IPL 2025: KL Rahul's 77 Fuels DC to 25-Run Triumph Over CSK

Chennai, April 5 (NationPress) Stepping up to open the batting in the absence of Faf du Plessis, KL Rahul revived memories of his explosive T20 style by scoring an impressive 77, leading Delhi Capitals to a convincing 25-run victory against five-time champions Chennai Super Kings in match 17 of IPL 2025 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday.

On a pitch that wasn’t particularly favorable for batting, Rahul showcased his skills with a remarkable 77 off 51 balls, featuring six fours and three sixes, highlighting his adaptability once again.

Every time the bowlers erred, especially with full deliveries, Rahul was quick to capitalize, hitting boundaries, notably three against CSK’s leading wicket-taker Noor Ahmad, who was unable to complete his full quota of overs.

Rahul received valuable support from key contributions by Abishek Porel, Axar Patel, Sameer Rizvi, and Tristan Stubbs, though none could produce a lengthy innings after DC opted to bat first. In response, CSK struggled during the batting power-play as DC executed their plans effectively.

With the pitch slowing down and unkind to boundary hitters, CSK managed only 158/5, with Vijay Shankar scoring an unbeaten 69 off 54 balls. For DC, emerging leg-spin all-rounder Vipraj Nigam took 2-27, while bowlers, except for Mohit Sharma and captain Axar, each claimed a wicket, marking DC’s first win at Chepauk in 15 years, placing them at the top of the points table.

DC faced an early setback when Jake Fraser-McGurk was dismissed for a duck by Khaleel Ahmed. Porel began to find his rhythm when Mukesh Choudhary offered width, scoring three fours and a six within a 19-run second over. Rahul then started his innings with a lofted six off Choudhary, followed by a pull for four against Khaleel.

He continued to impress, hitting Ravichandran Ashwin for four, as DC finished the power-play at 51/1. However, Ravindra Jadeja soon dismissed Porel for 33 with a catch to short third man. Patel, moving up to number four, countered CSK’s spinners effectively, hitting Jadeja and Ashwin for boundaries.

Rahul slog-swept Noor for a six, but Noor retaliated with a googly that castled Axar for 21. Nevertheless, Rahul held firm, hitting Pathirana for four and lofting Jadeja for another six.

Reaching his fifty off 33 balls, Rahul unleashed a flurry of boundaries against Noor, while Rizvi contributed with his own hits, including a boundary landing in the CSK dugout. Despite a lucky escape when Choudhary dropped him at 76, more runs flowed from Rahul’s bat as Tristan Stubbs also joined in, clouting Choudhary for six and four, accumulating 15 runs in the 19th over. Although Rahul was caught behind off Pathirana for 77 and Ashutosh Sharma was run-out immediately, DC crossed 180 thanks to a final flourish of 45 runs in the last five overs.

DC’s defense of 183 began positively as Rachin Ravindra was caught by Mukesh Kumar after an unsuccessful flick, falling for three.

Ruturaj Gaikwad fell victim to Mitchell Starc’s short-ball strategy, departing for five. Nigam struck again, trapping Devon Conway for another wicket, and CSK ended the power-play at 46/3.

With the pitch deteriorating, DC efficiently contained Shankar and Shivam Dube, leading to Dube’s dismissal for 18 and Jadeja being trapped lbw for two by Kuldeep Yadav.

Shankar, who was dropped on 18 and 27, eventually broke a 28-ball boundary drought with a four against Mohit and followed up with two more boundaries off Kuldeep.

Despite Shankar reaching fifty off 43 balls and MS Dhoni finding some rhythm in front of family, finishing not out on 30 off 26 balls, it was insufficient to avert their second consecutive home defeat in IPL 2025.

Brief Scores: Delhi Capitals 183/6 in 20 overs (KL Rahul 77, Abishek Porel 33; Khaleel Ahmed 2-25, Ravindra Jadeja 1-19) beat Chennai Super Kings 158/5 in 20 overs (Vijay Shankar 69 not out, MS Dhoni 30 not out; Vipraj Nigam 2-27, Mitchell Starc 1-27) by 25 runs