Opting to bowl, CSK first restricted DC to 147 for nine and then chased down the target with six wickets in hand, to set up a clash against Mumbai Indians in the IPL final in Hyderabad on Sunday.
MS Dhoni in deep conversation with Dwayne Bravo during the match
Defending champions Chennai Super Kings entered their eighth IPL final and skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni credited the clinical effort of his bowing unit for setting up the platform for a comfortable win over Delhi Capitals in the Qualifier 2 here.
ADVERTISEMENT
Opting to bowl, CSK first restricted DC to 147 for nine and then chased down the target with six wickets in hand, to set up a clash against Mumbai Indians in the IPL final in Hyderabad on Sunday.
"The crucial part was to keep getting wickets. The credit needs to go to the bowlers. The captain only asks this is what I need. Then it's up to them to figure out how to bowl, and they have to put in the hard yards," Dhoni said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
"Thanks to the bowling department for where we are this season. I would have preferred it if the openers finished it off. Once they got the required rate below 6 an over, there was no reason to play big shots and get out. They did the hard yards," he added.
Dhoni also lauded the entire CSK team for producing a clinical performance when it mattered.
"It's the usual route, last year was the exception. The kind of response from the boys today was brilliant. The way we batted to get 140-plus runs was very nice," he said.
"The spinners got some turn, and we kept getting wickets at the right time."
DC captain Shreyas Iyer, on the contrary, blamed his batting department for the loss.
"We had a disappointing start, losing two wickets in the powerplay, and it was hard to recover from that. They have amazing spinners. But we've had a great season," he said.
"None of the batsmen took the initiative to take the team through and there wasn't a partnership building. Disappointing for us but a good learning."
Iyer spoke about the pitch this season at their home turf -- the Feroze Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi.
"It's something to think about (the Delhi pitch). We didn't win too many home games, but we can't complain about pitches. We've been practising a lot on slow wickets. As professionals we can't give excuses," he said.
"I think we've learned a lot, looking at seniors like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma leading their teams. It's a proud moment for me, standing with them at the toss. They talk to me, share their experiences, and that's great for me."
Shedding more light on his experience of leading the team, Iyer said: "I've heard Rohit and many of them talk about how difficult it is to be captain, and yeah, it's not an easy job to do, but I'm happy to be the captain.
"Really proud of the boys. Loving the way we've gelled as a family. The coaches and support staff have been amazing. A lot more to come next season. We've found the base, now is the time to grow," he said.
Man-of-the-match Faf du Plessis, who hit a 39-ball 50 during the chase, said CSK's experience of winning big games did the trick, even though they didn't have a very good outing in the last phase of the tournament this season.
"We didn't have the best run in the last five or six games, but we do have a lot of confidence as a team that's won a lot of big games. We drew a lot of strength from that," he said.
"Our strength is to get partnerships going and extend that, even if we take our time initially. We've got a lot of good batsmen down the order, and we back them to catch up with the required rate."
MS Dhoni is the most popular man in India right now and Twitterati left no stone unturned to hail the Chennai Super Kings captain:
Dhoni, behind the stumps! pic.twitter.com/XFJnJr5MvM
— Why So Silly® (@silly_why) May 9, 2019
Manjrekar : So you took a longer route but you are in another final.
— DHONIsm™ u00e2u009du00a4u00efu00b8u008f (@DHONIism) May 10, 2019
DHONI : "Well, that's our usual route, last year was an exception". u00f0u009fu00a4u0097
Dhoni in IPL finals for the 9th time. u00f0u009fu00a4u0097
— DHONIsm™ u00e2u009du00a4u00efu00b8u008f (@DHONIism) May 10, 2019
( Most by any player )
2008 - CSK
2010 - CSK
2011 - CSK
2012 - CSK
2013 - CSK
2015 - CSK
2017 - RPS
2018 - CSK
2019 - CSK pic.twitter.com/d1YdUCpO9A
Dhoni Review System. pic.twitter.com/AxCgPZ1f24
— Pakchikpak Raja Babu (@HaramiParindey) May 10, 2019
Dhoni hits a four u00e2u009du00a4u00efu00b8u008f
— DHONIsm™ u00e2u009du00a4u00efu00b8u008f (@DHONIism) May 10, 2019
.
And ziva claps from the stand u00f0u009fu00a4u0097
.
Pleasure to watch. u00f0u009fu0098u008d pic.twitter.com/u5XNtuo0DD
Even after a big win Dhoni will make it a point to talk about something they didn’t do right with regards to the process. Faf & Watson getting out after being set, for example. Such a big believer of the ‘PROCESS’ & getting that right.u00f0u009fu0091u008fu00f0u009fu0091u008fu00f0u009fu0091u008du00f0u009fu0099u008f#Dhoni
— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) May 10, 2019
With the kind of squad CSK have, they should have easily finished in the bottom two.
— Manya (@CSKian716) May 10, 2019
Dhoni is a walking miracle. #CSKvDC
Third Umpire when Dhoni takes DRS. #CSKvDC pic.twitter.com/BcfD7morRo
— Sagar (@sagarcasm) May 10, 2019
DHONI Playing with Ziva and Gracia After Yesterday's Match u00f0u009fu0098u008du00f0u009fu0092u009b pic.twitter.com/cILrkPUFXM
— DHONIsm™ u00e2u009du00a4u00efu00b8u008f (@DHONIism) May 11, 2019
Keep your eyes on Dhoni, not umpire! pic.twitter.com/vOw7pOfIsA
— Silly Point (@FarziCricketer) May 11, 2019
Catch up on all the latest IPL News and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
