NEW DELHI: Openers Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad smoked blistering fifties powering Chennai Super Kings to a massive 223 for three against Delhi Capitals in a must-win IPL game at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium.
While Conway smashed his way to 51-ball 87, Ruturaj fired 79 off 50 after skipper MS Dhoni won the toss and opted to bat first in the afternoon game.
Conway's innings comprised 11 fours and three sixes while Gaikwad hit seven sixes apart from three boundaries as the duo added 141 for the opening stand.
The pair of Conway and Gaikwad came all guns blazing, hitting boundaries and sixes at will at the tacky Kotla pitch.
The duo smashed a total of 14 fours and 10 sixes.
The Delhi bowlers were punished for straying from their lengths.
The onslaught began in the second over when CSK collected 13 runs off Lalit Yadav with Conway hitting a cracking six.
Conway and Gaikwad took CSK to 52 for no loss in the powerplay.
With field restrictions lifted, DC managed to dry out the boundaries before Gaikwad hit Axar Patel for back-to-back sixes over mid wicket and got to his third fifty of the season.
While Gaikwad assumed the role of the aggressor, Conway complement his fellow opener well as he clipped, pulled and cut en-route his half-century. Gaikwad then targeted Kuldeep Yadav, hammering a hat-trick of sixes. The opener first whipped one over long off and then sent the ball over wide long on.
Gaikwad then hoisted the ball over Kuldeep's head for his final six of the innings as CSK raced to 117 in the 12 overs. He didn't spare Anrich Nortje either, slamming the South African for a maximum in the next over.
Chetan Sakariya, who was Delhi's best bowler, gave the hosts their first breakthrough as Gaikwad top-edged one to Rillee Rossouw.
With Gaikwad gone, Shivam Dube (22 off 9) continued his sensational run as he muscled the ball for two sixes of Khaleel before the pacer extracted his revenge by having him caught at long on, much to the delight of the fans skipper MS Dhoni, who walked in at number 4.
A couple of balls later, Nortje bowled a slower delivery to get rid of Conway but new man in Jadeja hit a four and six to bring up CSK's 200.
The all-rounder blazed away to an unbeaten 20 of seven balls.
But all eyes were on Dhoni (5) who faced just four balls. However, the CSK skipper was on strike for the last ball which had to be bowled a couple of times as Sakariya bowled a no ball and a wide.
(With inputs from PTI)
