New Delhi [India], May 6 : Chennai Super Kings (CSK) spinner Akeal Hosein played a pivotal role in his team's dominant eight-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals (DC) on Tuesday night, and reflected on his strategy behind dismissing in-form batter KL Rahul and his approach to bowling in the powerplay.
Hosein, who dismissed Rahul for 12 runs off 13 balls, highlighted the importance of field placements in the dismissal.
"Changing ends wasn't my call; it was the skipper's call. But you have to be open-minded and ready for any challenge. Some grounds have bigger sides, some smaller, but sticking to the plan is key," said Hosein during the post-match press conference.
"I wanted to force KL Rahul to hit to my boundary fielders. With a long-off and mid-wicket in place, I knew if he had to score boundaries, he would need to clear those areas. Fortunately, he got caught trying to go over long-off, which worked well for me," the CSK spinner added.
The West Indian spinner also discussed his mindset while bowling in the power play, a phase where he believes discipline is crucial.
"You need both mental toughness and skill, especially on pitches that are not conducive to spin. It's all about being disciplined. With only two fielders out in the power play, you cannot afford to be too greedy or go searching for wickets. Sticking to the plan and bowling economically is key," Hosein said.
Hosein's disciplined approach during the powerplay phase and his strategy against Rahul played a key role in CSK's control over the match. In four overs, the left-arm spinner conceded 19 runs and took the massive wicket of DC opener Rahul.
CSK defeated DC by eight wickets in their IPL 2026 encounter at Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday. DC posted 155/7 in 20 overs, with a late 65-run partnership between Tristan Stubbs (38) and Sameer Rizvi (40*) helping them reach a respectable total.
CSK's spinners, led by Noor Ahmed (2/22), Akeal Hosein (1/19), and pacer Gurjapneet Singh (1/29), dominated the DC batting line-up.
Chasing 156, CSK had a slow start, losing Ruturaj Gaikwad early. However, Sanju Samson (87* off 52 balls) and Kartik Sharma (41* off 31 balls) shared an unbroken 114-run partnership to guide CSK to victory with 15 balls to spare.
Samson's aggressive 50 off 32 balls and Sharma's finishing touch with a six and a boundary ensured CSK's comprehensive win, keeping their playoff hopes alive. CSK now sit sixth on the points table with five wins from 10 matches.