Chennai Super Kings turned the clock back in scripting its textbook style of matchplay — posting a huge total and applying the squeeze with the help of scoreboard pressure — to edge Delhi Daredevils by 13 runs.
Put in, CSK made 211 for four after Shane Watson's quickfire 78 off 40 balls set it up for skipper M.S. Dhoni and Ambati Rayudu to flourish at the end.
In reply, Rishabh Pant made a match of it with a 45-ball 79 after Daredevils were reduced to 74 for four. Pant added 88 runs for the fifth wicket with Vijay Shankar, who played a very good supporting role with an unbeaten 54.
Pant began his innings with a six and a four off Watson to get going immediately, but was involved in an awful mix-up with skipper Shreyas Iyer that accounted for the latter.
The Delhi boy kept his side in the hunt as he played to his strengths, going across and swatting over the leg-side at every given opportunity.
After a few quiet overs, he smashed a six and a four off Ravindra Jadeja through the leg-side to recharge his innings.
The big push came when Pant went after youngster K.M. Asif, slamming him for two boundaries and a six in the 15th over.
With 55 required off the last three, Lungi Ngidi, making his IPL debut, bowled a brilliant over, dismissing Pant and giving away only six runs which sealed the match for CSK.
Earlier, CSK rung in four changes with Sam Billings, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar (injured) and Shardul Thakur making way for Faf du Plessis, Karn Sharma, Asif and Ngidi.
Watson was lucky to survive a leg-before appeal off the first ball of the match from Trent Boult, with the third umpire adjudging he had got an inside edge, though the replays were inconclusive. Watson sent the next ball off his pads for a boundary and from there on never gave the Daredevils bowlers a chance.
Liam Plunkett felt Watson’s wrath, being slammed for four sixes over two overs, as CSK raced from 25 for no loss after four overs to 71 in seven. Watson got two more sixes off leg-spinner Rahul Tewatia to get to his fifty.
From 102 for one, CSK slumped to 131 for three at the end of 14 overs, but Dhoni launched into the Daredevils bowlers, cracking an unbeaten 51 off just 22 balls with five sixes.
Rayudu joined the party alongside Dhoni, coming in at No. 4 and contributing 41.
The duo added 79 for the fourth wicket off just 36 balls that set the match up for the two-time champion.
