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Following his side's victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match, Delhi Capitals (DC) skipper Axar Patel said that though he did not expect to win three games in a row so easily, his team has not played a "perfect match" yet.
Axar-led DC continued their brilliant run in IPL 2025, making it the first time since 2009 that they started the season with three wins. KL Rahul's match-winning 77 and spin-choke from Vipraj Nigam and Kuldeep Yadav helped them secure a 24-run win over the five-time champions. Speaking after the post-match presentation, Axar said, "I did not expect it to be easy (on winning three on the bounce). Everyone contributed, the team balance looks good. Feels good as a captain to win three out of three. I was saving myself (on not bowling much today) and I also have an injured finger. Every match, there are some great catches and some drops as well. As a captain, I do not think we have played a perfect match yet. IPL is a long tournament, the momentum can swing anytime." Coming to the match, DC won the toss and elected to bat first. After losing Jake Fraser McGurk early, a 54-run stand between KL Rahul and Abishek Porel (33 in 20 balls, with four boundaries and a six) and KL's 56-run stand with Sameer Rizwi (20 in 15 balls, with a four and six) kept DC at a healthy run rate. KL scored his first fifty in DC colours, scoring 77 in 51 balls, with six fours and three sixes. Tristan Stubbs (24* in 12 balls, with two fours and a six) played a fiery cameo towards the end, helping DC finish at 183/6 in 20 overs. Khaleel Ahmed (2/25) was the top bowler for CSK. CSK was not into the match during the chase, losing their five wickets for 74. Vijay Shankar (69* in 54 balls, with five fours and a six) and MS Dhoni (30* in 26 balls, with a four and six) tried to fight it out, but the Men in Yellow fell short by 24 runs, restricted to 158/5. Vipraj Nigam (2/27) was the standout bowler for DC. Mitchell Starc delivered a classy spell of 1/27, and Kuldeep Yadav also took 1/30 in four overs. KL Rahul secured the Player of the Match award. With this win, DC is at the top of the points table with three wins in three games. On the other hand, with just one win and three losses, CSK has slid down to the eighth spot. (ANI)
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