MSD’s Kings rule over Delhi!

MS Dhoni during his six-ball 18 against Delhi Capitals yesterday

MS Dhoni struck 18 off six balls as Chennai Super Kings beat Delhi Capitals by four wickets in Qualifier 1, making it to the final with a superb victory here on Sunday.

Ruturaj Gaikwad (70 off 50 balls) and Robin Uthappa (63 off 44 balls) also scored important knocks.

With this win, the three-time champions enter their ninth final in the tournament. It was also Chennai's first win against Delhi after four losses in a row in the IPL.

Early jolt

Chasing 173, Chennai were given an early jolt as Anrich Nortje bowled Faf du Plessis through the gate on the fourth ball of the innings. Robin Uthappa, promoted surprisingly, got off the mark with a drive through covers before welcoming Avesh Khan in the next over with a boundary.

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CSK Ruturaj Gaikwad en route his 70 against DC yesterday. Pic/PTI

Ruturaj Gaikwad welcomed Kagiso Rabada in the fourth over by charging down the pitch and slamming a straight six. Uthappa followed it up with a flick off Rabada before taking 20 runs off Khan in the final over of power-play, inclusive of two fours over mid-wicket and mid-off apart from as many sixes over long-on.

Delhi pulled things back by drying the boundaries in four overs after power-play. But Gaikwad and Uthappa kept the scoreboard ticking with the latter reaching his half-century in 35 balls. Gaikwad hit Patel for a four and six over his head in the 11th over. Uthappa went after Ravichandran Ashwin in the next over, slamming him for back-to-back fours.

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But Tom Curran broke the 110-run partnership in the 14th over, as Uthappa miscued the pull to be safely pouched by Shreyas Iyer at long-on after tossing the ball in the air. One brought two for Curran as Shardul Thakur's promotion to four ended in holing out to long-on. In the next over, Ambati Rayudu was run-out as Iyer fired in a throw from long-on which Rabada collected quickly to whip off the bails.

Despite the quick wickets, Gaikwad continued to march on with a boundary off Khan before taking two fours off Nortje in the next ove'. Gaikwad's knock ended at 70 as he swung hard, only for deep mid-wicket to take a brilliant diving catch in the 19th over. But Ali hit Khan for a four through backward point before Dhoni clobbered a six over deep mid-wicket to take 11 off the over.

Super finish

With 13 needed off the final over, Ali mistimed a pull to deep square leg off Curran on the first ball. Dhoni then struck consecutive boundaries off Curran; slapping over extra cover followed by an inner edge running through fine leg. Dhoni finished off the chase in style with a pull through mid-wicket, giving his team a spot in the final.

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