This game was not one for the bowlers as 380 runs were scored for the loss of just 5 wickets, in the end Deccan's horrendous form at their home ground in Hyderabad continued, 1 win in 16 attempts. Their team selection was strange, filling up their four overseas slots with batsmen and this was reflected in their cricket as they put on an impressive total before getting pummeled by Warner and Ojha in the 2nd innings to somehow lose the game comprehensively having scored 187/4.
Shikhar Dhawan - 84 from 49 balls & 2-0-27-1
Deccan's experienced opener has been one of few bright spots in an otherwise disappointing season and his aggressive knock today took him to 4th in the top runs scorers list, with 467 runs @ 42.5. After Harris and Sangakarra had fallen in quick succession towards the end of the powerplay he was forced to consolidate for a period, alongside the in form Cameron White, in what was a fairly sedate start for DC in reaching 64/2 at the midway point with both players feeding on loose deliveries and rotating the strike. It was here that Dhawan, in particular, decided to kick on and unleashed a range of different shots to pile the pressure on the Delhi bowlers. He is deadly when given width to cut and is extremely strong through mid wicket, but he also treated us to some clever improvised dinks over short fine leg and some clean hitting down the ground to the spinners. After 29 balls he had just 28 runs which means the next 20 balls he faced went for an astonishing 56 runs, the perfect example of playing yourself to then tee off later on. Dhawan's partnership with White, who played another vital knock for DC of 65 from 40 balls, was worth 126 and had put Deccan in an excellent position at the half way mark. He even sent Sehwag back in the first over of Delhi's innings to top off his good work.
David Warner - 109* from 54 balls & MoM
The issue was always going to be how well the inexperienced bowling line-up fared against a strong Delhi batting outfit and, after the 2nd ball dismissal of Sehwag, it ended being a total mismatch, thanks in the main to the match winner Warner. He was yet to get going this year, mind you he's not been there long, but well and truly turned things round with an astonishingly brutal innings, a S/R of over 200 for over a 50 ball period is a pretty rare thing! As a bowler, unless you are immaculate in the areas you bowl to Warner you will get hammered, and it's safe to say he was fed some poor stuff by the DC bowlers. Most of his 7 sixes came from bowlers dropping short and getting picked up over deep square leg, exactly how he brought up the 100 with a 102m maximum. He wasn't even slogging and if anything it was a chance-less innings, every time a ball was in his zone it got the treatment without fail. A true masterclass as not for one moment did the Daredevills fall behind the rate thanks to the MoM who made it very clear to the Deccan selectors that they cannot leave out bowlers of Steyn's calibre and expect to compete with a side like Delhi. They go top of the table with this win. Not a bad replacement for KP as it turns out!
Naman Ojha - 64* from 46 balls
The risk with this result would be to focus entirely on Warner's innings when actually there was another high class one being played at the other end by Ojha. Delhi have struggled to find the perfect position for their keeper thus far, he'd probably prefer to open the innings in truth, but now he looks a good bet for that number 3 position, particularly as it separates their big 3 batsmen. Having Warner at the other end allowed Ojha to calmly play himself in unfazed by an otherwise daunting required rate, scoring just 7 runs from his first 15 deliveries. He gradually grew into the innings, hitting Dhawan for a couple of enormous straight sixes to end the 9th over from which point he never looked back. Every one of his 5 sixes were back over the bowler's head, predominantly from spinners, which highlights his ball striking ability, the last of them being the six that got his side over the line with plenty of balls to spare. Delhi could not rely on just Warner to win it for them, he'd need a partner and Ojha did this job perfectly, the 2 of them putting on an unbeaten 189 runs at around 11.5 an over, far too good for the Deccan bowlers. It's always great to watch some of the lesser known domestic players make a name for themselves and the joy on his face at the end of the match was terrific to see.
Rajasthan vs Chennai
In stark contrast to the day's early start, this was a low scoring affair as Rajasthan came so close, even becoming favorites at one point, to defending a total of just 127/6. The ball was swinging and seaming throughout but was coming on to the bat nicely which made the low scoring a bit of a surprise, Chennai eventually finishing it off thanks to Morkel and 2012 debutant Anirudha at the end.
Ben Hilfenhaus - 4-1-8-2 & MoM
We've seen Hilfenhaus use swing to his advantage plenty of times in test cricket, but here was a great example of how to do so in the game's shortest format and it was an absolute masterclass that set his side up to win, rightly gaining him the MoM award. It was a performance similar to those of Praveen Kumar at Punjab, bowling his 4 overs straight through at the start, having discovered that he is not a death bowler against Mumbai's Dwayne Smith. Two of his more ordinary deliveries got him his wickets, caught at mid-off and third man, but he regularly beat the bat with movement in the air and off the pitch. The battle against team-mate Watson was particularly compelling, beating him 3 times in a row at one point, eventually swinging it away to produce the edge to a booming drive that just about carried to third man thanks to an outstanding catch from Ashwin. His miserly economy rate and 2 early wickets played a huge role in keeping Rajasthan down to just 127 and gave his batters the perfect opportunity to notch up a massive win for CSK, although it was far closer than they'd have imagined. Yo Mayesh was also impressive with the ball, his 2-21 definitely earning him a mention.
Siddharth Trivedi - 4-0-18-2
RR's performance with the ball was good for so much of the innings until eventually being punished for serving up too many length balls at the end, and Trivedi was instrumental in providing a close finish. Known mainly for his cutters and changes in pace, he realised that this pitch was suited to ordinary line and length bowling and instead relied on seam movement off the pitch to make it difficult for CSK. He gave them little to work with with his impressive consistency that earnt him 13 dot balls including a couple of huge wickets. Firstly that of Dwayne Bravo, when he and Hussey were batting calmly together, and then Dhoni with his final ball to a sharp catch at point, normally such a good finisher for Chennai and India. That last over was the 16th of the match and cost just 3 runs, putting Rajasthan in an excellent position with CSK still needing 47 from 24 balls.
Srikkanth Anirudha - 18* from 6 balls
Unfortunately for Rajasthan the youngster Anirudha, alongside the experienced Albie Morkel, made light work of this target and got home with 11 balls to spare! We all know Morkel can hit boundaries from ball one, ask Virat Kohli, but Srikkanth was the surprise package as he matched the hard hitting South African with an identical score of 18 from just 6 balls. The 18th over from Watson was the one that turned the equation comfortably in CSK's favour, helped by the fact that Anirudha smashed the 4th ball over mid-wicket for 6 and then followed it up with a calm square drive for another boundary. He then made sure of the win with an incredible pick up over the leg side from a searing Tait yorker that somehow cleared the boundary, a remarkable shot. He was also helped by having luck on his side, bowled the next delivery, another missile from Tait, only to be reprieved by a no-ball. He took his chance today, with Badrinath unwell, to produce a nerveless display to grab Chennai the win they so dearly needed to stay in the battle for 4th place.
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