Mumbai: Suresh Raina introduced his IPL comeback with a blazing 36-ball 54 and powered Chennai Super Kings to a stable 188 for seven towards Delhi Capitals in Mumbai on Saturday. Sam Curran smashed away to 34 off solely 15 balls to prop up the CSK innings in direction of the tip. Curran hit 4 fours and two sixes. The final 5 overs yielded 52 runs for CSK, because of Curran’s power-packed innings, which included a 23-run over towards his elder brother Tom.
Asked to bat first by Rishabh Pant, Ruturaj Gaikwad received CSK off the mark with a satisfying drive by way of the off aspect between level and canopy, two deliveries after being crushed all finally ends up by a Chris Woakes outswinger.
Last season’s runners-up DC did not have to attend lengthy for his or her first breakthrough as Avesh Khan (2/23 in 4 overs) had Faf du PLessis trapped in entrance of the wicket in the second over.
In the primary ball of the third over, Woakes had Gaikwad caught in the slip cordon as CSK slipped to seven for 2. The English pacer drew Gaikwad right into a push with a ball that moved a barely on pitching.
In got here Raina — he had missed the final IPL owing to private causes — and in the corporate of Moeen Ali, the seasoned campaigner revived CSK’s innings and regarded to place up a difficult complete towards a powerful DC batting line-up on the Wankhede Stadium.
During his 24-ball 36, Moeen struck 4 boundaries and two sixes, taking part in a fantastic serving to hand to Raina. Experienced off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin reduce brief Moeen’s innings when the all-rounder received himself into an uncomfortable place whereas going for a reverse sweep, the following top-edge ending in catch by Shikhar Dhawan, who ran backwards from brief third man to carry on to the ball.
Ambati Rayudu got here in and straightaway received into the act, hitting a few sixes and a 4 to race away to 23 off 16 balls earlier than Tom Curran ended his keep in the center.
Meanwhile, Raina went about his process in a fashion that didn’t give the impression that he was coming again to top-flight after an extended hiatus. Raina received himself going with a 4 off Woakes after which labored Ashwin for 2 successive boundaries, not afraid to bop down the wicket towards the wily spinner’s flight.
Using his toes nicely, the veteran southpaw hoicked leg-spinner Amit Mishra for 2 and in addition received a most towards Ashwin. It was no totally different with Marcus Stoinis as Raina pulled the Australian medium pacer for one more six earlier than being run-out following a mix-up with Ravindra Jadeja (26).
