Chennai Super Kings chose to bat first because they knew. They knew that the Chepauk wicket was slow, helping spinners and run-scoring would become more difficult in the second innings in the match against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday.
This didn't mean batting in the first innings was easy but as CSK so often do, they played the smart game to reach 167/8 after 20 overs. No one innings stood out for the hosts but they had six batters make it to the 20s before being dismissed.
In reply, Delhi Capitals tried to stay in the match for as long as possible but ended well short (140/8) to lose by 27 runs.
CSK began their innings well, reaching 49/1 at the end of their Powerplay overs. The batters weren't going hard at the ball but the importance of a good start was not lost on them -- nor was the need to maintain a good strike rate.
Ruturaj Gaikwad (24), Ajinkya Rahane (21), Shivam Dube (25), Ambati Rayudu (23), Ravindra Jadeja (21) and MS Dhoni (20) scored at a fair clip and their collective effort was enough to get the CSK total into a more-than-competitive zone.
{{/usCountry}}Ruturaj Gaikwad (24), Ajinkya Rahane (21), Shivam Dube (25), Ambati Rayudu (23), Ravindra Jadeja (21) and MS Dhoni (20) scored at a fair clip and their collective effort was enough to get the CSK total into a more-than-competitive zone.
{{/usCountry}}The first six of the CSK innings came in the 11th over. The first time they haven't hit a six in the first 10 overs this season but this wicket required a different approach and the home team recognised that.
Axar Patel was brilliant for DC with the ball, recording figures of 2/27 and he got good support from Kuldeep Yadav (1/28) and Mitchell Marsh (3/18).
Chennai's total was their lowest this season when batting first. But given the conditions, it was more than enough.
DC struggled from the get-go. They lost skipper David Warner to the second ball of the innings from Deepak Chahar. They were reduced to 25/3 by the fourth over and never quite recovered from that.
Manish Pandey and Rilee Rossouw put on a run-a-ball partnership of 59 runs but it didn't manage to put the pressure back on CSK.
The scoring rate continued to drop in the middle overs with Jadeja (4-0-19-1) and Moeen Ali (4-0-16-0) in operation and it left DC with a lot to do in the slog overs.
In the last five overs, DC needed 77 runs, and to win, the visitors needed something special. But despite Axar's best efforts, they didn't find it.
"We lost three wickets early," said Warner in the post-match chat. "This is the fifth or sixth time we have lost a wicket in the first over. And it was us throwing our wickets away."
The DC skipper added: "That was a very gettable total. We just have to start well and have one of our batters bat long. Then there were four overs in the middle overs when we couldn't even rotate the strike."
The win keeps CSK second, one point below leaders Gujarat Titans, who have 16 points. But GT have a game in hand. DC stay at the bottom of the table.