The Prague Post - Bowlers, Samson keep Chennai afloat in IPL playoff race

Batting first on a tough pitch backfired for hosts Delhi, who slipped to 69-5 before posting 155-7 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.

Five-time champions Chennai lost two early wickets in the chase, but Samson paced his 52-ball knock to perfection as his team chased down the target with 15 balls to spare.

Samson, a wicketkeeper-batter, put on an unbeaten 114-run stand with Kartik Sharma, who made 41, as the two ensured a fifth win for Chennai in 10 matches to be sixth in the 10-team table.

Delhi's chances of making the playoffs took a hit as they went down to their sixth defeat.

The top four teams at the end of the league stage will qualify for the playoffs.

In-form Samson, who has hit two centuries in the season, reached his fifty in 32 balls and finished with seven fours and six sixes.

He has scored 402 runs in 10 matches this edition and is fifth in the batting chart led by Delhi's KL Rahul (445).

Samson came into this edition of the IPL on the back of three half-centuries in the last three matches of India's T20 World Cup triumph on home soil in March.

Delhi's South Africa pace bowler Lungi Ngidi returned after missing the previous two matches with concussion.

Ngidi claimed 1-30, dismissing skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, for six, with a pacy delivery.

But it was the Chennai bowlers who exploited the surface. Afghanistan's Noor Ahmad stood out with figures of 2-22 and was ably supported by fellow spinner Akeal Hosein (1-19).

Fast bowlers Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh and England's Jamie Overton claimed one wicket each as they bowled good lengths to restrict the opposition.

South Africa's Tristan Stubbs made 38 and impact substitute Sameer Rizvi struck an unbeaten 40 off 24 balls to hit back after Delhi lost half their side in the 11th over.

Stubbs and Rizvi, who struck four sixes, put on 65 runs for the sixth wicket but the effort was not enough to test Chennai's batting.

One of the most successful franchises in the T20 tournament, Chennai are still waiting for the return of veteran M.S. Dhoni, who is recovering from an injury and is yet to play a game in this edition.

J.Marek--TPP