SHARJAH: Opener Shikhar Dhawan (101) hit his maiden IPL hundred while Axar Patel pulled off three sixes in the final over as Delhi Capitals moved to the top of the table with a tense five-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings last night.
Dropped on 25 and 79, Dhawan made full use of the lives to raise his best IPL knock as the Capitals overhauled a stiff 180-run target with one ball to spare.
Sam Curran bowled an exceptional 19th over, giving away just four runs to keep CSK in hunt.
Capitals needed 17 runs off the final over and Axar Patel played a blinder of a knock, hitting three sixes off Ravindra Jadeja to finish off the game in style.
Earlier, Faf Du Plessis hit his fourth half-century of the season before Ambati Rayudu produced another useful cameo as a collective batting effort propelled Chennai Super Kings to 179 for four.
Du Plessis (58) added 87 runs with Shane Watson (36) after the early fall of Sam Curran. Rayudu hit 45 off 25 balls while Ravindra Jadeja hit four sixes in his fiery 33-run knock. They added 50 runs in 3.3 overs during their unbeaten fifth wicket partnership.
DC now have 14 points from nine games, one more than second-placed Mumbai Indians (12).
Meanwhile, in Dubai A B de Villiers slammed an unbeaten 55 off just 22 balls as Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Rajasthan Royals by 7 wickets.
Skipper Virat Kohli scored 32-ball 43 as RCB chased down the target, scoring 179 for three in 19.4 overs.
Opting to bat, skipper Steve Smith top-scored with a 36-ball 57, while Robin Uthappa smashed a 22-ball 41 at the top as RR posted 177 for six in 20 overs. Chris Morris was the pick of the bowlers, capturing four wickets, while Yuzvendra Chahal claimed two for RCB.
Brief Scores: Delhi Capitals 185-5 in 19.5 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 101*, Deepak Chahar 2-18) beat Chennai Super Kings 179-4 20 overs (Faf du Plessis 58, Rayudu 45*, Nortje 2-44) by 5 wickets
Royal Challengers Bangalore 179-3 in 19.4 overs (AB de Villiers 55*, Virat Kohli 43, Karthik Tyagi 1-32) beat Rajasthan Royals 177-6 in 20 overs (Steve Smith 57; Chris Morris 4-26, Yuzvendra Chahal 2-34) by 7 wickets.