Overview
At the business end of the IPL’s league phase, it is about calculations, permutations and combinations. The race for playoffs is so tight that even one of the form teams of the tournament so far – Chennai Super Kings (CSK) – is yet to stamp their place in the next round. CSK looked in good position to qualify, but a six-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders has put a spanner in their works. They now have to beat Delhi Capitals to cement their place in the playoffs.
If CSK come out victorious against Delhi, and Lucknow Super Giants slip to a loss against Kolkata Knight Riders, then MS Dhoni’s side will play Qualifier 1 on their home ground at Chepauk. However, in case CSK slips to defeat, then they would require either Royal Challengers Bangalore or Mumbai Indians to lose their next match.
For a moment, let’s leave all the permutations and combinations and concentrate on the match itself. For CSK, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube have been the cornerstones of the batting unit. Although, after a bright start to his IPL 2023 campaign, Gaikwad has lost a bit of steam, evidenced by the 236 runs he has scored in his last 10 innings. Tushar Deshpande and Matheesha Pathirana, in their contrasting styles, have led the pace attack. Meanwhile, Ravindra Jadeja has led the spin attack. On a slow turner at Arun Jaitley Stadium, he might again turn out to be a trump card.
On the other hand, with just 10 points to their name, Delhi would look to end their campaign on a bit of a high. In their previous game, they played spoilsport for Punjab Kings by beating them. Delhi would hope to do something similar to CSK. On paper, Delhi have an array of shot-makers. But the conditions at home perhaps doesn’t suit their style of play. In their previous game, Rilee Rossouw gave an indicator of where Delhi could have gone wrong this season by playing a brilliant hand in good conditions for batting in Dharamsala. On the bowling side of things, Delhi have a formidable pace attack comprising Ishant Sharma, Anrich Nortje, Khaleel Ahmed and Mukesh Kumar. The Delhi think-tank would again look for a fine all-round show from Axar Patel.
Venue Details and Time
Arun Jaitley Stadium. Delhi. 3.30 PM.
Expected conditions
As it is an afternoon game, the ball could grip a little more. As per the forecast, there is no chance of rain.
Head-to-head
CSK lead the head-to-head 17-10. They have also won five of seven matches in Delhi.
Impact Player and Possible XIs
CSK could look at Pathirana as the Impact Sub while Mukesh is an option for Delhi.
Delhi Capitals: David Warner (C), Prithvi Shaw, Rilee Rossouw, Phil Salt (WK), Axar Patel, Aman Khan, Yash Dhull, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Khaleel Ahmed, Ishant Sharma.
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (C, WK), Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande.
Also Read: End of an Era for KKR as Lucknow Look to Seal Play-off Spot