New Delhi, May 5 (IANS) Chennai Super Kings left-arm pacer Gurjapneet Singh said the sticky and slow nature of the Arun Jaitley Stadium pitch made hard lengths effective for the fast bowlers, as the five-time champions restricted Delhi Capitals to 155/7 in their IPL 2026 clash on Tuesday.

“Of course. The wicket was a bit sticky at the start with the new ball, especially till the middle overs; it was a bit difficult to play from the hard length. So, we are just trying to keep on the same length,” Gurjapneet said to broadcasters at innings break.

The left‑arm quick, who returned with figures of 1-29 in four overs, explained that variations were less important once the surface began to grip. “But when we realised the wicket is like, if you’re keeping on the same length, it’s difficult to hit from the length. So, we’re just trying to stick to the length,” he added.

DC’s innings was marked by another top‑order failure, with KL Rahul and Pathum Nissanka dismissed inside the Powerplay. Nitish Rana, Axar Patel, and Karun Nair also fell cheaply, leaving the hosts reeling at 69/5.

Impact substitute Sameer Rizvi then joined Tristan Stubbs to mount a late fightback through a 65-run stand to take DC to a respectable total. Despite the recovery, Gurjapneet felt CSK had done enough to keep the target within reach.

“I thought we’re going to stop them under 140-145, or something around it. But still, we are okay. We are ready to chase that,” he said. Wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad was the pick of the bowlers for CSK with two wickets, while Akeal Hosein and Mukesh Choudhary had a scalp each too. Despite pacer Anshul Kamboj being a bit expensive at the death overs, CSK’s disciplined effort ensured DC could not push beyond 155.

–IANS

nr/bsk/