Chennai Super Kings needed 13 runs from the last over to win Qualifier 1 of IPL 2021 against Delhi Capitals in Dubai on Sunday night. With an over from Kagiso Rabada, DC skipper Rishabh Pant surprisingly opted to deliver the ball to Tom Curran, who was playing his first game of the UAE leg.
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Curran took a wicket with the first delivery of the final over, but MS Dhoni then smashed him for three consecutive boundaries to seal the competition in CSK’s favor as they entered a record ninth IPL final.
Asked about the thinking behind the decision not to bowl to Rabada, Pant said, “I thought Tom bowled beautifully throughout the match, and that’s why I thought it better to use him for the last over.”
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Curran bowled really well before the last over. Only 16 runs came in his first three overs and he also took two wickets. However, the punt to bring him back for the last time failed with an old Dhoni chasing down a successful target of 173 runs.
DC thus missed their chance to punch their ticket to the final, but they will get another shot in the second qualifier on Wednesday where they will face the winner of the Eliminator.
DC vs CSK: Highlights, IPL 2021 Qualifier 1
Pant, who scored an unbeaten half-century, said the defeat was disappointing but he would learn from his mistakes and rectify them in the next match.
“Obviously it’s very disappointing, and we don’t have enough words to describe how we feel. The score was good, and they got off to a flight. That was the main difference. We made our mistakes.” We will improve, learn from it and hopefully we can go ahead and play the finals.”
Royal Challengers Bangalore will face two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders in the Eliminator on Monday.
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