Chasing 163 runs for victory in Delhi on Friday, May 18, Chennai batsmen could not cope with the slowness of the pitch and some effective bowling by Delhi, and were restricted to 128-6 in their 20 overs, thus losing the game by 34 runs.

Barring Ambati Rayudu, who scored 50 runs off 29 balls, not many Chennai batsmen could get into any kind of rhythm as none of their big guns, Shane Watson (14 off 23), Suresh Raina (15 off 18) and MS Dhoni, who got 17 off 23, could play a long innings.

Captain Shreyas Iyer was satisfied with a win for a team that was only playing for pride. “We were craving this victory, and coming against one of the best teams is satisfying,” he said.

Crediting Patel, he said, “It wasn’t easy to bat on this wicket, and Harshal coming at No.7 in that last over was amazing. That performance was not expected and that just goes to show what he is here for. That last over played a major role in getting us to 162.”

Patel put the victory down to better execution of plans. “We stuck to our plans and executed really well. It’s all about consistency (in four-over spells), so they are more important than batting cameos. I had been batting well in the nets. My only plan was to see ball, hit ball, and I knew if the bowler misses his length I am going to hit it out of the park,” he said.