IPL 2023: CSK ride on middle-order cameos to defeat DC in low-scoring encounter

In a season where scoring 200 or more, whether batting first or second, has become a near-everyday phenomenon, witnessing a low-scoring affair can be something of a sight for sore eyes.

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Venues such as the M Chinnaswamy Stadium and Wankhede Stadium very much are batting havens where even a target in excess of 210 isn’t safe. Bowlers, however, certainly hold authority at grounds such as Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium, aka Chepauk, where Chennai Super Kings (CSK) emerged triumphant over Delhi Capitals (DC) on Wednesday in a match where only one batter managed to cross the 30-run mark.

And in the low-scoring affair at Chepauk where the bowling units of both teams found plenty of help and were able to dictate terms for an extended phase, it was ultimately a series of cameos from the Chennai middle-order that proved to be the difference and resulted in a 27-run win for the home team.

Both teams struggled in the first half of their innings. While CSK got off to a promising start, reaching 49/1 at the end of the powerplay, the DC spinners were clearly on top in the next six — which yielded just 33 runs for Chennai for the loss of three wickets. Left-arm spinner Axar Patel accounted for both openers while the Yadavs — Kuldeep and Lalit — bagged a wicket each.

The Capitals had it worse, with powerplay specialist Deepak Chahar removing DC skipper David Warner and hard-hitting keeper-batter Phil Salt in each of his first two overs. A mix-up between all-rounder Mitchell Marsh and Impact Player Manish Pandey, along with some excellent fielding by Ajinkya Rahane, resulted in the former getting run out for 5, resulting in Delhi getting reduced to 25/3.

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