IPL 2023: Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals, Match 55 - Talking Points and Who Said What?

The 55th game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 featured a clash between the four-time champions Chennai Super Kings and the David Warner-led Delhi Capitals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday, May 10.

Through subpar performances with the bat in the first innings, Chennai only managed to post 167 runs on the board. However, their relentless bowling attack against the batting line-up of Delhi Capitals proved to be too much to handle for the David Warner-led side, as Chennai won the game by 27 runs.

Here are the Talking Points from the CSK vs DC clash-

Mitchell Marsh’s spell

Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh was phenomenal for Delhi Capitals in the first innings of the game. The 31-year-old bowled three overs in the game, taking three wickets and conceding just 18 runs in the process. He dismissed the likes of Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, and skipper MS Dhoni. His spell was crucial for Delhi in limiting Chennai to 167.

Matheesha Pathirana’s impact

Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana came in as the Impact Player for Chennai Super Kings in the run chase, and the youngster surely made a big impact. Bowling four overs in the game, Pathirana conceded 37 runs and took three wickets in the process. He dismissed Manish Pandey, Axar Patel, and Lalit Yadav and made sure that the four-time champions emerge victorious.

MS Dhoni’s blitzkrieg

Skipper MS Dhoni made quite an impact down the order for Chennai in the first innings. Coming into bat in the 17th over of the first innings, Dhoni scored a quickfire 20 in just nine deliveries. The veteran skipper hit two sixes and one four in the process as well. His short cameo proved to be a big factor in Chennai posting a respectable total on the board for Delhi to chase.

Losing skipper David Warner said:

Back to losing three wickets. We lost a wicket in the first over. Our opening combination is crucial. We lost a wicket to a run-out. We threw wickets away. Put too much on pressure on ourselves. Was a gettable total. To sum it up, we needed a better first six. We couldn't rotate strike. We needed to try different things but we couldn't. When you get a wide half-tracker you can't hit it to cover. We should have executed better with those wide half-trackers.

Winning skipper MS Dhoni said:

It turned a lot in the second half. We know that our spinners use a lot more seam than some of the other bowlers. We thought it'll slow down. We didn't know what's a good score. That's why I wanted the bowlers to bowl their best deliveries but not look for wickets every delivery. That's when you start not bowling well. I felt 166-170 was a good score. But as a batting unit, we can do better. The good thing is Moeen and Jaddu got a chance to bat. As we get closer to the last phase of the tournament, it's important that everybody has a few deliveries under their belt. We need to be happy with our batting. I would have loved Mitch (Santner), he's a bowler that has done very well on flat wickets with the new ball. He hits the seam and bowls at a good pace. He (Gaikwad) is batting really well, he's somebody once he starts scoring, he's very effortless. He's somebody who's happy to rotate. He has the game awareness. He is ready to adapt. You rarely get people like that. People who read the game, those are the kind of players you need in your team. This is what my job is, I have told them this is what I am supposed to do, don't make me run a lot and it has been working. This is what I need to do, happy to contribute.

Player of the Match Ravindra Jadeja said:

As a spinner, feels good when the ball is turning and holding. We practise here, we know what's the ideal length and pace. The visiting team needs time to adapt. We are taking advantage of the home conditions. Everyone's doing their job. We are doing a good job collectively. (On batting higher) I keep hearing Mahi bahi's chants. If I bat higher, then the crowd will wait for me to get out. As long as the team wins, I am happy.