In what was supposed to be a experience vs youth thriller, in the end fizzled out to be a contest as the old guns of Chennai fired all cannons onto the new ship of Delhi.
In Qualifier 2 of IPL 2019, Chennai Super Kings got the better of Delhi Capitals by 6 wickets, advancing to the final against Mumbai Indians.
The defending champions outclassed the dynamic Delhi side in all three departments. After winning the toss and opting to bowl first, CSK restricted Delhi for 147/9 in 20 overs with Chahar,
Harbhajan, Jadeja and Bravo all picking two wickets each. In reply they chased down the target with six wickets left and one over to go.
Though there was much at stake, none of the side at once violated the spirit of the game and even after a defeat Delhi wicket-keeper, Rishabh Pant was quick to get some wise words from his idol and CSK skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The Chennai Super Kings’ Instagram handle posted an image of the two, with Pant keenly listening to what the former Indian skipper was saying to him.
It was a true master-apprentince moment. One of the many that Dhoni has been involved in this season. Be it a win or a defeat, the CSK skipper has been seen on many occasions sharing his insights of the game with young players from other franchise’s.
Pant who was the lone ranger from one end for Delhi as wickets kept on tumbling from one end couldn’t manage to get the big runs in the last overs as DC couldn’t cross 150 from their 20 overs.
Dhoni on the other hand was also unable to finish the game for his side as he was picked up by Keemo Paul over deep square leg in the 19th over.
While Dhoni will walk away from IPL 2019 as a key member to the Indian cricket team during the World Cup, Rishabh Pant who has been considered by many to take over the position behind the stumps after Dhoni will have to watch cricket’s biggest tournament from home as Dinesh Karthik was opted as the stand-by wicket-keeper over him.
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