At the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday, the Delhi Capitals defeated the hosts Chennai Super Kings by 25 runs thanks to a masterful batting display by KL Rahul and a disciplined bowling display. This was the Capitals’ third straight IPL 2025 victory.
After choosing to bat first, the Delhi Capitals posted 183/6 in their 20 overs thanks to a brilliant 77 off 51 balls from KL Rahul, a quickfire unbeaten 24 off 12 from Tristan Stubbs, and a brisk 33 off 20 from Abishek Porel. The Delhi Capitals’ first victory at Chepauk in 15 years was achieved after a combined bowling performance led by Vipraj Nigam (2/27), combined with wickets from Mitchell Starc and Kuldeep Yadav, held the hosts to 158/5.
At the press conference following the game, Head Coach Hemang Badani reflected on the team’s outstanding performance by saying, “We read the conditions and the surface well. KL Rahul, who was quite mature at the top, deserves a lot of praise. The other batters around him were able to play more aggressively because he kept one end moving. We posted a score that was reasonable to defend on this pitch.
“(KL) Rahul made it apparent that he would not allow Noor (Ahmed) to settle down since he believed that Noor was an important bowler for CSK. He wanted to make sure he applied some pressure to the spinner. He praised Rahul’s efforts with the bat and added, “Once you put the opposition’s best bowler down, it becomes difficult for the opposition to keep coming back after that.”
“He has opened for India in Test cricket recently,” Badani said when questioned about the choice to deploy Rahul to start the innings in the absence of Faf du Plessis. He can play both spin and pace well, and he batted at four or five in the just finished Champions Trophy. Therefore, I honestly don’t believe that someone of his calibre would find the transition difficult. He possesses the mentality and game knowledge to bat at number four or move up the order.”
The Delhi Capitals’ young all-rounder Nigam has been playing well lately, and the head coach has nothing but praise for him. We have been scouting him for the past six to eight months before the auction, and we think he will develop into a terrific player eventually. He’s doing great already. However, I believe he has a huge upside. You will learn about his development with both the bat and the ball. Although he has already done that with the bat once, the 48-year-old stated, “I genuinely feel that he will do it more often.”
“As a team, we are happy to take the three wins,” Badani stated in reference to the club’s winning momentum in the competition. However, we are all aware that cricket is still very much alive. I’ve played cricket as well. Additionally, I have witnessed many highs and lows throughout my life. We have therefore won each of the three games. Nothing is exciting. We remain grounded and modest. We wish to continue playing quality cricket.
“It’s been about 8–10 years of putting in the hard yards, starting from the TNPL, moving through the IPL, SA20, ILT20, and now taking charge as Head Coach in the IPL,” Hemang Badani said in reference to his position as head coach of the Delhi Capitals. I’ve risen through the ranks steadily. I am appreciative that GMR and JSW at DC provided me with this chance to lead DC. So far, I’m enjoying it,” he said.
The Delhi Capitals have risen to the top of the points table with six points from three games.
On Thursday, April 10, they will play their fourth IPL 2025 match in Bengaluru versus Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
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