So CSK just refuse to get knocked out. They might be up against a mountain to qualify, but they've made sure they're alive, and alive with hope. Dhoni's turned around some pretty weird campaigns for Chennai, and this one's #DefinitelyNot over. At least not yet. We, meanwhile, are done for the night, as I, Vineet Anantharaman, sign off on behalf of Akshay Maanay, Kumar Abhisekh Das and our scorer, Mukesh Gowda. Until tomorrow, and back to one-match-a-day, ta ta!!
Devon Conway | MoM: The thought process was just about keeping it simple. It was just about communicating with Ruturaj. With Hussey, I just discussed about how the surface would be and who the bowlers would be to target. I am just happy to build that partnership up with Rutu, and the way he's playing, he makes my job easier. I have to be true to myself, authentic to myself. I look to play cricket shots and just assess where to put my foot down. I have to give credit to MS, because I got out trying to play the sweep in the last game, and he told me to look to play straight.
MS Dhoni | Winning captain: It really helps. It would have been better if we would have had a win like this somewhere early. It was a perfect game. The batters did really well. It was a toss where we wanted to win and field first, but in the heart, I was fine to lose the toss. The ball stops and comes, and it behaves only after 13-14 overs. Everybody contributed a bit. Runs on the board really help, and it was important to restrict their big-hitters. Both Simarjeet and Mukesh have taken time to mature. They have the capability, the more they play, the better they'll get at game sense. It is ultimately about reading which is a good delivery to bowl and which is a delivery to not bowl. In T20 cricket, it is all about knowing which delivery not to bowl. I don't like going in and hitting straightaway. But with only 12 deliveries left, if a few of us contribute with scores of 8 off 2, it helps. But scoring just 2 or 3 runs doesn't help. I am not a big fan of maths. Even in school I wasn't good at it. Thinking of the NRR doesn't help. You just want to enjoy the IPL. When two other teams are playing, you don't want to be under pressure and thinking. You just have to think about what to do in the next game. If we make the playoffs, great. But even if we don't it's not the end of the world.
Biggest wins by CSK in IPL (by runs)
97 vs PBKS Chennai 2015
93 vs DC Abu Dhabi 2014
92 vs RCB Port Elizabeth 2009
91 vs DC Mumbai DYP 2022 *
Rishabh Pant | Losing captain: I think they outplayed?us in all departments. As Delhi Capitals we have played a lot of close games, there had to be a game where there is a massive difference between the two sides and unfortunately we are on the receiving?end. I thought we were getting better but that is not the case. The only thing we can look forward to is the next three matches, if we win them then we will qualify. There is a fair bit going on amongst us, especially Covid and we had few stomach infections, but we are not making an excuse and we just want to keep improving. Right now we can be more positive and that's what we are going to be talking about to the boys, let's be more proactive and let's be in a good frame of mind to make good?decisions?in the next few matches.
Moeen Ali: Any win at the moment is great for us. To win against a great side gives us a lot of confidence going forward. I think we got a great score, we missed out on a few at the end, we were probably looking at 210-215, happy to have gotten over the 200 mark. We knew it would be a good score with the spinners we’ve got. We just stayed in the moment, in the present and got some nice shots in the end. I hurt my ankle a bit so had to change my action a bit, but it was probably for the best. My primary thing is to spin it as much as I can, the wickets are gripping a bit now. We have an amazing fanbase, playing for CSK is amazing because I didn’t realize how big (the fanbase) was before I came here, but it is a massive, massive franchise and the fanbase is unbelievable.
23:12 Local Time: Delhi, the capital city, is battling its share of Loo at the moment, and Delhi, the Capitals, have found their Loo in CSK tonight. They've just been blown away. Decimated. Thrashed. When you're chasing 209, you have to hit top gear straightaway. And Delhi's top-order did try. Bharat struck a couple of neat boundaries, Warner looked in some touch, Pant smoked a few early, Marsh looked like finding some rhythm, but alas, it was a little too little. None of their batsmen lasted more than 20 balls, and that's a good enough summary of what this chase was. Moeen was the real difference in the middle overs, unafraid to loop the ball up, deceiving batsmen in flight, and breaking the back of the middle-order. You have to feel for Delhi though. They've been battling Covid cases, they're coming straight from quarantine, but they really have to sort their bowling out. Right, here come the presentations ..
Dwayne Bravo to Khaleel Ahmed, out Bowled!! Just the stuff of a genius. He's foxed the best in the business with his dipping slower yorkers, and this might only be a number eleven, but Bravo's produced a proper gem here. It gives Khaleel the feeling of it being a high full toss, and so he looks to defend it off his back foot, with the ball then just dropping in trajectory big time, sneaking under the bat, and finding timber. Khaleel Ahmed b Dwayne Bravo 0(1)
Dwayne Bravo to Khaleel Ahmed, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!
Khaleel Ahmed, right handed bat, comes to the crease
Dwayne Bravo to Thakur, out Caught by Dhoni!! Strangled down leg. Now, now. Thakur, after a couple of stunning punches, falls to a pretty innocuous delivery on the pads which he looks to flick, only to inside-edge it to a diving-to-his-left MS. Thakur c Dhoni b Dwayne Bravo 24(19) [4s-2 6s-1]
Dwayne Bravo to Thakur, THATS OUT!! Caught!!
Dwayne Bravo to Thakur, FOUR, a bit more width here, and Bravo's slower one into the pitch sits up nicely for Thakur to slap it in front of point now
Dwayne Bravo to Thakur, FOUR, wow. Some swag here. Thakur rocks back, arches back too, and just check-punches this square-cut through point
Vijay: Nothing wrong with Pant's captaincy, lack of players at the right time has hurt Delhi.
Dwayne Bravo [2.0-0-16-0] is back into the attack
M Theekshana to Nortje, no run, flat, good length, on middle. Blocked
M Theekshana to Nortje, no run, a hurried waft, and the ball skids in, takes the inside-edge onto the front pad
TJ: If CSK somehow manages to qualify from here, the other three teams will be very much scared of them.
M Theekshana to Nortje, no run, back, away, tapping it to cover
M Theekshana to Thakur, 1 run, carrom ball, punched from inside the crease to long-off
M Theekshana to Thakur, SIX, tonked over long-on. A nice clean strike this, freeing up his long arms, fetching the ball from well outside off, getting under the length, and launching it cleanly over. It's Delhi's first boundary in 40 balls ..