Pacers khaleel ahmed

Indian Premier League: Pacers Khaleel Ahmed and Mukesh Kumar bowled brilliant spells at the start and the middle of the innings after David Warner and Rishabh Pant struck blazing half-centuries as Delhi Capitals handed Chennai Super Kings a 20-run defeat and opened their account in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 here on Sunday. Khaleel (2-21) and Mukesh Kumar (3-21) shared five wickets between them to rattle Chennai Super Kings and restrict them to 171/6 in 20 overs despite a magical 16-ball 37 not out by MS Dhoni at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium here.

After skipper Rishabh Pant had won the toss, David Warner and the skipper hammered quick-fire half-centuries and Prithvi Shaw blazed a 27-ball 43 as Delhi Capitals managed to post 191/5 in 20 overs. The bowlers led by Khaleel and Mukesh Kumar took over after that as Delhi Capitals put their campaign back on the rails after two losses and handed CSK their first defeat after two wins at home.

Khaleel, the white-ball expert who fell out of favour of the national selectors in 2019 but did well in the domestic circuit, rattled CSK by claiming the first two wickets by sending back openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra to reduce CSK to 7/2 as CSK could manage only 34/2 in the first six overs, -- their lowest such in the first Power-play.