New Delhi: A clinical display from spinners Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmad helped Chennai Super Kings strangle Delhi Capitals in their IPL 2026 clash at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday, restricting the hosts to 155/7 in 20 overs.
Delhi’s innings never quite found momentum as CSK’s spin duo controlled proceedings across phases. While the Capitals managed brief starts, none of the top-order batters could convert them into substantial scores.
The squeeze began in the powerplay, where Hosein delivered a tight spell of 1/15 in three overs, including the key wicket of KL Rahul. DC crawled to just 37/2 in the first six overs, setting the tone for a below-par total.
A 65-run stand between Tristan Stubbs (38 off 31) and Sameer Rizvi (40* off 24) provided some resistance, but the lack of acceleration hurt the hosts.
In the middle overs, Noor Ahmad tightened the grip further, picking up 2/22 in three overs and removing Nitish Rana and Karun Nair just when DC looked to rebuild.
The Capitals’ top order, Pathum Nissanka (19), Rahul (12), Rana (15), and Nair (13), all got starts but failed to push on, marking only the second instance in IPL history where the top four all reached double digits without any crossing 20.
Despite a late push, DC’s total of 155/7 reflected their continued struggles this season, with inconsistent batting and an inability to break free against quality spin proving costly once again.
