Dhoni, Watson Steer CSK To Win Against DD

Dominating batting from Shane Watson and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni helped Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat Delhi Daredevils by 13 runs in an Indian Premier League match here on Monday.

The win also saw Chennai sitting at the top spot with 12 points in eight matches while Delhi languish at the bottom of the table with four points.

After posting 211/4 with opener Shane Watson (78), Dhoni (51 not out) and Ambati Rayudu (41 not out) scoring handsomely, ChennaiA bowlers restricted Delhi to 198/5 in their allotted 20 overs.

Middle-order batsman Rishabh Pant (79 runs off 45 balls;) and Vijay Shankar (54 not out) were the only players who faced the Chennai bowlers valiantly but their innings went in vain as no other batter rose to the occasion and went back cheaply.

Big names Colin Munro (26), skipper Shreyas Iyer (13), who played a huge role in Delhi's last win and Glenn Maxwell (6) failed to score which resulted in their loss.

For Chennai, K.M. Asif took two wickets while Lungi Ngidi and Ravindra Jadeja chipped in with one wicket each.

Earlier, openers Watson (78) and Faf du Plessis (33) provided a perfect start before skipper Dhoni and Rayudu (41 not out) finished the proceedings in style to power Chennai Super Kings to an imposing total.

Dhoni and Rayudu were at their destructive best as the duo hammered Delhi bowlers towards the end of the innings and accumulated 79 runs in six overs.

Chennai got off to a flying start as openers Watson and du Plessis slammed the Delhi bowlers all around the park. The two took Chennai past the 100-run mark in the 11th over.

While Watson hammered the bowlers, du Plessis rotated the strike. On occasions, the South African player also went for the big shots.

The partnership was broken by medium pacer Vijay Shankar, who got rid of du Plessis in the fifth ball of the 11th over. His 33-ball knock was laced with three boundaries and one six.

IANS