On a night when it mattered the most, the all-rounder produced a scintillating performance to ace yet another pressure game

Natalie Sciver-Brunt

Alyssa Healy

Harmanpreet Kaur

Meg Lanning

Hayley Matthews

Sophie Ecclestone

Yastika Bhatia

Grace Harris

Women's Premier League, 2023

Mumbai Indians

UP Warriorz

Clutch Sciver-Brunt does it again

2022 was a season to forget for Mumbai, but by the looks of it, 2023 may not be very different

Jofra Archer

Jasprit Bumrah

Jason Behrendorff

Jhye Richardson

Rohit Sharma

Suryakumar Yadav

Indian Premier League, 2023

IPL 2023: Mumbai brace for a turbulent season 

The English all-rounder is fearless, aggressive and more importantly, the archetypal Indian Premier League player

Issy Wong

England

Issy Wong, as fast as Lightning McQueen

Last season saw RCB transition out of Virat Kohli’s captaincy and finish fourth in the league stage

Virat Kohli

Faf du Plessis

Glenn Maxwell

Dinesh Karthik

Josh Hazlewood

Mohammed Siraj

Wanindu Hasaranga

Royal Challengers Bangalore

IPL 2023 Preview: Ee Sala..?

Make no mistake, we are living on this new planet called, ‘Lazarus’

Smriti Mandhana

It's 2040, and RCB are still chasing a title

No more the Dad’s army, Thala’s men will have a point to prove come this year’s IPL

MS Dhoni

Ravindra Jadeja

Deepak Chahar

Ambati Rayudu

Ben Stokes

Dwaine Pretorius

Ajay Mandal

Prashant Solanki

Chennai Super Kings

IPL 2023 Preview: The Last Dance for Thala Dhoni's army

Delhi Capitals (DC) handed out an Indian Premier League (IPL debut to Ripal Patel against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). It was a fanboy moment for the 26-year-old from Gujarat who looks up to MS Dhoni and now hopes to become a finisher like him.Ripal in his debut innings scored 18 off 20 deliveries as his side registered a three-wicket victory. &quot;It was a different feeling altogether to see Mahi bhai behind the stumps when I took guard. It felt really good that Mahi bhai was watching me play.&quot;I started playing cricket watching Mahi bhai and I am looking to become a finisher like him,&quot; Patel was quoted as saying in a release issued by his franchise DC.&quot;After the game, I asked him how he finishes every match, how he thinks on the field and what goes on in his mind while chasing a score. We had a good chat and he gave me a lot of confidence.&quot;Ripal received his maiden IPL cap from leg-spinner Amit Mishra. Speaking of how he felt when he received his cap, Ripal said, &nbsp;&quot;I was really happy when I received my cap from Mishy bhai (Amit Mishra). It didn&#39;t feel like it was my first match. I felt really good going into the match. I just looked to back myself and enjoy every part of the game.&quot;&quot;When I went into bat (at 71/3), we needed to score at a run-a-ball pace. I aimed to finish the match for the team. Shikhar bhai (Dhawan) told me to take my time at the crease, so I took my time and enjoyed my batting.&quot;Ripal also enjoyed watching Kagiso Rabada finish the match with a boundary in the last over. &quot;It was very important for us to win the match. It was a crunch situation when we needed 2 runs from 3 balls. We were looking for a couple of runs and it was great to see Rabada hit a boundary.&quot;&quot;I was disappointed that I didn&#39;t finish the match, but it was great that the team won and reached 20 points.&quot;DC, who have already qualified for the playoffs, take on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their final match of the group stage on Friday (October 8).(With inputs from PTI)Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Making his IPL debut against CSK, the 26-year-old scored 18 off 20 deliveries as DC registered a three-wicket victory

Ripal Patel

Indian Premier League, 2021

Delhi Capitals

I am looking to become a finisher like MS Dhoni: Ripal Patel

Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper Rishabh Pant on Monday (October 4) said the three-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) was an &quot;absolutely big win&quot; as they looked to secure a top-two finish heading into the play-offs of the Indian Premier League. Chasing a modest target of 137, DC prevailed over CSK with two balls to spare after a strong start on a day their captain Pant turned 24.&quot;Not a bad birthday present, but in the end, we made it tough for us. In the end, if we win everything is fine,&quot; Pant said at the post-match presentation ceremony.Prithvi Shaw smashed a few boundaries before Shikhar Dhawan took over. However, DC needed Shimron Hetmyer (28 not out) to see the team through in what turned out to be a close, low-scoring game. &quot;Prithvi got us to a decent start... We were always in the chase since it was a low total. Shikhar started well... Absolutely big win, and want to be absolutely sure we finish in the top two.&quot;Asked about promoting Ravichandran Ashwin at No. 6, Pant said that was done to &quot;just keep the left-right combination&quot;.CSK captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni found the pitch two-paced but was happy that his team could make a match out of it. &quot;We were looking to get close to 150. After we lost a few wickets - and around the 15-16 over wicket - we were looking good. There were shots played... and if it had come down to eight or ten deliveries, it could have made a difference. It&#39;s a two-paced wicket - some balls come to you and some don&#39;t,&quot; Dhoni said.&quot;It&#39;s not a placid wicket where you can play your shots. I felt the taller bowlers were the ones who were getting that movement. It was a very good effort (by the bowlers). But it was important not to give away too many in the first six overs.&quot;For his excellent bowling figures of 2/18, Axar Patel was named Man of the Match. &quot;It is difficult to assess the length and line, and the pace of the ball (on such pitches). I thought they scored five or ten runs less in the powerplay,&quot; Patel said.Asked about his stay in the middle alongside Hetmyer, Patel said, &quot;Hetmyer and I were discussing that they would bowl wide yorkers according to their field. Batting is your confidence booster, especially since we will be going to the playoffs. This confidence then helps you later.&quot;Hetmyer, who remained not out on a vital 28 off 18 balls, said he is paid to finish off games. &quot;Very important for me to finish games. I tell the guys that is what I am paid for and I try to finish as many games as possible,&quot; he said.He got a life on 12 and asked about it, the Guyanese said, &quot;I thought I was out, and the guy missed it and I was thankful. It was just about getting bat on ball.&quot;The 19th over was the one where I thought I&#39;d try and get a six and bring it down as much as possible. I had enough practice against Bravo in the CPL. I knew he would go wide with the field he had and I just looked to go straight down the ground against him. It paid off twice.&quot;Hetmyer picked up 10 runs off the 19th over bowled by Josh Hazlewood, after hitting veteran all-rounder Dwayne Bravo for 12 runs in the 18th over.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

DC went top of the IPL 2021 points table after a hard-fought victory over CSK

Rishabh Pant

'We made it tough for us," says Rishabh Pant following DC's win over CSK

MS Dhoni failed to hit a single four or six during his 27-ball 18 against Delhi Capitals (DC). This is Dhoni&#39;s slowest innings in which he has faced at least 25 deliveries.However, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) head coach Stephen Fleming reckons Dhoni was not the only one who struggled, pointing to the fact that DC also chased wown 137 in the last over with just three wickets to spare.&quot;Well, he (Dhoni) wasn&#39;t the only one who struggled. It was a difficult day for strokeplay,&quot; Fleming said at the virtual post-match press conference.&quot;When 137 (136) is almost enough, I think it was a tough wicket to score big on in terms of the big shots. So both teams struggled with that towards the end of the innings. Sometimes you set your sights too high, [want] too many, and probably we were only 10-15 runs short of having a match-winning score,&quot; he added.The CSK head coach further adds that it is becoming difficult to assess the conditions in the three grounds in UAE and it was certainly not lack of intent from their end.&quot;So, the difficulty at the moment is to assess what the conditions are in all three different grounds and, batting first, getting a score that is par or just above. It was no lack of intent, it was just we had to stabilise after a couple of mistakes and then we were reasonably well-placed for 150. The other thing was their attack bowled very well in the last five overs. They were very smart, so it was tough going,&quot; the former New Zealand captain said.CSK now have lost two back-to-back matches in IPL 2021. Fleming says he would rather have tese defeats ow rather than in next stage of the tournament. &quot;I&#39;d rather have two defeats now than in the two semi-finals, if I ever had a wish list. Today was good, today was scrappy and I think there were a lot of mistakes on both sides. Sometimes, when you&#39;ve qualified, I know there are one or two (things) that we were trying hard for... and things do change a little bit,&quot; he said.&quot;We try to work very hard on keeping the intensity. We&#39;re on the back of three games in five days and a bit of travel, so there were probably clumsy mistakes from us, which was the most disappointing aspect, but in terms of the competition one of the key things is rebounding. Second on the table [with] a chance to get to the top two is still a positive position, but we need to just maintain our intensity or get the flow and rhythm that we had before these two games,&quot; Fleming addedCSK should finish in the top two if they beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Thursday (October 7). However, RCB too can finish with the same points as CSK, but their net-run-rate may ensure that they do not finish above them if CSK do beat PBKS and RCB win their two remaining matches. &nbsp; &nbsp;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

The CSK captain registered his slowest-ever innings in IPL

Stephen Fleming

Dhoni wasn't the only one who struggled, it was a difficult day for strokeplay: Fleming

Delhi Capitals (DC) went to the top of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 table to assure themselves of a place in the top two. It was a scratchy performance from the DC batters, who chased down 137 runs with three wickets and two balls to spare against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).While Ravichandran Ashwin finished with 1 for 20 from his four overs against CSK, <a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/morgan-or-southee-dont-have-any-moral-high-ground-to-call-me-a-disgrace-ashwin-1632989543722" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the controversy involving him and Kolkata Knight Riders&#39; (KKR) Tim Southee and Eoin Morgan</a> is still fresh in everyone&#39;s mind.Speaking of the issue, the all-rounder clarifies that it&#39;s not a personal battle, but people who seek attention might be thinking that way. &quot;Look, I think it is definitely not a personal battle or one-on-one battle. Personally, I would not deem it like that,&quot; Ashwin said during a virtual post-match press conference.&quot;People who want attention may be taking it that way, but I am not looking it that way at all. The incident that happened the other day was, I got really charged up because that was entirely untoward by both Tim Southee and Eoin Morgan to give the batter a sendoff who just got out,&quot; he added.Ashwin was accused of sneaking in a run after the ball had ricocheted off Rishabh Pant at the non-striker&#39;s end, which is something he denies having any knowledge of.&nbsp;&quot;The worst situation was that I was not aware that the ball had hit Rishabh so I just felt like that they already decided to have a go at me. That is one of the reasons I said that the words which were used were not in the right direction and not in the right space,&quot; Ashwin said, standing his ground.&quot;Beyond that, we need to understand that culturally people are different, the way people are brought up to play cricket in England and India, the way one thinks is completely different,&quot; he added.However, Ashwin reckons there was nothing wrong with the on-field spat as the sport is played differently today as it was a few decades ago.&quot;I would not say anyone is wrong here, it is just that the sort of way the game was played in the 1940s cannot be the way that you want somebody else to apply it. My two cents to this are that you want to play the game in the way you want to, but do not expect that if it is not within the laws of the game and have a go at them for unnecessary reasons,&quot; Ashwin, who has picked up five wickets from 10 matches this season said.Speaking of West Indies batsman Shimron Hetmyer&#39;s contribution, Ashwin said, &nbsp;&quot;I think more than about 6-8 points needs to go to Hety (Hetmyer) because he has finished games, sometimes when you make those 25s and 30s, you don&#39;t quite get the recognition you must, because people are at the top are making the volume of runs,&quot; Ashwin said.According to Ashwin he has been batting well, ever since he came to the UAE from England. &quot;...I have been batting well and there was a lot of confidence from what happened in the last game, I was a little late, I was probably not ready for the ball and little late on the ball and didn&#39;t expect sort of a delivery from him and could have done better, yeah I will learn and move on from it, the star Tamil Nadu player added.DC, who finished runners-up in IPL 2020, have just one match left in the group stages, that against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Friday (OCtober 8). In their 13 matches so far in IPL 2021, they have picked up 20 points.&nbsp;(With inputs from PTI)Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

'People who want attention may be taking it that way, but I am not looking it that way at all,' the India off-spinner added

Ravichandran Ashwin

Eoin Morgan

Tim Southee

Kolkata Knight Riders

'Not a personal battle,' Ravichandran Ashwin on spat with Eoin Morgan, Tim Southee

The Chennai Super Kings - Delhi Capitals clash delivered the entertainment it promised, but not in the way any of us expected. For 39.4 overs, neither side looked like they wanted to win the game.&nbsp;It was one of those &lsquo;so bad that it was actually good&rsquo;&nbsp;matches where, more than the actual contest between two teams, it was moments of chaos, controversy and comic relief that fulfilled you, the fan. The absurd &lsquo;non no-ball&rsquo; call in the final over almost served as the icing on the cake.&nbsp;All said and done, though, today&rsquo;s clash in Dubai will be a match that both CSK and DC will look back on. There were not too many positives to take away from the game for either side, on the batting front at least, but there were warnings. And as the business end of the tournament gets closer and closer, it will be imperative for sides to learn from their mistakes and be aware of their own shortcomings and areas of potential weakness.&nbsp;CSK no longer need MS Dhoni the batsman - he is inhibiting their potentialAs unfortunate as it may seem, the harsh truth is that MS Dhoni&rsquo;s innings proved to be the difference between the two sides - and not in a good way.&nbsp;Dhoni managed to score just 18 off the 27 balls he faced, and failed to hit a single boundary. He found no rhythm, couldn&rsquo;t time the ball at all, was not able to rotate strike effectively and did not accelerate either. For 27 balls, it felt like he was in the midst of a scrappy net session.<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/a04b5406a780e0adf80da50cab044a351215a82c.png" style="width: 700px; margin: 5px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">But the problem for CSK is not that Dhoni is no longer the batsman he once was. It is that the management seem hell-bent on utilizing his batting when there&rsquo;s absolutely no need.&nbsp;There is no question that Dhoni is well past his best days as a batsman, and his knock today was evidence of the same. But such is the quality and depth in this CSK batting line-up that they can afford to use Dhoni as a specialist wicket-keeper and captain; they have the luxury of carrying Dhoni the batsman.Of course, that doesn&rsquo;t mean that they bat him at No.10 or No.11. But the least they can do is bat him below Ravindra Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo (or Sam Curran), both of whom are in sensational striking form.&nbsp;Jadeja is currently in the midst of his best ever IPL season as a batsman, averaging 70.66 and striking at 152.51. Only a game ago he struck 32* off 15 balls, blasting from the get-go without taking balls to get his eye in. And yet two balls was all he got to face today owing to Dhoni batting nearly one-fourth of the innings. Perhaps if Jadeja had batted 15-20 balls more, CSK might have got to the 150-run mark that Dhoni said was par.&nbsp;Bravo, meanwhile, has only batted twice in IPL 2021, but has been striking at 268.75, hitting a six every four balls. Against both RR and MI, he played match-winning cameos.Certainly after today, it would be ludicrous to assume that Dhoni, in the form he finds himself in, is qualified to bat ahead of the aforementioned two.Make no mistake, Dhoni is still valuable to the side both as a wicket-keeper and a captain. And he showed that in the second&nbsp;innings by nailing his tactics and almost turning a certain defeat into a victory.But the Dhoni the batsman is inhibiting this Super Kings side and is, in a way, nullifying the effect of Dhoni the keeper and captain.&nbsp;Harsh as it may sound, if CSK are to win IPL 2021, they might have to hope that Dhoni never bats again.&nbsp;DC&rsquo;s fragile, out-of-form batting unit a cause for concern despite back-to-back winsThe good news for the Capitals is that they have all but sealed a place in the top two. Unless something horribly goes wrong, they will have two cracks at reaching the final, just like last year.The bad news is that, like last year, their batting seems all over the place at a time they needed every single individual firing. In many ways they have been lucky that in each of the last two matches, their batters have had to chase sub-140 totals. Even then, they&rsquo;ve almost made a meal out of both the chases.The problem starts from the very top.&nbsp;In the first half, so much of their success was down to the opening stand between Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan. The duo put together 512 runs across 8 innings and not just got the side off to a solid start, but a quick one too. &nbsp;Since restart, however, this number has dropped to 17.3. Dhawan has still been posting middling scores at a moderate strike rate, but Shaw has nearly gone back to his 2020 self, registering scores of 18, 6, 10 and 11 so far in the UAE leg. Given he is a &lsquo;confidence player&rsquo;, the possibility of this thin run extending cannot be ruled out.&nbsp;Iyer and Pant, in comparison, have been better, but they have struggled to bat with fluency. In this UAE leg, they have batted with a combined SR of 114. It has boded well for the side in small chases but it remains to be seen if they&rsquo;ll be able to up their game on better batting tracks.&nbsp;<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/15db06151dd7333d2e7f9830e58a1ef2847d6ac5.png" style="width: 800px; margin: 5px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">You can make the argument that Pant, at least, can do so at will but that has not been the case for him this season. He&rsquo;s struggled when he&rsquo;s tried to accelerate, particularly at the death. So far in IPL 2021, Pant has struck at a SR of 140 in overs 16-20. Among batters who have faced at least 60 balls in this phase, no one has struck at a lower SR. He also has the worst balls-per-boundary ratio in the phase.That Pant perished cheaply versus both CSK and MI trying to be consciously aggressive, should concern Ponting.Then there&rsquo;s the situation with the sixth batter. Delhi, as things stand, do not seem to have an idea of who among Smith, Ripal Patel and Lalit Yadav is Stoinis&rsquo; replacement. It is one thing to chop and change based on conditions, but thus far DC&rsquo;s changes have been &lsquo;hail mary&rsquo; moves. And nothing has worked.&nbsp;Shimron Hetmyer&rsquo;s form, however, is a shining light, and the onus is now on the management to utilize his services effectively. The southpaw bailed them out against both RR and CSK but they are doing no favours - to both the player and themselves - by changing his batting order every single game.&nbsp;So far in the UAE leg, the bowlers have carried Delhi. But there is only so much the bowlers will be able to do. DC are currently table-toppers, yes, but if the batters do not step up, then their tale will be a similar one to that of IPL 2020.&nbsp;Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Come the playoffs, both sides can ill-afford to err and slip-up like they did today

Shreyas Iyer

Shimron Hetmyer

Shikhar Dhawan

Prithvi Shaw

With playoffs nearing, CSK and DC get timely wake-up call

On a consistent basis, the pitches in the United Arab Emirates this season have been dual in nature. This has hampered the captains decisions at the toss, and match 50 between Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings was also an example. Even in the previous match at Dubai International stadium, Kane Williamson felt it was a good wicket to bat on, but it turned out to be the opposite.&nbsp;Batting first, Chennai lost their prolific opening duo of Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad inside the powerplay. Robin Uthappa who made his debut for Chennai in the IPL, failed to make an impact as he miscued one against his nemesis, Ravichandran Ashwin. Dhoni promoted himself up the order in search of some runs. He got it, but the rustiness was written all over his innings. Ambati Rayudu at one end led a lone battle with an unbeaten knock of 55 from 43 deliveries. Chennai managed to post a total of 136 in their full quota of 20 overs.In reply, Prithvi Shaw started off explosively but for a short time. Shreyas Iyer also departed early as he found himself in a tangle and top edged one to cover off Josh Hazlewood. Shikhar Dhawan in the fifth over teed off by scoring 21 runs. However, that was the last of Dhawan&rsquo;s attacking instincts. As said earlier, the dual nature of the pitch made it difficult for the Delhi batsmen. Everyone tried their best including the birthday boy and the Delhi skipper Rishabh. But, Shimron Hetmyer at the end, with the help of Chennai fielders &ndash; Krishnappa Gowtham &ndash; played a breezy knock to propel Delhi to the top of the table. Here are some of the notable stats from the match:Flying start by CSK&nbsp;The first over of the match produced plenty of drama as opener Gaikwad and Anrich Nortje started the proceedings. After beginning with a peach of a delivery, the South African bowled a wide down the leg-side to concede five runs. Gaikwad followed it up with a boundary and a couple. By conceding a boundary through leg-byes, Chennai had 16 runs in the first over. In the 2015 edition against the Kolkata Knight Riders, 19 runs had come in the first over, which is the most for Chennai in the IPL. Chennai&rsquo;s score of 16 in this innings is the second joint most runs for them in the opening over of the innings. The other two were against Delhi in 2015 and against Kolkata in 2018.&nbsp;Ashwin&#39;s bunnyPlaying for the first time in IPL 2021 and for Chennai, Robin Uthappa started the innings steadily. However, the right-handed batter was dismissed for a run-a-ball 19 and once again it was Ravichandran Ashwin. Over the years of the IPL, Ashwin has been Uthappa&rsquo;s kryptonite. The off-spinner has gotten the better of Uthappa on seven instances, which is the most dismissals for a batter against a bowler in the IPL. Rohit Sharma and his struggles with spin is evident as he features twice with seven dismissals against Amit Mishra and Sunil Narine. Virat Kohli against Sandeep Sharma and Dhoni against Zaheer Khan complete the list.<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/708d55857ebceccb506e76d8a7be5ed645d66580.png" style="width: 700px; margin: 5px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" code="200">A dawdling inningsWith the team tottering at 62/4, Dhoni walked in at number six to steady the innings. While he was involved in a 70-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Ambati Rayudu, Dhoni struggled with his timing and managed to score 18 off 27 deliveries at a strike rate of 66.7, which is his slowest innings after batting for 25+ balls in the IPL. His innings involved zero boundaries. This was the second time in his IPL career where Dhoni batted for 25+ balls and didn&rsquo;t hit a boundary. In addition to his agonies, he is the only captain to feature twice in the list of boundaryless innings after playing 25+ balls in an innings in the IPL.<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/6bf17d512dff6f8506a84b94f97cdd74ea67c6a8.png" style="width: 700px; margin: 5px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" code="200">Deepak Chahar taken to the cleanersOne of the finest powerplay bowlers Deepak Chahar, had to endure a thrashing after picking up the wicket of Shaw in the third over. Dhawan, who has been magnificent against Chennai in IPL since 2020, smashed Chahar for 21 runs in the fifth over. A six off the first and the fourth ball sandwiched by two fours and single off the last ball, the fifth over read. This was the second instance of Chahar conceding 20+ runs in an over in his IPL career. His highest came against Punjab Kings in 2018 when he conceded 22 runs in the sixth over. Chris Gayle smashed 20 off those after KL Rahul took a single off the first ball and another run came through a wide.Delhi etch a special featWith a win against Chennai in both the league stage matches this season, Delhi for the second time in consecutive years have beaten Chennai in both their league matches. They became the second team to beat the Chennai franchise in both the league matches in consecutive seasons after Mumbai Indians in 2012 and 2013.&nbsp;To emboss more, this season, they beat both Mumbai and Chennai in both their league matches. By doing so, Delhi became the first ever team to beat both Mumbai and Chennai twice in the league stages in the same season of the IPL.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Here are a few noteworthy stats from Match 50 of IPL 2021 between Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings in Dubai

Robin Uthappa

DC, first to beat MI and CSK twice in the same season after Dhoni’s slowest innings 

Delhi Capitals did their top-two chances a world of good on Monday as the Rishabh Pant-led side beat Chennai Super Kings by 3 wickets in Dubai to regain top spot in the table. DC are first with 20 points, and the only way they can now slip out of the top two is if CSK win their last game and RCB win each of their remaining two games by a handsome margin. The Capitals&rsquo; last group game is incidentally against the Royal Challengers, thus Pant &amp; Co. have their fate in their own hands.&nbsp;CSK batters implode after chaotic start A jaffa, five wides, a successful review from the batsman, Ruturaj Gaikwad, and a loose four leg-byes down the leg-side from the bowler Anrich Nortje. All this happened within the span of one over. This was followed by an equally chaotic start from Avesh Khan in the second over, and in no time CSK were off the blocks, racing off to 26/0 after 2 overs.&nbsp;However, Faf du Plessis would end up perishing in the next over to Axar Patel, and the dismissal would end up triggering a proper collapse.&nbsp;Gaikwad, who&rsquo;d entered the match with scores of 101*, 45, 40, 30 and 88* under his belt, was undone by a rocket bouncer from Nortje, while franchise debutant Robin Uthappa and Moeen Ali perished in the span of six balls, attempting to slog the spinners. In no time 39/1 became 62/4, and the CSK batting line-up, for the first time all season, was put under serious pressure.&nbsp;The wicket did seem two-paced, and what that meant was it made both the spinners and the pacers threatening. The volatile nature of the wicket was exploited smartly by DC skipper Rishabh Pant, who rotated both the spinners and seamers smartly.&nbsp;Dhoni&rsquo;s promotion backfires as Rayudu takes CSK to a respectable totalAt 62/4 MS Dhoni decided to promote himself ahead of Jadeja, but what he managed to do was prove to the world why he is, by some distance, the weakest link in this CSK batting line-up. In a painful 27-ball stay, Dhoni managed to score just 18 runs, flabbergastingly striking a grand total of zero boundaries. At no point did he find any sort of rhythm, and the CSK skipper barely timed any deliveries during his extended stay at the middle. What he did do, though, was hang around, and string together a 70-run stand with Ambati Rayudu, who did all the heavy lifting.Rayudu, like Dhoni, started off excruciatingly slow, but the 36-year-old picked up pace as his innings progressed. The right-hander was 22 off 24 at one stage, but a late flourish meant that he struck 33 off his last 19 balls to take CSK to 136. The biggest disappointment for the Super Kings was that their best finisher Ravindra Jadeja, who has a death-overs SR of 195.45 this season, ended up facing only two balls.&nbsp;Intent-filled DC lose wickets at regular intervalsCSK needed early wickets to stand a chance but for a while, it looked like they might instead get caught in the Prithvi Shaw storm. The youngster, who entered the game with scores of 6, 10 and 11, raced off to 18 in his first 10 balls, and looked like he was on course to play an explosive knock which was overdue. However, eventually he ended up playing one shot too many as he was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood, who had him caught inside the circle on the off-side.Shaw&rsquo;s dismissal seemed like the break CSK needed, but more bad news came their way two overs later as Shikhar Dhawan mauled Deepak Chahar, smashing CSK&rsquo;s premier pacer for 21 runs in a single over. In the span of six balls, Dhawan helped the side take care of the required run rate.Dhawan, post the onslaught, stayed put but that wasn&rsquo;t the case with Shreyas Iyer, who fell in the last over of the powerplay, again to Hazlewood. The Australian went short to Iyer, who got himself into an ugly tangle and chipped one to Ruturaj Gaikwad at cover.&nbsp;Pant walked in at No.4 with an abundance of intent but his stay was short-lived too. Looking to smash Jadeja into oblivion, the DC skipper top-edged one and walked back to the dressing room for 15 off 12 balls.&nbsp;DC ended the halfway mark at 75/3, losing wickets at regular intervals and not batting CSK out of the game despite showing plenty of intent.&nbsp;CSK blink first as Delhi hold nerve to get over the lineQuite fittingly, the game ended precisely the same way it started: in chaotic fashion. Delhi, soon after losing Pant, lost debutant Ripal Patel in the 13th over, and a bizarre tactical move saw them promote Ravichandran Ashwin ahead of Shimron Hetmyer. That backfired and one ball into the 15th over, they were 98-5, well on their way to blowing what was a simple chase. Dhawan perished four balls later, to the excellent Shardul Thakur, and at 99/6, CSK were favorites.&nbsp;But after two overs of non-action, the turning point of the contest came in the 18th over. Dwayne Bravo, into the attack for the first time in the day, managed to get Hetmyer to mistime one by out-foxing him through a slower delivery. The southpaw was the last specialist batsman for DC, and his ballooned shot was destined to go straight into the hands of the fielder at long-on. However, Krishnappa Gowtham, standing at long-on as a substitute fielder, much to everyone&rsquo;s disbelief, put the simplest of catches down. Worse, after the drop, the ball rolled to the boundary rope.&nbsp;It ended up being just the lifeline Delhi needed as they eventually got over the line, on the back of some sensational hitting from Hetmyer. There was drama in the final over, including a no-ball that was not called, but the West Indian ensured that the Capitals got over the line by four wickets.Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Chasing 137, the Capitals got over the finish line after threatening to throw the game away

Jittery DC overcome CSK in chaotic contest to regain top spot

Delhi Capitals vs Chennai Super Kings, Match 50, IPL 2021 - Live Blog

Hetmyer seals a crucial win for Delhi

In IPL 2020, Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings represented a severely contrasting fortune. While Delhi marched their way to the final, CSK barely survived from the wooden spooners tag. However, a year after that, the MS Dhoni-led franchise were at the top, having qualified for the playoffs for the 11th time in 12 seasons of participation. On Monday, Delhi Capitals, who are at second place on the table, would also want to get one past the three-time champions and seize a spot in the top two.&nbsp;HEAD-TO-HEADOverall - 24 | CSK - 15 Wins | DC - 9 WinsLast Five Matches | CSK - 2 Wins | DC - 3 WinsGROUND DETAILSDubai International Cricket Stadium is the second most batting-friendly venue in the IPL at the moment, but in the last three years, the venue has had an average first innings score of 161. 181 is the highest score that has been chased at the venue but it must be kept in mind that batting second is ideal here. Only 40.43% of the time in the last three years that a team batting first have won the encounter.&nbsp;<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/3d947a7bcc994ade211cc9f802d9a15a9bc7ae3d.png" style="width: 700px; margin: 5px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Pacers have been the dominant entity at the venue with 67.12% of wickets being taken by the fast bowlers whereas only 32.88% have gone to tweakers&rsquo; books. That poses an interesting question on how would CSK plan to marshall their squad, having rested Deepak Chahar and Dwayne Bravo for the last encounter against Rajasthan Royals.SUGGESTED TEAM<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/57a96b802621aecdd54f3cc15833214863b20996.png" style="width: 700px; margin: 5px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your team from <a href="https://www.cricket.com/fantasy-research-center/204189/dc-vs-csk-match-50-indian-premier-league-2021/fantasy-stats/stadium" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Cricket.com&rsquo;s Fantasy Research Centre</a>. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.CaptainWhatever the Law of Averages is, Ruturaj Gaikwad doesn&rsquo;t care. In IPL 2021, alongside du Plessis, Gaikwad has been one of the reasons for Chennai&rsquo;s success. The opener has amassed 508 runs this season, making him the first Indian CSK opener to score 500+ runs in a season of IPL. In such a red-hot form, would you not bet your money on him?&nbsp;Our <a href="https://www.cricket.com/criclytics/204189/dc-vs-csk-match-50-indian-premier-league-2021/player-projection" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Criclytics Players Projections</a> predict Gaikwad to score 44-66 runs<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/eec85932dfb73edadea1ad45015db44bab6792c3.png" style="width: 700px; margin: 5px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">X-FACTORSSince returning to the DC side for the second half of the IPL 2021, Shreyas Iyer has been superb and is scoring consistently. In four matches, he has 124 runs at an average of 62. Even though his strike rate of 111.71 is debatable, the fact that he had to endure the tough responsibilities of being an anchor in difficult situations would hold in his side. You can bank on him to boost your fantasy points.Our <a href="https://www.cricket.com/criclytics/204189/dc-vs-csk-match-50-indian-premier-league-2021/player-projection" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Criclytics Players Projections&nbsp;</a>predict Iyer to score 22-34 runsYou must be crazy not to accommodate Ravindra Jadeja in your team irrespective of the format. One of the finest there has ever been, Jadeja is in the form of his life, and has become the trusted finisher for Chennai Super Kings. He has an average of 37 points per game in the last five matches, which makes him a strong contender for a place in your Fantasy XI.Our <a href="https://www.cricket.com/criclytics/204189/dc-vs-csk-match-50-indian-premier-league-2021/player-projection" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Criclytics Players Projections</a> predict Jadeja to score 14-22 runs and pick 0-1 wicketsHere are top Criclytics Projections :<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/958387411e8e6be79ffab6d2fc8d1108063340b8.png" style="width: 700px; margin: 5px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Player Match-upIf Deepak Chahar plays this encounter, it will be an interesting game on how he bowls to Prithvi Shaw. Shaw has been dismissed five times in 50 balls he has faced off Deepak Chahar and has scored 55 runs in the process.&nbsp;<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/articles/d2b613153a7b145f29c8c20073fcae6f03c1e01c.png" style="width: 700px; margin: 5px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib">Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

Here are a few tips that might help you create your fantasy team for Match 50 between Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings

Ruturaj Gaikwad

Dwayne Bravo

Delhi Capitals vs Chennai Super Kings, Match 50, IPL 2021: Fantasy Preview

Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals might have already qualified for the playoffs of the Indian Premier League 2021 but their last two league games will still be as important as their first 12 encounters. The two sides currently sit at the top of the points table but can&rsquo;t afford to breathe easy if they want to secure a top-two finish. Both Chennai and Delhi have 18 points and the only other team who could compete with them is Royal Challengers Bangalore (16 points). Chennai and Delhi have been astonishing this season and will battle for supremacy when they come face to face in Dubai on Monday (October 4).&nbsp;The year of Ruturaj Gaikwad<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2Fe509979477d62c168e2204eae9fd5d50717e6d1a.jpg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">How do you stop this man? The 22-year-old opener started the season with scores of 5, 5 and 10 but MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming kept backing him and Gaikwad has repaid their faith in grand fashion. The stylish right-hander from Maharashtra turned things around with scores of 64, 33, and 75 before the tournament was postponed because of Covid-19. Three months later, Gaikwad made his T20I debut in Sri Lanka but only managed 35 runs in two innings. But, his form in the second half of IPL 2021 has been phenomenal. In his last five innings, Gaikwad has smoked 312 runs at an average of 104 and a strike rate of 148.6.<a href="https://www.cricket.com/news/ruturaj-gaikwad-and-csk-a-match-made-in-heaven-1633203670741" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Also read: Gaikwad and CSK &ndash; a match made in heaven</a>Gaikwad started the second leg with a knock of 88* against defending champions Mumbai Indians after they reduced Chennai to 24/4. He single-handedly propelled CSK past 150 and the Men in Yellow ended up winning the game by 20 runs. In the next three innings, he got 38, 40 and 45, ensuring that Chennai&rsquo;s winning streak was alive and kicking. Chennai then played Rajasthan Royals on Saturday and Gaikwad ended up smashing his maiden T20 century. The young man hammered nine fours and five sixes in his 60-ball 101* to lead Chennai to a total of 189, but Rajasthan ended up winning the game with 15 deliveries to spare.&nbsp;<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2F97efefdd5c715fe273d0fb708bedd9ba55f3cf3f.png" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">Gaikwad completed his fifty off 43 balls but smacked 51 runs in the next 17 deliveries he faced. The stylish right-hander has been dominant against both pace (294 runs at 128.95) and spin (214 at 159.7) in IPL 2021. However, he has been ruthless against spinners, and that&rsquo;s one of the reasons why Chennai have the best scoring rate in middle (8.6) and death overs (12.1) in this edition. Gaikwad has also found an able ally in Faf du Plessis and the two have constantly delivered for Chennai. Together, the duo has slammed 599 runs in 11 innings at an average of 54.5 and a strike rate of 136.1. Gaikwad and du Plessis have hands down been the best opening combination this season.Jadeja continues to excel as a finisherThe Indian team management might be concerned about Hardik Pandya&rsquo;s form but they would be delighted with the way Jadeja has performed as a finisher. Rishabh Pant, Hardik, and Jadeja are going to be the finishers for India in the upcoming T20 World Cup and it&rsquo;s the latter who has looked head and shoulders above the rest of the Indian players in IPL 2021. The left-hander has operated at a strike rate of almost 200 in the death overs and has taken up the role of a finisher for Chennai in the last two editions. We all know what he did to Harshal Patel in the first half and then clobbered 22 off eight deliveries in a successful run chase against Kolkata Knight Riders on September 26.<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2F04515548cd555e50cebbccdf9fc14c3981aaa2dc.png" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">With Gaikwad going berserk at one end against Rajasthan, Jadeja played his part too and hammered 32* off 15 deliveries. The 32-year-old was brutal in the last two overs and at one stage it looked like Gaikwad wouldn&rsquo;t even get an opportunity to complete his century. There were also a couple of insane strikes, on one knee, off Mustafizur Rahman in the 20th over. This season, Jadeja has struck 64 runs in 19 deliveries, including three fours and seven sixes, in the 20th over and has constantly finished games for his franchise.Chennai&rsquo;s bowling is fragile without BravoThe ploy of resting in-form seamers Dwayne Bravo and Deepak Chahar didn&#39;t quite work in Chennai&#39;s favour as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Co. made a mockery of the 190-run chase on Saturday. Thanks to Jaiswal and Evin Lewis, the Royals smoked 81 runs in the powerplay and all the Chennai bowlers, especially Sam Curran and Josh Hazlewood, were taken to the cleaners. Hazlewood has been pretty decent for Chennai in the second leg but they would be concerned about Curran, who was one of their best players in the first half. The 23-year-old allrounder from England has conceded 111 runs in eight overs in the two games he has played in the second leg.&nbsp;<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2F70ebbcdb97c3c67bb0a9193582669ad970dae37d.png" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">Dhoni has mostly used Chahar in the powerplay, while Bravo has bowled the majority of his overs in the second half of the innings. The 37-year-old Trinidadian has picked up 11 wickets in seven encounters this season and has conceded runs at only 6.6 despite bowling 14 of his 23 overs at the death. As a matter of fact, Bravo has the second-best economy rate (7.1) in the death overs this season (minimum 60 balls) and is now only seven wickets away from becoming the all-time leading wicket-taker in IPL history. Such has been his impact that Dhoni has been forced to leave out Curran to play Bravo. The two-paced surfaces in the UAE have surely helped but Bravo has been superb with his variations and yorkers.Time to bring in Billings?On paper, Delhi are arguably the most balanced and strongest side in IPL 2021. The likes of Shreyas Iyer, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant and Shimron Hetmyer have all been amongst runs, but Prithvi Shaw is yet to hit the ground running in the UAE. The right-handed dasher had an outstanding run in the first half but has only managed 27 runs in three innings in the second half. The Capitals have also been playing Steve Smith on slow surfaces and the Australian batter has chipped in with a couple of 30s. However, Delhi already have batters like Dhawan and Iyer who can do the exact same thing, so why not try out someone like Sam Billings?After Smith was knocked over for just 9 against Mumbai Indians, it was Iyer who crafted a run-a-ball 33* to get Delhi over the line. Delhi (7.6) have the fourth-worst balls per boundary in the middle overs and that&rsquo;s where they could use someone like Billings who is naturally an aggressive batter. If fit, Delhi could also replace Smith with allrounder Marcus Stoinis (hamstring).&nbsp;<img src="https://s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/image.cricket.com/temp%2F4ba9c26cfb6cdc31af3d84a1847172717bd79e10.jpg" style="width: 700px;" class="fr-fic fr-dib" data-code="200">However, Delhi&rsquo;s bowling looks quite sorted for now. They would surely love to have Stoinis back but Anrich Nortje, Axar Patel, Avesh Khan, Kagiso Rabada, and R Ashwin have been doing the job for their team. Rabada has been expensive (economy - 8.58) but the trio of Nortje, Avesh, and Axar have been super impressive. Nortje didn&rsquo;t feature in the first half of the tournament but has been solid in the second leg. The tearaway paceman from South Africa has taken six wickets in four innings at an economy of just 4.46. And, amongst bowlers who have bowled at least 20 overs in the middle phase (7-15) of the innings in IPL 2021, Axar has the best average - 17.1. Axar also has the joint-best balls per boundary in middle overs in IPL 2021 - 18.There are only two bowlers who have picked up more than 20 wickets this season and both of them are yet to make their international debut. Harshal Patel has taken 26 wickets but has also leaked runs at an economy of 8.6. However, Avesh has been much more impactful (21 wickets at an economy of 7). The 24-year-old has already taken the most number of wickets by an Indian in a season in the history of the Delhi franchise. The onus will now once again be on them to stop Chennai&rsquo;s formidable batting line-up.Probable XIsDelhi: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Steve Smith/Sam Billings, Rishabh Pant (c &amp; wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan, Anrich Nortje.Chennai: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c &amp; wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, KM Asif/Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood.(*All stats till October 2, 2021)Powered by <a href="https://www.froala.com/wysiwyg-editor?pb=1" title="Froala Editor">Froala Editor</a>

The two sides currently sit at the top of the points table but can’t afford to breathe easy

DC VS CSK,Match 50

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