The early warning signs arrived quickly after opener Pathum Nissanka threw away his start while trying to attack Mukesh Choudhary’s slower delivery. Nissanka scored 19 off 15 balls before finding the fielder at mid-on. KL Rahul also failed to convert his start, scoring only 12 off 13 balls before miscuing an attacking shot against spinner Akeal Hosein. Rahul charged down the pitch looking for a big hit but ended up giving an easy catch to CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Delhi crawled to just 37/2 in the powerplay as CSK’s bowlers kept things tight. Hosein’s disciplined spell added pressure, while the crowd at the stadium, dominated by CSK supporters despite the away fixture, made things even more difficult for the hosts. Loud chants of “CSK, CSK” echoed throughout the innings, reminding many of Delhi’s shocking 75 all-out collapse in their previous home game.
The middle order also failed to respond. Spinner Noor Ahmad dismissed Karun Nair and Nitish Rana, both falling while attempting risky sweep shots. Captain Axar Patel’s poor run with the bat continued as he mistimed a slower delivery from Gurjapneet Singh and handed a simple catch to the cover fielder. At 69/5 after 11 overs, Delhi were in serious trouble.
A late partnership between Tristan Stubbs and Sameer Rizvi gave the innings some respectability. Stubbs scored 38 off 31 balls while Rizvi remained unbeaten on 40 from 24 deliveries. The duo added 65 runs with some late six-hitting, but the sluggish start meant Delhi still finished with what looked like a below-par total.