Chennai beat Delhi by 13 runs at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Monday to go back on top of the 2018 IPL standings.
Chasing a mammoth 212 to win, Delhi lost early wickets and were never really in the game thereafter. Young batsman Rishabh Pant tried to make a match of it with 79 off 45 balls -- studded with seven fours and four sixes -- but once he was sent back by IPL debutant Lungi Ngidi in the 18th over, it was a matter of time before the visitors succumbed to their sixth defeat in eight games.
Vijay Shankar did score 54 not out off 31 balls against all expectations but in all fairness that only helped narrow the margin of defeat as Delhi finished their innings on 198/5 in 20 overs. With the loss, Delhi found themselves in an impossible position as regards their play-off chances. CSK, on the other hand, registered their sixth win in eight matches and overtook Hyderabad on the table.
Earlier in the day, MS Dhoni the batsman continued to go from strength to strength this season. The Chennai batsman scored his third fifty of the season in his usual fashion.
Coming in at No.5, he remained unbeaten on 51 off 22 balls as CSK posted a whopping 211/4. He hit two fours and five sixes during his innings.
Delhi's best bowler of the season, Trent Boult came in for a lot of hiding from Dhoni's bat as the CSK captain went berserk in the 17th over and hit him for two sixes and a four off successive balls.
He was lucky to have been dropped on 31 by Colin Munro off the bowling of Avesh Khan in the 19th over, and Dhoni promptly added insult to injury with a huge 108m six - second biggest of the season - off the last ball of the over.
Before Dhoni, it was Shane Watson who hit the Delhi bowlers all over the park. The Aussie scored 78 off 40 balls with the help of 7 sixes and 4 fours and to all intents and purposes laid the foundations for a big score. He and Faf du Plessis (33) scored 102 for the opening stand.
