season’s IPL. And the action shifts to Mumbai with three-time champions Chennai Super Kings taking on last year’s runner-up Delhi Capitals at Wankhede. This should be another interesting one with Chennai’s ‘Thala’ MS Dhoni going up against new captain and young gun Rishabh Pant.