Shankar, Patel fireworks propel Delhi to 162/5

New delhi: A late surge by Vijay Shankar and Harshal Patel (36 runs each) in the slog overs helped Delhi Daredevils post an on-par 162 against Chennai Super Kings in a dead rubber at the Feroz Shah Kotla, here on Friday.

The duo built a vital 65-run stand off 32 deliveries after Delhi's middle-order collapsed. CSK's Lungi Ngidi (2 wickets for 14 runs) did most of the damage as he took important scalps in the form of in-form Rishabh Pant and skipper Shreyas Iyer.

Earlier, Chennai's captain M S Dhoni opted to field first on a slow-looking Kotla track. The 36-year-old skipper made one change in the line-up as pacer Ngidi came in for David Willey. Playing for pride, the 23-year-old Iyer decided to go in with three foreigners in the game as South African speedster Junior Dala made space for Avesh Khan.

Daredevils' skipper Iyer sprang another surprise by opening the innings with Prithvi Shaw for the first time in the IPL.

The duo took a calmer approach on a slower looking turf of the Kotla which made initial movement for pacers Deepak Chahar and Ngidi. In an attempt to lift the pressure off Delhi, Shaw started his exquisite shot-making but fell soon after a run-a-ball 17 to Chahar, who got him caught at long on by Shardul Thakur at the beginning of the fifth over. Interestingly, Thakur had dropped Shaw on 16 in the previous over at mid-on.

Iyer, along with newly-in Rishabh Pant, kept the scoreboard ticking by scoring 39 runs from the first six overs.

The duo forged a crucial partnership of 54 runs from 38 deliveries.

Pant (38 off 26) did most of the damage as he continued his purple patch by dispatching CSK bowlers all around the park. Iyer took a sheet anchor role by holding the innings from one end. The stand was finally broken in the 11th over by Ngidi who clean bowled the DD skipper (19 off 22).

Pant followed his skipper to pavilion three deliveries later after miscuing a short-ball from the South African pacer to Dwayne Bravo at third-man. The middle-order collapsed as Glen Maxwell (5 off 7 balls) and Abhishek Sharma fell for 2 by the end of 15th over. But the sixth wicket unbeaten stand between Patel and Shankar gave some much-needed momentum back to the home side as they scored 26 runs from the final over of Dwayne Bravo.

Brief Scores: Delhi Daredevils 162/5 (Rishabh Pant 38, Vijay Shankar 36 not out, Harshal Patel 36 not out;

Lungi Ngidi 2/14) vs Chennai Super Kings. Agencies