IPL 2026: CSK's disciplined bowling and Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 87 brush aside DC in capital
Delhi Capitals’s home struggles continued as they managed only 155/7 against Chennai Super Kings, who chased the target comfortably thanks to Sanju Samson’s unbeaten 87. CSK’s disciplined bowling, led by Akeal Hosein, exposed DC’s batting issues again. Poor performances from KL Rahul, Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav pushed Delhi closer to elimination.
NEW DELHI: There are very few sports teams that look as out of place in home conditions as Delhi Capitals do at the Ferozeshah Kotla. For the second match in a row here, the Capitals brought their unsure and inept batting forward to post 155/7 for Chennai Super Kings to chase it down with eight wickets and 15 balls to spare on Tuesday evening. Not for nothing that the local crowd invariably supports the visiting teams.
The stadium turned yellow in favour of CSK despite MS Dhoni not even travelling for the game. The deafening roar after each wicket must have been intimidating for Delhi Capitals. That doesn’t help when you are playing for your survival in the tournament.
At the end of the day, CSK’s bowling and Sanju Samson’s assured innings of unbeaten 87 off 52 offered a lesson in playing on a comparatively sluggish surface. This is why CSK are still breathing in this tournament while Capitals are now pushed to the brink. CSK applied the choke with left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein opening the bowliung and returning figures of 1/19 from his four overs.
Samson, batting with utmost composure and clarity, anchored and paced the chase to a nicety. That again is reflection of his growing stature as a senior batter which helped the rookie Kartik Sharma to pace his innings with little pressure and score 41 not out off 31 balls. The unbeaten 114-run partnership is sharp commentary on Capital’s lead batters KL Rahul and Axar Patel’s inability to step up in conditions that challenge your tenacity tad more.