Chennai Super Kings were handed their third successive match of IPL 2025 by Delhi Capitals in Chepauk on Saturday. In a one-sided contest, CSK could not even pose a serious challenge to their chase of 184. In the end, despite losing only five wickets, Chennai scored just 158/5, losing the match by 25 runs.
This was DC’s third successive victory in 2025 and, more significantly, their first win at Chepauk since 2010. CSK pride their winning record at their fortress, but it seems to be crumbling now under a new leader – last week, RCB won their first match vs CSK in Chennai for the first time in 17 years.
DC conquer Chepauk after 15 years
CSK, 5-time IPL champions, have never been this vulnerable at home. DC, yet to win an IPL title, bossed the Super Kings at Chepauk like few teams have done.
When DC last won a game against CSK in Chennai, MS Dhoni had not yet won an IPL trophy and Virat Kohli, the owner of several batting records, had scored only 2 international hundreds. Even the Delhi Capitals were known as Delhi Daredevils, led by Gautam Gambhir, the current India coach. And guess who opened for that Delhi IPL team – Virender Sehwag and David Warner.
Another flop show by CSK batters
In pursuit of a tallish total, CSK’s all-New Zealand pair of Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway flopped. CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, whose participation in the game wasn’t uncertain, managed only 5. And when Shivam Dube fell to Vipraj Nigam in the 10th over with a huge asking rate, the game was as good as over.
CSK’s poor batting show in the Powerplay cost them again. On Saturday, they lost 3 wickets and hit only 4 boundaries, pushing the required rate to nearly 10.
The Chepauk crowd came to life moments after Ravindra Jadeja’s dismissal brought MS Dhoni to the crease. The former captain’s parents were at the ground to cheer their son on, and there was the typical speculation over his retirement, but nothing as dramatic happened.
KL Rahul bullies CSK
The DC innings was headlined by KL Rahul’s 77. He was promoted to open the innings in the absence of Faf du Plessis, and while Jake Fraser-McGurk fell for a duck, Rahul anchored the innings well.
Kamaal KL!
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) April 5, 2025
KL Rahul brings up a sublime fifty as he leads the charge for #DC, eyeing a historic win at Chepauk, their first since 2010!
Watch LIVE actionhttps://t.co/4Kn2OwL1UW #IPLonJioStar
#CSKvDC, LIVE NOW on Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 Hindi & JioHotstar pic.twitter.com/bSx5mXAuoh
Rahul’s fifty took him 33 balls, but as it turned out, DC’s eventual 183 for 6 was way out of CSK’s reach. Abhishek Porel (33), Axar Patel (21), Sameer Rizvi (20) and Tristan Stubbs (24) also played useful knocks to put their stamp on a stunning victory.
Under Axar Patel, DC have been a super-efficient winning machine so far. They bega their season with a victory over Lucknow Super Giants and then defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad before their win over CSK.
