Gaikwad, Conway Fifties Help CSK To Qualify For Playoff

The fans of MS Dhoni can breathe easy. During the IPL semifinals, he will return to the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Saturday, at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground, Chennai Super Kings ensured this by defeating Delhi Capitals by 77 runs in their final league match.

There has been intense speculation about whether or not this year's IPL will be the 41-year-old's last as a player, but the CSK captain is not finished playing this season.

Fans flocked to the stands in large numbers to witness Dhoni lead CSK in what could have been their final game in Delhi. They were not dissatisfied as CSK amassed 223/3 thanks to the fifties of openers Devon Conway (87 - 52b, 11x4, 3x6) and Ruturaj Gaikwad (79 - 50b, 3x4, 7x6). Delhi's response was subpar, culminating in a score of 146 for nine and a forgettable campaign. David Warner scored 86 off 58 balls, but it was never going to change the outcome of the game.

After Dhoni elected to bat, Gaikwad and Conway's 141-run partnership laid the foundation for CSK's victory. Warner introduced off-spinner Lalit Yadav in the second over, perhaps anticipating that the pitch would provide a suggestion of spin. Gaikwad smashed a short delivery between long on and deep midwicket for four, while Conway lofted a full delivery over the bowler's head for six.

Delhi's introduction of Axar Patel in the fourth over was also ineffective. The first six of Gaikwad's innings came off a left-arm spinner and was arguably the finest of the bunch. During the time the ball was in the gap, he barely touched it over the extra cover boundary.

They scored fifty runs in just 4.4 overs as a result of their rapid start. After the powerplay, Delhi's bowlers appeared to regain control when they conceded only 20 runs in three overs, but this reprieve was only temporary. In the tenth over, Gaikwad broke loose by smashing Patel for two consecutive sixes. The deliveries were short, allowing the batsman ample time to loft them beyond the midwicket boundary. Gaikwad's fifty required 37 deliveries.

It was Kuldeep Yadav's turn to confront Gaikwad's battering in the twelfth over. The left-arm wrist-spinner was hit for three consecutive sixes by Gaikwad, who cleared the long-off and long-on boundaries before clearing the sightscreen. Additionally, their 100-run partnership was reached off 68 deliveries in that over.

The fact that left-arm pacer Chetan Sakariya was the least expensive of Delhi's bowlers with an economy of nine accurately reflects their performance. Sakariya was also the first to strike, causing Gaikwad's draw to deep square leg to be misplayed. At that point, however, with CSK on 141/1 in 14.3 overs, wickets were not going to hinder their batsmen. Conway assumed command following Gaikwad's dismissal, while Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja made dazzling cameos. Dhoni, greeted by a deafening roar, scored five runs without being out off four deliveries.

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In five overs, Delhi's evening went from bad to worse when Prithvi Shaw, Phil Salt, and Rilee Rossouw were dismissed for a total of 26/3. In contrast to the first innings, when CSK batters effortlessly played through the line, the ball abruptly appeared to be stopping on the surface.

Immediately after Salt was caught at cover while attempting to clear the infield, Rossouw inside-edged a back-of-a-length delivery from Deepak Chahar (3/22) onto the stumps. In the case of Salt, Chahar was astute to slow the tempo.

Warner was then tasked with restoring some dignity to the run pursuit. This season, he has not always found his cadence, but given the circumstances, he could not have performed better. That may not be said of the other batters in Delhi.