New Delhi: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bowlers made full use of a sticky Arun Jaitley Stadium pitch to restrict Delhi Capitals (DC) to 155/7, despite late resistance from Tristan Stubbs (38) and impact substitute Sameer Rizvi (40 not out) in Match 48 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Tuesday..
Opting to bat first on a two-paced pitch, DC slipped into trouble as CSK’s spinners got the ball to turn and grip while the pacers hit hard lengths. Reeling at 69/5, Stubbs held one end to hit a 31-ball 38 while Rizvi counter attacked with sweeps and pulls to hit an unbeaten 40 off 24 balls.
The pair added 65 runs off 47 balls for the sixth wicket to lift DC to a fighting total. For CSK, Noor Ahmad claimed two wickets, while Akeal Hosein, Gurjapneet Singh, Jamie Overton, and Mukesh Choudhary chipped in with a scalp each. Only Anshul Kamboj proved expensive with 0-49 in four overs as Stubbs and Rizvi made good use of the crease to play their shots well.
DC’s innings began with promise but soon became a familiar tale of collapse and recovery. Pathum Nissanka swept Akeal Hosein’s first ball for four, before chopping past backward point for another boundary. Though Hosein found some turn and even made a loud lbw appeal in the first over, KL Rahul found the fence with a creamy extra cover drive, fetching him four, before cutting Hosein for another boundary.
But Mukesh Choudhary’s change of pace undid Nissanka, as he pulled to mid-on sans any footwork. The power-play was patchy for DC as a change of ends did the trick for Hosein – he got one to grip and beat an advancing Rahul in flight, as he sliced to cover, and DC ended power-play at 37/2.
Karun Nair briefly counter-attacked, but swept straight to short fine leg off Noor. One brought two for CSK as Rana swept to backward square leg off the wrist-spinner. Axar Patel’s lean run continued when he mistimed a back foot drive to cover. At 69/5 in 11 overs, DC were staring at another sub par total till Stubbs and Rizvi came into the picture.
Dropped early on by Noor off Gurjapneet, he seized the reprieve by pulling and lofting the pacer for a brace of sixes. He then hammered a cut off Noor for four, even as impact player Rizvi immediately found rhythm — a pre meditated pull off Mukesh went for six, followed by using the pace of Kamboj to unleash inventive sweeps.
Just as the partnership brought about DC’s revival, Stubbs pulled too high off Jamie Overton and gave a catch to deep backward square leg. With Kamboj not nailing his lengths, Ashutosh Sharma took two sixes off him, including a one-handed swipe, before being run out. Rizvi ensured DC went past 150 with a beautiful lofted drive going over long-off, as 58 runs came off the last five overs.
Brief scores:
Delhi Capitals 155/7 in 20 overs (Sameer Rizvi 40 not out, Tristan Stubbs 38; Noor Ahmad 2-22, Jamie Overton 1-5) against Chennai Super Kings
(IANS)
