IPL 2019: Seniority overcomes youth as Bravo and Watson lead CSK to a win against Delhi Capitals

In the fifth match of IPL 2019 between Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings, Delhi won the toss and decided to bat first on a wicket that looked slow and conducive to turn. Although Chennai once again included three spinners in their XI, it was Bravo who did the bulk of the damage in the first innings. He picked up three wickets in quick succession.

DC started off steadily with Shikhar Dhawan anchoring the innings. But after the wicket of Rishabh Pant, things went downhill for the home team. Dwayne Bravo bowled intelligently during the the death overs using all his variations. His slow cutters were particularly effective with the pitch not offering much pace.

Dhawan batted well and adjusted to the pitch but did not garner enough support from his team. 160 would have been a good score on the Feroz Shah Kotla pitch and Delhi were well on course to achieve it. However, after the dismissal of Pant in the 16th over, the home team suffered a mini collapse and could only score 147 runs for the loss of six wickets in their allotted overs.

Shane Watson and Suresh Raina set up the win for CSK brilliantly in the second innings with some aggressive batting and scintillating shots. The Delhi fast bowlers bowled a tad too short and deviated form line; straying onto the pads of the batsmen all too often. In the end, Dhoni took the game to the last over but CSK were always in control despite the tricky pitch.

Delhi got their team combination slightly wrong for this match. Lamichanne should have been included as he would have been a handful on the Kotla pitch with all his variations. In the coming matches, Chris Morris should be included in place of Paul who has failed to impress as an all-rounder.

Shreyas Iyer and Pant also need to bat with more responsibility. They cannot go hammer and tongs in every game. They need to play according to the pitch and situation. The Delhi team is highly talented and have a great combination of experience and youth. If they get their tactics right the next game, they will have a good chance to pick up two points.

CSK have started their journey in IPL 2019 in a promising manner. Despite the average age of the team on the higher side and lack of agility in the field, they are managing to win matches comfortably. A lot of the credit goes to MS Dhoni who has assigned particular roles to his teammates and the players have obliged and played their roles to perfection so far.

Tactically, Dhoni is a genius and his field placements and bowling changes are always precise. If they keep their winning momentum going, then another IPL trophy won't be out of their reach. Also, their team balance will be the least affected when foreign players leave before the playoffs.

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