IPL 2020: DC VS CSK | Dhawan-powered DC edges CSK

Axar hits three sixes in final over to ensure opener’s 101 n.o. doesn’t go in vain

Delhi Capitals player Shikhar Dhawan plays a shot during their Indian Premier League T20 cricket match against Chennai Super Kings, at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah, Saturday, October 17, 2020.

Shikhar Dhawan made Chennai Super Kings pay a heavy price for some shoddy fielding as he slammed an unbeaten 101 (58b, 14x4, 1x6) to carry Delhi Capitals to a five-wicket win at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

CSK’s butterfingered fielders dropped the opener four times as the side succumbed to its sixth defeat even as DC went top of the table.

Despite Dhawan’s knock, DC still needed 17 off the last over, but Axar Patel punished Ravindra Jadeja, slamming three sixes to seal the match with a ball to spare.

Death-overs specialist Dwayne Bravo had one over left, but the West Indian had left the field for some treatment and Dhoni had to choose between Jadeja and Karn Sharma.

Leather hunt

Chasing 180, DC lost Prithvi Shaw and Ajinkya Rahane cheaply to Deepak Chahar, but Dhawan sent the CSK bowlers on a leather hunt, starting with Sam Curran, hitting him for two fours.

Cashing in on the two reprieves he received when on 25 and 27, the Delhi batsman wasted no time in attacking Karn next, hitting him for two boundaries in the leggie’s first over. He brought up his fifty off 29 balls. Dhoni spilled Dhawan while diving to his left off Bravo when on 50. The southpaw was dropped for the fourth time on 80 by Ambati Rayudu.

In between these chances, the left-hander was at his fluent best, charging bowlers at will and unleashing his brute power, to record his maiden IPL century.

Earlier, Faf du Plessis’s half-century (58, 47b, 6x4, 2x6) followed by cameos from Rayudu (45 n.o., 25b, 1x4, 4x6) and Jadeja (33 n.o., 13b, 4x6) helped CSK post 179 for four.

du Plessis and Shane Watson (36) put on 87 for the second wicket, before Rayudu and Jadeja finished the innings strongly, slamming 67 in the final five overs.

In the 20th over, Jadeja hit consecutive sixes off Nortje and scored 16 runs to give CSK a fighting chance. But all of it was undone by a disastrous fielding effort.

SCOREBOARD

CHENNAI SUPER KINGS: Sam Curran c Nortje b Deshpande 0 (3b) , Faf du Plessis c Dhawan b Rabada 58 (47b, 6x4, 2x6) , Shane Watson b Nortje 36 (28b, 6x4) , Ambati Rayudu (not out) 45 (25b, 1x4, 4x6) , M.S. Dhoni c Carey b Nortje 3 (5b) , Ravindra Jadeja (not out) 33 (13b, 4x6) ; Extras (w-3, nb-1): 4; Total (for four wkts. in 20 overs): 179.

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-0 (Curran, 0.3 overs), 2-87 (Watson, 11.4), 3-109 (du Plessis, 14.4), 4-129 (Dhoni, 16.3).

CAPITALS BOWLING: Deshpande 4-0-39-1, Rabada 4-1-33-1, Axar 4-0-23-0, Nortje 4-0-44-2, Ashwin 3-0-30-0, Stoinis 1-0-10-0.

DELHI CAPITALS: Prithvi Shaw c & b Deepak Chahar 0 (2b) , Shikhar Dhawan (not out) 101 (58b, 14x4, 1x6) , Ajinkya Rahane c Sam Curran b Deepak Chahar 8 (10b, 1x4) , Shreyas Iyer c du Plessis b Bravo 23 (23b, 1x4, 1x6) , Marcus Stoinis c Rayudu b Shardul 24 (14b, 1x4, 2x6) , Alex Carey c du Plessis b Sam Curran 4 (7b) , Axar Patel (not out) 21 (5b, 3x6) ; Extras (lb-1, w-3): 4; Total (for five wkts. in 19.5 overs): 185.

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-0 (Shaw, 0.2 overs), 2-26 (Rahane, 4.1), 3-94 (Shreyas, 11.3), 4-137 (Stoinis, 15.4), 5-159 (Carey, 18.1).

SUPER KINGS BOWLING: Deepak Chahar 4-1-18-2, Sam Curran 4-0-35-1, Shardul 4-0-39-1, Jadeja 1.5-0-35-0, Karn 3-0-34-0, Bravo 3-0-23-1.

Toss: CSK.

Man-of-the-Match: Dhawan.

DC won by five wickets with one ball to spare .