Chennai Super Kings secured a stunning victory over Delhi Capitals by 8 wickets at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on May 5. It was the 48th match of IPL 2026, where Sanju Samson‘s unbeaten 87 off 52 balls powered CSK to 159 for 2, with 15 balls remaining. CSK were chasing a modest target of 156.
Delhi Capitals won the toss and decided to bat first on a slow pitch. They only scored 155 for 7 in their 20 overs. The bowlers of CSK maintained a tight grip during the innings, and their batters made the pursuit look easy.
CSK Bowlers Pressure DC Early.
Akeal Hosein ended with 4-0-19-1, which is remarkable considering that he bowled only one over outside the field restrictions. Noor Ahmad bowled 2-22 in three overs.
The low pitch contributed significantly in the initial stages. The first four overs were a story in themselves with fifteen dot balls, six boundaries, and three singles. The top order of DC, KL Rahul, Pathum Nissanka, Nitish Rana, and Karun Nair, all received starts, but none could convert. Rahul, Nissanka, Rana, and Nair all left in rapid succession.
The captain of DC, Axar Patel, has only been able to score 33 runs this season, and his dismissal, the third wicket CSK had claimed in a span of 19 balls between overs 8 and 11, hurt the total of DC significantly.
Rizvi and Stubbs Rescue Delhi’s Innings
The lower order of DC gave some integrity. Sameer Rizvi, who came in as an Impact Player, and Tristan Stubbs combined to make 65 off 42 balls. Stubbs made 38 out of 31 balls, and he managed to deal with the spin and additional bounce. Rizvi finished unbeaten on 40 off 24 balls, including four sixes.
Rizvi attacked Anshul Kamboj, one of the best death bowlers of the season, by moving across his stumps and sweeping, slicing, and hitting down the ground. Kamboj, who had taken eight wickets out of 63 balls prior to this match, went without a wicket off 34 runs off 12 balls.
The rapid 14 hits off only 5 balls by Ashutosh Sharma also contributed to DC passing 150. Never, however, was 155 going to be sufficient on a surface that grew considerably as the match progressed.
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Samson Takes CSK Home With Authority
Ruturaj Gaikwad was dismissed by Lungi Ngidi after the third time in 17 balls in T20 cricket, and made only 6 runs. Urvil Patel hit 17 off 9 before getting stumped. At 45 to 2, CSK still required Samson to deliver, and he did just that.
Samson was 22 off 22 at the eighth over. He was on fifty ten balls later. He struck the spinners with accuracy, 12 off 10 against Axar Patel and 25 off 9 against Kuldeep Yadav. Kartik Sharma stood by him with 41 off 31 balls, and the two formed an unbroken third-wicket partnership that clinched the outcome.
In IPL 2026, Samson has provided 24% of the runs for CSK. He has scored 380 runs in the last seven games with an average of 95 and a strike rate of 172, after a slow start where he made only 22 runs in three games.
The victory of CSK not only propelled them up the points table but also gave their net run rate a much-needed boost as the playoff race heats up.
CSK next face Lucknow Super Giants on May 10 in Chennai, while DC play Kolkata Knight Riders on May 8 in Delhi.
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