David Warner's 3 best knocks against CSK in the IPL
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are set to face the Delhi Capitals (DC) today at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday, May 10. The teams are placed at contrasting positions in the points table with MS Dhoni-led CSK sitting comfortably on the second spot while DC find themselves at last.
However, in recent games DC have been in top form, winning four out of their last five games. It has been a dramatic turnaround for David Warner's side who lost the first five games in a row.
CSK on the other hand, have won and lost two games out of their last five games with the match against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) being a wash-out. Thus, the battle between the rising DC side, who will want to keep their chances alive against the experienced CSK side keen on staying at the top of the table, promises to be a riveting encounter.
The Capitals will be relying heavily on their Captain David Warner, who has by far been their best batter in the tournament and has a good record against the 'Yellow Army'. In 18 matches against CSK, Warner has struck 558 runs at an average of 31.
One of his best performances in T20 cricket came against CSK when he scored 135* runs off 59 balls against the franchise in the 2011 Champions League T20 for New South Wales at the Chepauk.
On that note, let us take a look at the top three knocks of DC skipper David Warner against CSK.
#1 David Warner (90 runs off 45 balls), CSK vs SRH, IPL 2014
Chasing a steep target of 186 in MS Dhoni's hometown Ranchi, SunRisers Hyderabad had their work cut out against a strong CSK bowling line-up. David Warner (90 runs off 45 balls) came out all guns blazing taking the attack to the opposition from the very outset.
The Australian opener struck 12 boundaries and three sixes as he batted at a strike rate of 200.
He looked set for a well-deserved century but was cleaned up by fellow Australian John Hastings. However, he had done enough to guide his team to a six-wicket win with his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan (64* runs off 49 balls) seeing the team across the finish line.
#2 David Warner (61 runs off 28 balls), CSK vs SRH, IPL 2015
Batting first in Hyderabad, SRH posted a mighty total of 192/7 at the end of their 20 overs. The SRH batting effort was headlined by their charismatic leader David Warner.
The Australian batter (61 runs of 28 balls) scored a swashbuckling half-century at a strike rate of 217.86. His knock consisted of 11 fours and 1 maximum.
In response, CSK could only muster a total of 170/6 at the end of their 20 overs, handing Hyderabad a 22-run win. David Warner was awarded the Player of the Match award for his fine knock on a pitch that was not as easy as he made it seem.
#3 David Warner (57 runs off 45 balls), CSK vs SRH, IPL 2019
David Warner (57 runs off 45 balls) scored a measured half-century against CSK in IPL 2019 at Chepauk. The 'pocket-sized dynamite' opener struck three fours and two maximums in his whirlwind knock.
The southpaw was ably supported by Manish Pandey (83* runs off 49 balls) who played an excellent half-century. In the end, SRH managed 175/3 at the end of their 20 overs.
In response, Shane Watson (96 runs off 53 balls) spoiled the party for the visitors as he got within striking distance of a century. Along with some support from Suresh Raina, Watson took his side home in a thrilling six-wicket win in the final over.
It was a bad day in the office for SRH's Rashid Khan (1/44) and Sandeep Sharma (1/54) as they both proved to be very expensive for the SunRisers. Watson was awarded the POTM award for his heroics as Pandey and Warner's efforts went in vain.