CSK vs DC Highlights, IPL 2025: DC hold nerve as Dhoni’s late surge falls short in Chennai

Bang! Rahul unleashes the slog sweep with authority. He collapses his back knee, clears the front leg, and sends the length delivery soaring over the deep midwicket boundary. Clean connection, maximum result, and a statement shot from the DC opener.

A wide yorker-length delivery outside off from Noor Ahmad. Axar leans into it and drills it along the ground to deep cover point. Just a single, but good control from both batter and bowler.

Rahul goes for the slog sweep against a 96kph length ball on middle stump. It wasn’t quite there for the shot, making it a bit riskier than it looked. He manages to connect but only along the ground to deep midwicket for a single.

Delhi Capitals continue to keep the scoreboard ticking, reaching 76/2 at the end of 9 overs with a current run rate of 8.44. Axar Patel, leading from the front, has raced to 18 off just 9 balls with two boundaries and a six. KL Rahul remains steady at the other end with 25 off 20 balls, mixing caution with timely boundaries.

Axar looks to cut but gets a thick outside edge instead. The ball flies past the vacant first slip region and races away to the boundary. A bit of fortune for the DC skipper, but he’ll gladly take the runs.

Ashwin to Axar Patel and he hits a beautiful short throught the cover drive. It was hit hard and went to the bpundary quickly.

What a way to get going! Axar Patel wastes no time, stepping out to Jadeja’s very first delivery and launching it cleanly over long-on. A straight, confident strike that sails into the stands — intent shown loud and clear.

A soft end to an impressive knock. Porel looked in good touch but falls tamely here, guiding a shortish delivery straight to short third. It’s the kind of dismissal you don’t often see against a spinner — more like a pace bowler’s wicket.

Jadeja to Rahul, 1 run

He tries to hit it on the off and quickly takes a single.

The ball was directed towards the pad and Porel angled to sweep to short fine leg.

Short and wide from Ashwin, and Porel latches onto it in a flash. Cuts it fiercely between short third and backward point — perfectly placed, no chance for the fielders. Another confident stroke from the left-hander.

Khaleel strays in line, drifting down leg, and KL Rahul makes him pay. He swivels and helps it effortlessly over fine leg for a maximum. Smart batting — used the pace and punished the error with precision.

Rahul decides it’s time to break free. Steps out and times it sweetly, sending the ball racing past mid-off for a boundary. Clean strike — no half measures there.

A much-needed tight over from Khaleel Ahmed puts the brakes on Delhi Capitals’ early momentum. Just 4 runs came off it, with both batters cautious against the left-armer’s disciplined line and length. Khaleel finishes his spell so far with excellent figures of 2-0-5-1.

Abishek Porel continues to hold fort at 22 off 10 balls, while KL Rahul has opened his account with 2 runs off 3 deliveries.

Khaleel Ahmed to Rahul, 1 run. He pushes the ball to the leg side for a single. DC is playing aggresively as well as smartly

A big over for Delhi Capitals as Abishek Porel takes on Mukesh Choudhary, collecting 19 runs off the left-armer. Porel has raced to 20 off just 7 balls, laced with 3 fours and a six — showing great intent. KL Rahul yet to face a delivery at the other end.

Porel uses the bowler’s pace to perfection. Short of a length delivery, and he simply rides the bounce, helping it on its way over fine leg. Clean timing, effortless shot — sails all the way for six.

Mukesh Choudhary to Abishek Porel, FOUR runs

He hits the ball straight down the ground for four. Perfect execution and timing.

Khaleel Ahmed to J Fraser-McGurk, and its out.

He tries to go for a big hit in the leg side after four dot ballsand doesn’t connect. Ball goes high in the air and Ashiwn takes a good catch

Back of a length outside off, clocked at 137 kmph. Fraser-McGurk stays on top of the bounce and punches it square, but straight to the point fielder stationed close in.

Plenty of whistles in the air as CSK players gather in a tight huddle. The crowd’s energy is unmistakable. KL Rahul strides out confidently to open the innings, joined by a calm and composed Johnson Charles. The stage is set.

Ruturaj Gaikwad said he would have preferred to bat first, calling it a good wicket — slightly dry but unlikely to change much through the game. “You want momentum, and we haven’t quite found it yet,” he admitted. “We put in an improved performance in the last game, but our fielding let us down.”

He emphasized that while off days with the bat or ball are understandable, fielding is an area that can be worked on consistently. “The chat in the camp has been positive. We may not be the greatest fielding side, but we can keep improving day by day.”

On his own fitness, Ruturaj confirmed his elbow is fine and he’s eager to contribute. The team has made two changes: Devon Conway replaces Craig Overton, and Mukesh Kumar comes in for Rahul Tripathi.

It’s a hot and humid day at the venue, with only a slight breeze offering brief respite — expected to fade as the day progresses. From the far end, the straight boundary is the longest, while the fine leg boundaries are notably shorter.

Eoin Morgan, providing his pitch assessment, pointed out that the red-soil surface has little grass and appears well-rolled. He suggested it could play a bit two-paced, urging batters to focus on rotating strike and building partnerships through ones and twos.

DC Impact players list: Mukesh Kumar, Karun Nair, Darshan Nalkande, Donovan Ferreira, Tripurana Vijay

CSK Impact players list: Shivam Dube, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Jamie Overton, Shaik Rasheed, Nathan Ellis

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Devon Conway, 2 Rachin Ravindra, 3 Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), 4 Vijay Shankar, 5 Ravindra Jadeja, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 R Ashwin, 8 Noor Ahmad, 9 Mukesh Choudhary, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, , 11 Matheesha Pathirana

Delhi Capitals: 1 KL Rahul, 2 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 3 Abhishek Porel (wk), 4 Axar Patel (capt), 5 Tristan Stubbs, 6 Sameer Rizvi, 7 Ashutosh Sharma, 8 Vipraj Nigam, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Mohit Sharma

Axar Patel wins toss, Delhi Capitals opt to bat first. Speaking about the team’s approach and dressing-room environment, Axar Patel said the atmosphere is positive and encouraging. “We have players who’ve captained their respective sides, and they often share their experience with the youngsters, which is really helping,” he noted.

He added that while the playing XI is selected based on pitch conditions and maintaining team balance, the management is also keen on giving as many players opportunities as possible.

It’s a doubleheader on Saturday and CSK will take on DC in the first game. CSK has mixed season this year while DC has been quite confident from the start. The pitch hasn’t been spin friendly and both temas will look to win.

The toss for the highly anticipated IPL 2025 clash between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals is set to take place shortly. Both teams will be eager to make the right call, especially considering the pitch conditions at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, which often plays a crucial role in determining the course of the match. Stay tuned as we bring you the toss update and playing XIs.

In their 30 IPL meetings so far, the five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have held the upper hand over the Delhi-based franchise, boasting a commanding 19-11 head-to-head record.