Delhi Capitals failed to break their Chepauk jinx once again as they lost to the Chennai Super Kings by 27 runs on Wednesday night.
Deciding to bat first, Chennai openers Ruturaj Gaikwad (24) and Devon Conway (10) took their time on a slow Chepauk pitch but were eventually dismissed for a collective total of just 34, courtesy of Axar Patel.
Shivam Dube top scored for the home side with a 12-ball 25.
Ambati Rayudu took part in his 200th IPL game on the night and partnered Dube with a 17-ball 23.
Dhoni's 9-ball 20, however, pushed the Men in Yellow to what looked like a par score of 167/8.
In reply, skipper David Warner was dismissed for a duck on the second delivery as Deepak Chahar looked sharp from the very first ball.
He went on to dismiss opener Phil Salt on just 17 runs in his second over as well.
Chennai didn't let any Delhi batter get comfortable on the challenging pitch as regular wickets saw Delhi stutter to 89/5 in 14.3 overs.
Axar Patel scored a 12-ball 21 but the visitors were just too far away from the total, and eventually finished with 140/8 with Matheesha Pathirana picking up a 3-wicket haul.
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