CSK vs DD IPL 2018 Match Report: Chennai reign supreme over Delhi

Turning point

The 102-run opening stand between Watson and du Plessis simply took the game away from the Delhi Daredevils. Watson was their chief tormentor and du Plessis rotated the strike well until he was finally caught in the 10^th over.

Best Dismissal

The best dismissal came in the 9^th over of the second innings when Jadeja was bowling to Maxwell. After just being hit for a four, the left-arm spinner sent in a quicker one this time much closer to Maxwell’s body who looked to hit it but was crammed for space as the ball drifted between the bat and pad to clatter onto the leg stump.

Batsman of the Match

Shane Watson, who came out all guns blazing against a hapless Delhi bowling attack, is our batsman of the match. He put on a great display of power hitting as he made 78 off just 40. The only other batsman who outscored Watson on the night was Rishabh Pant who scored 79 off 45.

Bowler of the Match

Lungi Ngidi, who made his IPL debut, was the pick of the bowlers. He picked up the wicket of danger man Rishabh Pant in the 18^th over, ending all hopes of a Delhi fightback.

Captain’s views

MS Dhoni (CSK captain), “It's very important for us to get off to a good start, not necessarily in terms of runs, but even a good partnership, and I can promote myself and come out at No. 5. It's more fun when you go into the 8th and 10th overs and the bowler doesn't know when you will go for the big runs. Looking at the wicket, we thought we'll get an overseas batsman in. We thought Sam needed a bit of rest. Having Rayudu in the middle and Faf open gives more stability to the middle order. And Rayudu can score runs at any position, so that was the best decision. Ngidi has been impressive since South Africa. He's tall and gets bounce. Death bowling hasn't been good, and if we reach the finals, which will be held in small grounds, the margin for error is very small.”

Shreyas Iyer (DD captain), “Too many runs on the board. Losing four wickets had a massive impact. We got really close, which is a positive we can take into the next match. We need to win six out of six, which is the only motivation we can take into the remaining games. We are really effective in home games, and if we can keep the team stable, that should serve us well.”

What’s next

The Delhi Daredevils travel back home where they will host Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday. After back to back home games, the Chennai Super Kings travel to the Eden Gardens where they will face the Kolkata Knight Riders on Thursday.

Points table

Chennai moved to the top of the points table with their sixth victory of the campaign. They are now tied on 12 points with Sunrisers Hyderabad and are ahead due to a superior net run rate. Delhi continue to languish at the bottom of the table with just four points from their eight games. Find the updated points table here.