Rishabh Pant showed his leadership with a scintillating fifty marking a remarkable comeback from his harrowing car accident as Delhi Capitals triumphed over Chennai Super Kings by 20 runs in Visakhapatnam.
Pant’s captain’s knock of 51 off 32 balls, complemented by David Warner’s explosive 52, steered Delhi to a formidable total of 191-5. Despite being away from their home ground due to the upcoming general elections, the largely represented Chennai fans chanted fervently for their beloved captain M.S. Dhoni who responded with a dazzling unbeaten 37 off 16 balls.
In a spirited bowling performance, the Delhi bowlers restricted Chennai to 171-6, securing their first win of the season and halting Chennai’s winning streak of two consecutive wins. Khaleel Ahmed’s impressive figures of 2-21 earned him the Man of the Match award, while Mukesh Kumar contributed three crucial wickets.
Reflecting on the win, Pant highlighted the clinical performance of the bowlers and acknowledged that the team had learned from previous mistakes. A 93-run opening partnership between Warner and Prithvi Shaw laid a solid foundation before the Chennai bowlers struck back, with Matheesha Pathirana taking two wickets in the decisive over, including a stunning catch behind the stumps to dismiss Warner.
Also read: PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi to meet Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi today
Pant’s innings, though cautious at first, picked up steam towards the end as he displayed his trademark aggressive stroke play, including a vintage one-handed flick for a six. Pathirana, often compared to “Baby Malinga” for his style of bowling reminiscent of Lasith Malinga, returned impressive figures of 3-31.
Pant’s return to form was met with a standing ovation, marking his first IPL fifty since 2021, a poignant moment after his recovery from a horrific car accident in 2022. Chennai, under new management with Ruturaj Gaikwad at the helm, faced early setbacks but showed resilience with Ajinkya Rahane and Daryl Mitchell’s partnership. However, the loss of key wickets led to a collapse and sealed the victory for Delhi.
Earlier in the day, Mohit Sharma’s stellar bowling display, backed by David Miller’s unbeaten 44, propelled Gujarat Titans to an impressive victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad. Gujarat’s dominance at the Narendra Modi Stadium underlined their prowess in the tournament and left Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins reminiscing about past glories as the home side triumphed once again.
