"The crown prince of the Super Kings family" - Aakash Chopra picks Ruturaj Gaikwad as MVP for CSK's IPL 2023 win vs Delhi Capitals
Aakash Chopra has picked Ruturaj Gaikwad as the most valuable player (MVP) in the Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) IPL 2023 win against the Delhi Capitals (DC).
Gaikwad smashed 79 runs off 50 balls as CSK set DC a 224-run target after opting to bat first at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Saturday, May 20. Their bowlers then restricted the home team to 146/9 to help their side register an emphatic 77-run win and book their place in Qualifier 1.
While reviewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra chose Gaikwad as the star performer, reasoning:
"The most valuable player is Ruturaj Gaikwad, the crown prince of the Super Kings family. Devon Conway was an equally good candidate. If you want, you can give it to both of them, but when Ruturaj was batting, he was in a different league."
The former Indian batter praised the CSK opener for smashing the Delhi Capitals bowlers all around the park after a brief lull in the middle, elaborating:
"There was a small phase between the sixth and ninth over where I felt things might get stuck but after that, he hit a six, and then sixes one after the other. The three sixes he hit against Kuldeep Yadav on a tough batting surface - I didn't feel this pitch was flat."
Gaikwad struck three fours and seven sixes during his 79-run knock. He was ably assisted by Devon Conway, who smashed 11 fours and three maximums in his 52-ball 87.
"It was a 160-run pitch" - Aakash Chopra on CSK posting a total beyond the Delhi Capitals' reach
![Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad's 141-run partnership laid the foundation for CSK's massive total. [P/C: iplt20.com]](https://statico.sportskeeda.com/editor/2023/05/49fb6-16846431624337-1920.jpg?w=500)
Aakash Chopra pointed out that the Chennai Super Kings posted a total that was well above par, observing:
"They (CSK) scored more than 200 runs. It was a 160-run pitch. I met Ishant Sharma, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Ajit Agarkar. All of them asked why the pitch was so dry. So when 220-plus runs are scored on that, there is no chance."
The reputed commentator highlighted that despite David Warner's best efforts, the overseas-heavy Delhi Capitals batting lineup was never in the chase, stating:
"It was almost a one-sided story after that. When you have so many overseas batters and a pitch like that, it was not going to work out. David Warner played well and fought till the end but it seemed at one stage as if nobody was trying to win as the asking rate had gone above 14."
Warner top-scored for the Capitals with a 58-ball 86. None of the other DC batters crossed the 15-run mark, with Axar Patel being the only one among them to have a strike rate above 100 as well.