IPL 8: CSK vs DD: Chen-high for spirited Daredevils

Raipur: Despite being out of contention for a  play-off berth, Delhi Daredevils produced a spirited effort with both bat and ball to defeat table-toppers Chennai Super Kings by six wickets in their IPL-8 match here on Tuesday. Chasing a modest 120, Shreyas Iyer scored a sparkling 70 not out to take Delhi over the line in a sedate manner in the 17th over. Earlier, a disciplined Daredevils attack restricted the Super Kings  who elected to bat  to  119 for six.

Chennai found scoring difficult on a  pitch which had patches of grass as they failed to build  partnerships while losing wickets at regular intervals at the  Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium. Chennai, one of the most consistent IPL sides, made a  slow start and lost three wickets by the halfway mark before  top-scorer Faf du Plessis (29 off 23 balls) and captain  Mahendra Singh Dhoni (27 off 24 balls) tried to repair the  innings with a 36-run stand for the fourth wicket but in vain.

For Delhi, veteran pacer Zaheer Khan (2/9) and Albie  Morkel (2/21) were the top bowlers while Gurinder Sandhu and  Jayant Yadav took a wicket apiece. In-form opener Brendon McCullum struggled at the crease  and was the first Chennai batsman to be dismissed in the sixth  over bowled by Zaheer for just 11. The Kiwi drove into the  hands of Delhi captain Jean-Paul Duminy at mid-off off a  fuller ball outside the off-stump.

The other opener Dwayne Smith (18) and one-down Suresh  Raina (11) followed McCullum to the dressing room in the ninth  and 10th over respectively as Chennai suffered jolts in quick  succession to be reduced to 46 for 3 at the halfway mark. Smith fell to Morkel's first delivery of the match as he  was rapped on the pads in front of middle and off stumps from  a pitched-up delivery.

Next over, Raina was out off a soft dismissal as he came  down the track only to chip the ball straight down the throat  of Duminy again off the bowling of Jayant Yadav. Du Plessis and Dhoni tried to stitch a partnership but  they separated in the 16th over when the South African dragged a  Morkel delivery onto his stumps.    

Scorecard

Chennai Super Kings: D. Smith lbw b Morkel 18, B. McCullum c Duminy b Zaheer 11, S. Raina c Duminy b Yadav 11, F. du Plessis b Morkel 29, M.S. Dhoni c Nadeem b Zaheer 27, D. Bravo c Duminy b Sandhu 8, P. Negi (not out) 5, R. Jadeja (not out) 3. Extras (lb7) 7. Total (for six wickets in 20 overs)    119.
FoW: 1-16, 2-34, 3-46, 4-83, 5-105, 6-110.
Bowling: Nadeem 4-1-18-0, Zaheer 4-1-9-2, Sandhu 4-0-33-1, Morkel 3-0-21-2, Yadav 2-0-8-1, Yuvraj 3-0-23-0.
Delhi Daredevils: Q. de Kock c Ashwin b Pandey 3, SS Iyer not out 70, JP Duminy b Pandey 6, Yuvraj Singh  c Sharma b Negi 32, A. Morkel c Pandey b Negi 8, K. Jadhav not out 1. Extras 0. Total (for four wickets in 16.4 overs) 120.
FoW: 1-16, 2-24, 3-93, 4-114
Bowling: Pandey 4-1-27-2, Sharma 2-0-17-0, Ashwin 4-0-24-0, Jadeja 2.4-0-16-0, Raina 1-0-8-0, Negi 3-0-28-2