IPL 2025 Match 17: Delhi Capitals Conquer Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk
Date: Saturday, April 5, 2025
Venue: M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, India
Toss: Delhi Capitals won the toss and elected to bat first.
Result: Delhi Capitals won by 25 runs.
Player of the Match: KL Rahul (Delhi Capitals)
Teams:
Chennai Super Kings (CSK): Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Vijay Shankar, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Matheesha Pathirana.
Delhi Capitals (DC): Axar Patel (c), KL Rahul, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abishek Porel, Sameer Rizvi, Ashutosh Sharma, Tristan Stubbs (wk), Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed.
Delhi Capitals Innings:
Delhi Capitals, after winning the toss, opted to bat first on a surface that traditionally favors spinners. They made a tactical change at the top, with KL Rahul opening the innings alongside the young Australian talent, Jake Fraser-McGurk, in the absence of Faf du Plessis. However, Fraser-McGurk's debut innings was short-lived as Khaleel Ahmed struck in the very first over, dismissing him for a four-ball duck.
Abishek Porel joined Rahul at the crease, and the duo steadied the innings with a quickfire 54-run partnership. Porel played aggressively, scoring a well-made 33 off just 20 balls, including four boundaries and a six, before falling to Ravindra Jadeja.
Axar Patel, the Delhi Capitals' captain, then came in and contributed a handy 36 off 28 balls, keeping the scoreboard ticking. He formed a crucial partnership with KL Rahul, adding 62 runs for the third wicket. Sameer Rizvi provided further impetus in the middle overs with a brisk 25 off 16 balls.
The star of the Delhi Capitals' innings was undoubtedly KL Rahul. He anchored the innings beautifully, showcasing his versatility by opening the batting. Rahul played a composed and impactful knock of 77 runs off 51 deliveries, adorned with seven boundaries and three towering sixes. He held the innings together and ensured that Delhi Capital reached a competitive total.
Towards the end, Ashutosh Sharma chipped in with a quick 15, helping DC reach a total of 183 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their 20 overs.
Delhi Capitals Batting Card:
| KL Rahul | 77 | 51 | 7 | 3 | 150.98 |
| Jake Fraser-McGurk | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Abishek Porel | 33 | 20 | 4 | 1 | 165.00 |
| Axar Patel | 36 | 28 | 2 | 1 | 128.57 |
| Sameer Rizvi | 25 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 156.25 |
| Ashutosh Sharma | 15 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 166.67 |
| Tristan Stubbs | 2* | 2 | 0 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Extras | 5 | | | | |
| Total |183| 20 | 16| 7 | 9.15 |
Fall of Wickets: 0-1 (Fraser-McGurk, 0.5 overs), 54-2 (Porel, 6.5 overs), 90-3 (Patel, 10.4 overs), 146-4 (Rizvi, 16.1 overs), 179-5 (Rahul, 19.2 overs), 180-6 (Sharma, 19.3 overs).
Chennai Super Kings Innings:
Chasing a target of 184 on their home ground, Chennai Super Kings got off to a shaky start. Khaleel Ahmed continued his impressive form with the ball, striking early to remove both openers, Rachin Ravindra (4 off 6 balls) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (7 off 7 balls), within the first three overs, leaving CSK reeling at 14 for 2.
Devon Conway tried to rebuild the innings, but he too fell relatively early, scoring 20 off 18 balls before being dismissed by Mitchell Starc. Shivam Dube, who has been in good touch, could not replicate his heroics in this match, managing just 15 runs. Ravindra Jadeja also struggled to get going, scoring only 7 runs.
At 74 for 5 in the 11th over, CSK were in deep trouble. It was then that veteran MS Dhoni walked out to a rousing reception from the Chennai crowd. He, along with Vijay Shankar, attempted to rescue the innings. Shankar played a solid knock, top-scoring for CSK with an unbeaten 69 off 54 balls, including five boundaries and two sixes.
Dhoni provided valuable support, remaining unbeaten on 30 off 26 balls. However, their partnership of 84 runs for the sixth wicket came too late and was not enough to overhaul the target set by Delhi Capitals.
Chennai Super Kings eventually finished their innings at 158 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in their 20 overs, falling short by 25 runs. This marked Delhi Capitals' first victory against CSK in Chennai since 2010, ending a long drought at Chepauk.
Chennai Super Kings Batting Card:
| Batter | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR
|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |
| Rachin Ravindra | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 66.67 |
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Devon Conway | 20 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 111.11 |
| Vijay Shankar | 69* | 54 | 5 | 2 | 127.78 |
| Shivam Dube | 15 | 12 | 1 | 1 | 125.00 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 7 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 100.00 |
| MS Dhoni | 30* | 26 | 2 | 1 | 115.38 |
| Extras | 6 | | | | |
| Total | 158 | 20 | 14 | 4 | 7.90 |
Fall of Wickets: 14-1 (Ravindra, 1.5 overs), 20-2 (Gaikwad, 2.3 overs), 41-3 (Conway, 5.3 overs), 65-4 (Dube, 9.2 overs), 74-5 (Jadeja, 10.4 overs).
Delhi Capitals Bowling Card:
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
| Mitchell Starc | 4 | 0 | 27 | 1 |
| Mukesh Kumar | 4 | 0 | 36 | 1 |
| Mohit Sharma | 3 | 0 | 27 | 0 |
| Vipraj Nigam | 4 | 0 | 27 | 2 |
| Kuldeep Yadav | 4 | 0 | 30 | 1 |
| Axar Patel | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
It looks like Vipraj Nigam was the most successful bowler for the Delhi Capitals in this match, taking 2 wickets for 27 runs in his 4 overs.
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Econ |
| Khaleel Ahmed | 4 | 0 | 25 | 2 | 6.25 |
| Mukesh Choudhary | 4 | 0 | 50 | 0 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | 3 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 2 | 0 | 19 | 1 |
| Noor Ahmad | 3 | 0 | 36 | 1 |
| Matheesha Pathirana | 4 | 0 | 31 | 1 |
Delhi Capitals defeated Chennai Super Kings by 25 runs.
Man of the Match:
KL Rahul was adjudged the Player of the Match for his brilliant innings of 77 runs off 51 balls, which set the foundation for Delhi Capitals' victory. His composed knock at the top of the order was crucial in guiding his team to a competitive total on a challenging Chennai pitch. He anchored the innings and provided the much-needed stability after the early loss of Fraser-McGurk. His innings included a mix of cautious accumulation and aggressive hitting, perfectly tailored to the situation.