DC vs CSK

A significant result tonight, CSK have now given themselves a real shot at the top-4 winning this middle-of-the-table clash leaving DC in a bit of a muddle with plenty to do. From the middle of the table, we move to the top tomorrrow as PBKS will be hosted by SRH in Hyderabad and the stakes will be pretty high. Make sure you join us for that, for now this is Sourabh Agrawal taking your leave on behalf of Pradeep and everyone else in team. Cheers!

Sanju Samson wins his third POTM in yellow, here is what he had to say: They (the fans) call me Chetta but I like Sanju more (laughs). Actually try to find out what works for you, trsut your basics and trust your hands to do the job. I have been doing that for the last 2-3 months. Have been working on my initial movement, it is coming off well. I just try to stick to the process, doing it (press forward or stay back in the crease) for the last 3-5 years and it is a bit tactical as well according to the bowlers.

(on how he been so calm off late?) I have always been like this, it is just that you see me more now (chuckles). Looking at what we were chasing and how the wicket was behving, even if we were 35 in the powerplay, I knew with the shots I have, can capitalize

(whether this innings was more special or the hundreds) A hundred is always special. The thought (of getting a hundred tonight) was there but I had to be a bit too selfish to get there. The other partner was batting well too, I did not want to tell him to give me a single so I could get to a hundred. Hopefully I can get to the three figure again in the games coming up

Ruturaj Gaikwad (CSK captain): Even initially, after the second and third game the talk was always positive. We knew we were close, we had covered all our bases with Sanju coming in and we have a solid middle order as well. In T20s, it is all about getting a couple of wins and we got that after the third game. On the batting side, more than grateful to have Sanju in the team after the tournament he had in the T20 world cup and here as well. He is the backbone. In the bowling as well, guys like Akeal, Noor make the job easier for a captain and then someone like Anshul Kamboj who had an off day but he is already disappointed and is ready to come back in the next game. (between him and Sanju) There is a not a lot of talk, we just speak to each other about what needs to be done. (on Kartik Sharma) The skillset was always there. He just needed a couple of games, he did not get the time in the previous matches but he got those 10-15 balls in the last game. He is not a wild slogger, can hit pockets and it is good to see him going

Kartik Sharma [Chennai Super Kings]: "(On the pitch conditions early on) It wasn’t an easy surface at the start. The spinners were getting some assistance, and the ball was holding and occasionally skidding, so it required a bit of adjustment.(On his approach during the innings) I felt it wouldn’t be a very high-scoring game, so the plan was to take some time early on and settle in before playing shots.(On communication with his batting partner) The message from Sanju was simple—protect the wicket and play your natural game. That helped in building the partnership.(On his batting mindset and shot selection) There wasn’t any specific bowler we were targeting. The idea was straightforward—if the ball was in the right area, go for it. It was about watching the ball and reacting accordingly."

Axar Patel [Delhi Capitals captain]: "(On the total and conditions in the first innings) Given how the pitch played in the first innings, I felt 155 was a competitive score. But considering we had an extra batter, we were probably 10–15 runs short.(On how the pitch behaved later) It may have gotten slightly better, but I still felt there was something in the surface. The difference was having a set batter at the crease—once someone gets in, it feels easier, but the pitch still had its challenges.(On difficulty for new batters) It wasn’t easy for new batters coming in. The ball was holding a bit, staying low at times, and occasionally bouncing as well. It made stroke play difficult early on, whereas set batters could manage it better.(On the batting effort and finishing)At one stage, it looked like we might be restricted to under 140, so getting to 155 was a positive. Even after losing wickets, the way we finished the innings showed good intent and character.(On bowling and missing a key player) We did feel the absence of Kuldeep in the bowling lineup. He could have made a difference on this surface.(On the road ahead) It’s a clear situation now—we can’t afford any more slip-ups. With five games left, the mindset is simple: we need to win them all."

10:59 PM local time and IST: MATCH SUMMARY

Chennai Super Kings (159/2 in 17.3 overs) beat Delhi Capitals (155/7 in 20 overs) by 8 wickets

Sanju Samson 87*(52) | Noor Ahmad 2/22(3)
Sameer Rizvi 40*(24) | Axar Patel 1/25(4)

Kartik Sharma hits the winning runs for the second time in a row, the last time he brought out the gun celebration towards his dugout and tonight he points to them and pumps his fists! With Chetta at the other end, this unbeaten 114-run partnership has done the job with ease for the men in yellow and keeps themin the hunt for the playoff spots, they now have 10 points from as many games and created a separation between them and the rest of the table below them

156 was not an easy total to track down on this deck, the ball was gripping from the spinners and the off-pace deliveries from the pacers were sticking into the surface. Remember, MI vs CSK at the Wankhede around two weeks ago, Sanju Samson made a century and made batting look ridiculosly easy when the other batters found it tough and once again he has shown his class on a night with an unbeaten 87*, the second highest score of the night being 41 from his young 20-year old partner Kartik Sharma

Everytime Sanju Samson has gone past the powerplay, everytime he has made more than 40 runs in yellow, CSK have won 100% of their games (4 in 4). He paced the chase beautifully tonight, realized very early that this is not a pitch where you could plant your foot and swing. He lost his skipper early but never for once did he look like he was not in control. Picked and chose his battles wisely, took the ones down he chose and in the end it was a comfortable win for CSK with 15 balls to spare

Not to forget, Urvil Patel's breezy 17 in the powerplay who smashed Ngidi for back-to-back sixes and took that pressure off Samson in what was a crunch moment. DC would feel they have underperformed again, they were not up to the mark with the ball, specially the likes of Kuldeep and Natarajan and if you are defending 156, you cannot afford two of your five bowlers to have an off day. They now find themselves in almost a must-win sitaution in their last 4 games if they want to get to 16 points which we are assuming are needed for qualification

17.3 T. Natarajan to Kartik Sharma, FOUR! CSK TRUMP DC! What a thumping win this for CSK, they've completely outplayed DC in all departments. Kartik fist bumps at the end as they get over the line. Back of a length on the off-stump, Kartik swatted it down to long-on, raced away to the ropes.

17.2 T. Natarajan to Kartik Sharma, SIX! SCORES LEVEL! That is a big hit from Kartik, he's been impressive tonight. Back of a length on the stumps, hangs back and powered it over the long-on fielder's head for a maximum.

17.1 T. Natarajan to Kartik Sharma, round the wicket to start. Back of a length on fourth stump, Kartik has a big swipe across the line and misses.

16.6 Mitchell Starc to Sanju Samson, OH! That goes straight, falls in no man's land. Axar was running back, but couldn't reach to it in time and pulls it back in time. Length delivery outside the off-stump, Samson launches it in the air.

16.5 Mitchell Starc to Kartik Sharma, back of a length, angled into middle and leg. Kartik clipped it past backward square-leg for another single.