IPL 2021: 3 Best matches between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals

MS Dhoni will be up against his Indian team successor Rishabh Pant when Chennai Super Kings play their opening match of the IPL 2021. Delhi Capitals led by stand-in skipper Pant will take on Dhoni’s men at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on April 10. The two franchises have played several top matches during the course of their battles since 2008. 

Chennai would like to get off to a good start to the 2021 season, after failing to qualify for the playoffs last time around. Delhi, on the other hand, would be confident and up for the challenge after finishing as the runners-up in the previous season. If both teams can bring their A-game to the Wankhede, we could witness a high-scoring thriller. 

Speaking of which, these two teams have previously played some intense matches. As they get ready to take on each other in the latest edition of the IPL, it is a great time to look back on some of the classic matches between them.

Here are the top 3 matches between Delhi Capitals (known as Delhi Daredevils between 2008-2018) and Chennai Super Kings:

1. Delhi Capitals vs Chennai Super Kings, Sharjah, 2020

Midway through the IPL 2020, Delhi faced Chennai in a league game at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. By this time in the league, Chennai was struggling to get some points under their belt. But, in this particular match, they posted a strong total of 179 for 4. Faf du Plessis top-scored with a 47-ball 58. 

However, it was a partnership between Ambati Rayudu, who made 45 off 25 balls, and Ravindra Jadeja, who scored a brisk 33 from just 13 balls, which propelled CSK to their final score. Delhi’s run chase didn’t start as they would have liked, having lost two early wickets within the powerplay. Shikhar Dhawan kept timing the ball sweetly to keep his side in the contest. 

The match went down to the wire. Dhawan reached his century from 57 balls in the second last over. But, Delhi still needed 17 runs to win from the final over. Dhoni played a gamble by giving Jadeja the last over, in front of two left-handed batsmen, the other one being Axar Patel. Patel smashed three sixes in that over and scored a 5-ball 21 to take Delhi home to a famous win. 

2. Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Daredevils, Chennai, 2015

On 9th April 2015, Delhi arrived in Chennai to play the Super Kings in their season opener at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. It was only the second match of the season and fans witnessed a nail-biting finish. Delhi’s captain JP Duminy won the toss and elected to field first on a surface that aided bowling. 

Nathan Coulter-Nile’s spell of 3 for 30 ensured that Chennai didn’t score anything beyond 150. There were contributions of 30s from Faf du Plessis, MS Dhoni, and Dwayne Smith which helped CSK to reach a par score on a slightly slowish wicket. Delhi got off to a poor start with them being at 3 for 39 in the first five overs. 

However, Albie Morkel, who previously was a part of the Chennai side between 2008 and 2013, used his experience of playing on the Chepauk wicket to produce an outstanding knock of 73 from 55 balls. He stayed unbeaten till the end but couldn’t get his team to cross the finish line, as Delhi fell short by just one run in the last over. Ashish Nehra got the Man of the Match award for his spell of 3 for 25 in four overs, which helped CSK win this match.

3. Delhi Daredevils vs Chennai Super Kings, Delhi, 2008

In the inaugural season of the IPL, Chennai played out a thriller against Delhi at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium (now renamed as Arun Jaitley Stadium) in Delhi. CSK won the toss and elected to field first in an afternoon match. Delhi’s opener Gautam Gambhir played a gem of a knock to help his side’s cause in this match. 

Gambhir’s 49-ball 80 was well supported by Shikhar Dhawan, who scored 59 runs off 46 balls. Their partnership of 81 runs helped the hosts to reach a competitive total of 187 for 5. Chennai started off the chase in a brisk fashion with their openers teeing off with runs. Vidyut Sivaramakrishnan scored a 23-ball 40 while Stephen Fleming made 44 runs off 28 balls. 

Some tight bowling by the Delhi bowlers brought them back in the match. Albie Morkel fought back hard with his 15-ball 30, but CSK still needed 15 off the last over. Virender Sehwag tossed the ball to Shoaib Malik, who was hit for a six off his first ball by MS Gony. Along with S Badrinath, Gony batted smartly in the last over to get a last-ball win for his side in this encounter. 

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