CSK Apply Spin Choke on Delhi Capitals to go Top of Table
Chennai, May 1: Skipper MS Dhoni's prowess in the slog overs was on display yet again while home spinners bamboozled the Delhi Capitals batsmen as Chennai Super Kings prevailed in the IPL battle for top spot with a thumping 80-run win, here Wednesday.
It was Suresh Raina who struck a fighting 59 off 37 balls to prepare the road for revival following a slow start and Dhoni (unbeaten 44 off 22) provided the late flourish, ending the innings in style with two sixes off Trent Boult.
After making just 27 runs in Powerplay overs, the hosts eventually put on board a fighting 179 for four and dismissed Capitals for just 99 in 16.2 over to snatch the top spot from the visitors.
Capitals suffered a surprise batting collapse after being consistent this season. They were out of the game after losing half the batsmen by 11th over and ended up suffering their worst defeat. It was also their lowest total of the season.
Chennai Super Kings, who now sit atop the table with 18 points, are now sure to end in top-2, ensuring that they will have two shots at making the summit clash.
Mumbai Indians is only team which can displace Capitals (16 points) from second place if they win their next two games and Delhi lose their last.
Delhi Capitals had hoped that dew would come in while batting second but Chennai spinners bamboozled them from the word go, never allowing them to settle.
South African spinner Imran Tahir (4/12) and Ravindra Jadeja (3/9) tore apart the middle order, sharing seven wickets between them.
Dhoni's quick hands were at it again as he effected two lightening fast stumpings, to dismiss skipper Shreyas Iyer (44) and dangerous Chris Morris (0).
Except Iyer and Shikhar Dhawan (19) none of the other Delhi batsmen could reach double-digit mark.
Earlier, Raina (59) and Faf du Plessis (39) added 83 runs for the second wicket to revive the innings after Delhi Capitals bowlers produced tight spells upfront.
Dhoni, who returned to the side after recovering from a bout of fever, and Ravindra Jadeja added some quick runs to provide a late flourish to the innings.
Dhoni hit unbeaten 44 off 22 balls with four fours and three sixes while Jadeja smashed 25 off 10 with two sixes. He creamed off 20 runs from Kiwi pacer Trent Boult's final over, hitting two sixes and four.
This was after Boult and left-arm spinner Jagdeesha Suchith (2/28) had straight-jacketed the Chennai batsmen after electing bowl. With Boult swinging the ball and Suchith accurate with his line and length, they gave away just seven runs in the first four overs.
When Shane Watson could not open his account even after facing eight balls, in desperation the Australian swung his arms but only to find a fielder near boundary.
IPL veteran Suresh Raina added some pace to the CSK innings with a flurry of boundaries.
Raina and Du Plessis moved the ball around and hit the boundaries when they got the chance.
The first six of the innings was hit in the 13th over when Du Plessis dispatched a full delivery from Sherfane Rutherford over extra cover. The South African repeated the act when Axar Patel operated soon after.
However, the left-arm spinner got revenge in the next ball when the Protea batsman attempted another big shot.
Raina too departed in the next over with Suchith getting him caught at point but not before hitting the spinner for two fours and a six.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Bhojshala complex registered as 'mosque' in old revenue records: Muslim side to MP HC
Indore (PTI): The disputed Bhojshala Temple-Kamal Maula Mosque complex has historically been registered as a 'mosque' in revenue records and available sources don't clearly mention any Saraswati temple established by then-king Raja Bhoj, the Muslim side has told the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
The Hindu community considers Bhojshala a temple dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, while the Muslim side calls the 11th-century monument Kamal Maula Mosque. The disputed complex located in Dhar district is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
During the hearing before the HC's Indore bench of Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Justice Alok Awasthi on Wednesday, Qazi Moinuddin questioned two PILs filed as intervenors in the Bhojshala case by an organisation named Hindu Front for Justice, one Kuldeep Tiwari and another individual.
Moinuddin claims to be a descendant of Sufi saint Maulana Kamaluddin Chishti and the 'Sajjadanashin' (spiritual head, guru, or successor of a Sufi shrine, khanqah, or religious site).
The PILs state that Bhojshala is actually a Saraswati temple and only Hindus should be granted the right to worship at the disputed complex.
Moinuddin's lawyer, Noor Ahmed Sheikh, claimed in the court that his client's ancestors, who are descendants of Maulana Kamaluddin Chishti, have historically held titles to the complex, and the site was also recorded as a "mosque" in government revenue records.
He contended that those associated with the management of the Kamal Maula Mosque, located within the complex, have been in "continuous and peaceful occupation" of the site for a long time.
Citing Muslim law, Sheikh argued that in the case of religious property, particularly a mosque or its related properties, officials such as the Sajjadanashin and Mutawalli (person entrusted with management, maintenance, and administration of a Waqf), and their descendants, not only have the right to intervene, but also have the right to manage and use such a structure.
Citing provisions of the Ancient Monuments Preservation Act 1904, the Muslim side's lawyer said the term "in-charge of the property" is used in this law, which makes it clear that the person or party who has been in charge of a property for a long time has rights over it.
During the hearing, Touseef Warsi, the lawyer representing the Maulana Kamaluddin Welfare Society of Dhar, claimed that Hindu parties in both PILs had made "misleading representations" regarding historical facts before the high court.
He further claimed that available historical sources do not clearly mention the existence of a Saraswati temple established by Raja Bhoj, the legendary king of the Parmar dynasty who ruled Dhar from 1010 to 1055.
The ASI, a central government agency, has adopted three different positions in the lawsuits filed regarding the Bhojshala dispute, changing its answers from time to time, and this situation raises serious questions about judicial scrutiny of the complex, Warsi submitted.
He raised objections regarding the ASI's process of scientific survey of the Bhojshala complex, carried out on the HC order in 2024, and the method of videography and requested the court to examine these objections.
The hearing in the Bhojshala case will continue on Thursday.
The HC has been regularly hearing four petitions and one writ appeal since April 6, contesting the religious nature of the monument.
