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New Delhi: Just like the unexpectedly fierce early evening squall which preceded it, Delhi's opening game at home was all over in a flash, even by T20 standards. In a lopsided contest, the result was a foregone conclusion long before Delhi crossed the finish line with 40 balls to spare and eight wickets left.
The rain couldn't keep the crowds away but the night was a damp squib for MS Dhoni's Chennai. Forced to bat first, they found Delhi's brilliance in the field and the tough batting conditions early on simply too hot to handle.
Four run outs, a 56-ball period without a boundary and regular fall of wickets ensured a paltry 110/8 on the board after 20 overs. Even given the slightly dodgy conditions, it was never going to be enough.
Delhi rammed the point home instantly as a flicking, glancing Naman Ojha guided Albie Morkel's first three balls of the innings for boundaries. Skipper Virender Sehwag played some typically ferocious shots, starting off by smacking Doug Bollinger through covers and taking a liking to Morkel next until he holed out in the deep off R Ashwin.
The pre-match anticipation had been all about Kevin Pietersen (43 not out off 26 balls; 3x4, 2x6) and Mahela Jayawardene's entry in the Delhi ranks and the duo didn't disappoint, taking the team home with assured poise and ensuring there would no late dramatics. In a typical anti-climax, the winning run came off a leg bye in the 13th over!
Delhi took an early stranglehold on the game. Chennai ran the wrong way from the very first ball of their innings, when Murali Vijay responded to a call from Faf du Plessis only to find himself stranded more than halfway down the pitch. Three more run outs, including a crucial one of Suresh Raina (17 runs off 16b; 2x6), was to follow.
Eager to get the stuttering innings going, Raina latched on to Irfan Pathan in trademark fashion, clobbering him over deep midwicket for maximum and luckily finding a mistimed pull off Umesh Yadav carrying over the fine-leg fence too.
However, a brilliant piece of fielding from Yogesh Nagar, whose lightning fast throw from point caught Raina off guard, set Chennai back again.
Badrinath, who took seven balls to get off the mark, was next, finding Pietersen's throw from short fine-leg too hot to handle.
That left the damage-control exercise in Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo's hands after Ravindra Jadeja too had fallen to a brilliant catch by 'keeper Ojha. Instead of the anticipated fireworks, both Dhoni and Bravo (22 off 31 balls, 1x4) fell into a deep rut.
Ashwin's run out in the 20th over completed Chennai's litany of woes.
Brief scores
Chennai Super Kings 110 for 8 (M Morkel 2-19)
Delhi Daredevils 111 for 2 (Pietersen 43*, Sehwag 33)
Result Delhi Daredevils won by eight wickets
MOM Morne Morkel (Delhi Daredevils)
Points Delhi Daredevils 2, Chennai Super Kings 0
