CSK VS DC preview:
While Chennai had an awful IPL last year as they finished at the penultimate position in the points table, Delhi narrowly missed out on their maiden IPL title after losing against Mumbai Indians in the final. The two sides will look to kick off the IPL 2021 campaign with a win. Both teams are filled with some of the best T20 batsmen in the world which is why runs will be scored in abundance. Ahead of the CSK vs DC clash, let’s take a look at the players who have scored the most numbers of runs in the contests between the two sides.
Having finished 7th in IPL 2020, CSK would be somewhat under pressure to keep the ball rolling. Not that CSK had or have a bad team. It is just the form of a few key players that troubled them last year. With a capable leader in MS Dhoni, CSK would be willing and itching to get back to winning ways, and be the team they used to be.
While international cricket is slowly and surely adding excitement to cricket, there can be nothing like IPL when it comes to competitive T20 cricket. It is after a long wait of two years that IPL will be played in India, but much to everyone’s disappointment, it will be played behind closed doors.The second match of the 14th edition will be played between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals. The two teams had contrasting fortunes last year and they both would want to make a better impact this year. Chennai Super Kings would once again want to get back amongst the top teams whereas Delhi Capitals would want to continue to build on their solid last year’s performance. Both sides had excellent auctions and will be confident before their first match, which is to be played at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on 10th April 2021.
CSK skipper MS Dhoni looked completely off colour, which added to the team’s woes. in IPL 2021, CSK would look to revive its fortunes as the side managed to bring some new faces to the side.
Josh Hazlewood, one of CSK’s marquee bowlers for IPL 2021, decided to opt out of the tournament last week. Chennai, however, have got another Australian speedster in form of jason Behrendorff as a replacement of hazlewood. Since Ravindra Jadeja is returning from a long-term injury, CSK might decide to ease him in.
Chennai Super Kings have been one of the most consistent performers in the IPL history. Except for last season, they have qualified for playoffs in all the seasons. They also hold the record for reaching the finals of IPL for most times in the tournament history so far. On the other hand, Delhi Capitals have been doing well in the last few seasons. They are yet to win a title in IPL and reached the finals for the first time last season. This year, Delhi and Chennai will play against each other at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai,Eden Gardens and Kolkata.
There was great excitement for Delhi Capitals ahead of last year’s final, however Trent Boult took the wicket of Marcus Stoinis with the first ball to get their game off to the worst possible start. The Capitals will be missing their two South African pace bowlers for this fixture, Nortje and Rabada still in isolation. DC Key Players Shikhar Dhawan – Delhi Capital’s aggressive opening batsman ended the 2020 IPL season with the second highest aggregate run total in the competition of 618. He hit two centuries, four half-centuries and averaged 44.14 with a strike-rate of 144.73.Rishabh Pant in IPL-13 was one to forget who delivered very little until a 38-ball 56 in the final against Mumbai Indians. However since then, he has taken Australia by storm, obliterated England in all three formats and is now captain. Capitals will be hoping to see more of this and a return similar to the 2018 season when he hit 684 runs. Steve Smith – if there was any argument about the strength of this tournament, the fact that Steve Smith isn’t guaranteed a starting place should end the debate.
Delhi Capitals were the side to watch in the first half of IPL 13 before falling away and losing all momentum ahead of the final. They have the players and now need to find consistency at the right times to clinch that first title.
Delhi Capitals Predicted Playing XI:
Shikhar Dhawan,Marcus Stoinis, Prithvi Shaw, Steve Smith, Ajinkya Rahane, Shimron Hetmyer, Rishabh Pant (c) (wk), Chris Woakes. Axar Patel, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma
Chennai Super Kings Predicted Playing XI :
faf du plessis,Robin Uthappa,Suresh Raina,Ambati Rayudu,Dwayne Bravo,MS Dhoni(c)(wk),Ravindra Jadeja,Sam curran,Deepak Chahar,Shardul Thakur and Moeen Ali
Pitch conditions:
The wicket is going to be the same Wankhede pitch which offers reverse swing with the old ball and Good for batting as it won’t get slower. Batting first teams will look for 180-190 minimum because if dew comes into the play it will make the job easier for the team chasing. So winning toss would be crucial so that chasing will make victory easier for the team which wins the toss.