Chennai Super Kings rolled back the years with a clinical all-round display to defeat Delhi Capitals by eight wickets in their IPL clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.
On a slow and difficult surface that demanded patience and smart cricket, Chennai relied on disciplined bowling before a composed chase guided by Sanju Samson sealed victory with 15 balls to spare.
Delhi Capitals struggled for momentum throughout their innings and finished with 155 for seven, a total that ultimately proved insufficient against Chennai’s experienced line-up.
The conditions initially made stroke-play difficult, and Chennai’s pursuit reflected that challenge. The visitors crawled to 28 for one after five overs before Urvil Patel injected urgency into the innings with two successive sixes off Lungi Ngidi.
However, the aggressive opener’s stay was brief. Axar Patel outfoxed Urvil in the following over as the batter stepped forward and missed completely, allowing K. L. Rahul to complete a sharp stumping.
That breakthrough did little to slow Chennai’s progress as Samson settled into control. The experienced batter paced the innings expertly, remaining unbeaten on 87 from 52 deliveries. His knock included seven boundaries and six towering sixes, combining elegant drives with powerful pulls.
Samson appeared especially severe against spinner Kuldeep Yadav, repeatedly punishing short deliveries and ensuring Chennai stayed comfortably ahead of the required rate. Alongside Kartik Sharma, he guided the chase with maturity and calmness, preventing any further setbacks.
Earlier, Chennai’s bowlers laid the foundation for victory with a disciplined performance that exploited the sluggish pitch perfectly.
Spinner Noor Ahmad claimed two wickets, while Akeal Hosein, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh and Jamie Overton chipped in with one scalp each. Hosein, returning to the side and opening the bowling, immediately found grip and turn from the surface to trouble the Delhi batters.
Only Anshul Kamboj endured a difficult outing, conceding 49 runs in four overs without taking a wicket.
For Delhi Capitals, Tristan Stubbs scored 38 from 31 balls while Sameer Rizvi provided late acceleration with an unbeaten 40 off just 24 deliveries. Their sixth-wicket partnership of 65 helped the hosts recover after collapsing to 69 for five in the 11th over.
Despite that rescue effort, Delhi’s total never looked entirely secure on a pitch where Chennai appeared far more comfortable.
The victory highlighted Chennai Super Kings’ enduring ability to adapt to challenging conditions, using experience and composure to outplay their opponents in familiar fashion.
