Images from the Indian Premier League match between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals, in Dubai, on Monday.
Shimron Hetmyer produced a gutsy knock under pressure to guide Delhi Capitals to a three-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings in a battle for a top-two finish in the Indian Premier League, in Dubai, on Monday.
Needing 28 from the last three overs to overhaul a 137-run target, the Guyanese batter picked 12 runs off Dwayne Bravo and then got 10 off pacer Josh Hazlewood to bring down the equation to six from six balls.
Despite losing Axar Patel, Delhi Capitals completed the job with two balls to spare.
With this win, Delhi Capitals have 20 points from 13 games and moved to the top of the eight-team table. Chennai Super Kings are placed second with 18 points.
Hetmyer was unbeaten after a vital 28 off 18 balls, including a crucial six in the penultimate over.
The Delhi Capitals bowlers had earlier restricted Chennai Super Kings to paltry 136 for 5.
In reply, they started off well, the flashy Prithvi Shaw smashing three boundaries off seven balls to get the innings going. However, while trying to go for one too many, the Mumbai batter threw his wicket away. He failed to negotiate Deepak Chahar's extra bounce, and Faf du Plessis ran backwards from mid-off to complete the catch.
Josh Hazlewood bowled a tight fourth over, conceding just three runs, but Shikhar Dhawan (39 off 35 balls) clobbered Chahar for two sixes and as many fours to get 21 runs in the fifth over.
However, Hazlewood cut short Shreyas Iyer's (2) brief stay in the middle, the batter unable to execute the pull shot well.
Ravindra Jadeja sent back Rishabh Pant (15) when the Delhi skipper tried to sweep a quicker delivery from the left-arm spinner.
Debutant Ripal Patel hit two fours as Delhi required 53 from 54 balls, but Jadeja came back to get the better of the new-man in from Gujarat.
Ravichandran Ashwin soon made an exit and when Dhawan, three deliveries after getting a decision against him overturned through a review, played Shardul Thakur to cover in a soft dismissal, the Capitals were in trouble at 99 for 6 at the end of the 15th over.
Substitute fielder K Gowtham dropped Hetmyer at a crucial stage of the game, allowing the ball to go past the rope.
Kagiso Rabada was unbeaten on four, hitting a boundary off the only ball he faced, as Delhi scraped through.
Thakur returned excellent figures of 2 for 13 in four overs, while Jadeja had 2 for 28.
Earlier, Delhi Capitals bowlers turned in a disciplined performance to restrict Chennai Super Kings to 136 for 5 despite a 43-ball 55 not out from the seasoned Ambati Rayudu.
Rayudu rallied the Super Kings from a precarious 62 for 4 in the ninth over with a superb knock. He got to his 50 by slashing Anrich Nortje over point for a boundary, following a six over deep extra over in the innings' 19th over, from which the former champions scored 14 runs.
However, Avesh Khan bowled a fantastic final over, conceding only four runs while dismissing Mahendra Singh Dhoni (18).
Rayudu smashed five fours and two sixes during his stay in the middle.
A major part of Delhi Capitals’ bowling effort was a far cry from pacer Nortje's horrendous first over of which he conceded 16 runs, nine off them coming off a leg bye and a bye that Rishabh Pant couldn't get his hand to despite a diving attempt.
In between, Ruturaj Gaikwad was given out lbw, but the decision was overturned after the batsman reviewed it. Television replays showed the ball was missing the leg stump.
Faf du Plessis got two boundaries on either side of the wicket against Avesh Khan as the Super Kings raced to 26 in only two overs.
There was swing on offer but Delhi’s bowlers were unable to get their act right until left-arm spinner Axar Patel struck when du Plessis's attempted pull shot was taken by a diving Shreyas Iyer in the deep mid-wicket region.
The in-form Gaikwad welcomed Kagiso Rabada with a drive straight down the ground, even as Robin Uthappa, playing the game in place of Suresh Raina, walked into the middle.
Nortje removed Gaikwad in the fifth over when the batsman failed to connect his pull shot and Ravichandran Ashwin completed a neat catch.
From scoring over 25 runs in the first two overs, CSK found themselves ploughing along at 48 for 2 at the end of the six powerplay overs.
Chennai Super Kings were 69 for 4 in 10 overs, but their bigger concern at that time was losing two more wickets -- Moeen Ali to the impressive Axar and Robin Uthappa to Ashwin's carrom ball.
Rayudu and Dhoni took CSK to 88 for 4 after 14 overs, both batsmen scoring less than a run-a-ball.
They got some momentum in the 18th over as Rayudu smashed a six to bring up the 50-run partnership between them.
The last three overs yielded 32 runs which helped them put up 136.
