IPL 2021 | DC vs CSK | Qualifier 1 Preview: It's pupil vs master as IPL moves in to battle of nerves

CSK VS DC

Match Preview

There is a newborn rivalry in the Indian Premier League between the Delhi Capitals and the Chennai Super Kings although the men in yellow have had an established legacy as winners of the IPL trophy on more than one occasion while Delhi only catching up and ruling the show in the last few seasons.

In the first place, the change of name brought a change in fortunes as the Capitals registered a playoff berth for the second time on the trot. They finished as the runners up in the last edition. 

The two sides will be up against each other once again in the first qualifier match of this season’s IPL. The Capitals ended the league stage as the table toppers while CSK followed them at number two. 

While both the teams have been dominant in the majority of the season, they would be coming into this match after suffering defeats in their previous matches. CSK faced a batting collapse against Punjab Kings and then witnessed a batting masterclass from KL Rahul. 

The script for DC in their last match against Royal Challengers Bangalore was a bit different as the sides made sure that the last day of the league stage was filled with excitement and eventually a nail-biting finish. Chasing a stiff target of 165 in 20 overs, RCB needed six off the last ball. 

DC pacer Avesh Khan who was bowling the final over first bowled a wide delivery down the leg and was then hit for a maximum by KS Bharat who was in different form on Friday. It was surely a disappointing end to the match for DC and captain Rishabh Pant admitted the same during the post-match presentation. 

“Not feeling great at the moment, these are the kind of games you'd need to win, but we did put in our 100%,” he said. The defeat didn’t really play much role as far as the points table is concerned but the Delhi Capitals would have got the momentum before going into an important fixture. 

But the Rishabh Pant-led side can boost the confidence as they clinched victories on both occasions against Chennai Super Kings in this edition. The high-voltage drama in Mumbai saw heaps of runs being scored from both the ends and at a brisk pace. While CSK batted first and put 188/7 in 20 overs on the board, DC chased down the target in the 19th over itself. 

The second match saw the bowlers having a good day at the office as both the teams faced issues with their batting units. CSK managed to score 136/5 in 20 overs in Dubai while  DC chased down the target by three wickets with just two balls to spare. 

But as they say, let bygones be bygones. 

The teams will walk out in the middle afresh and some new strategies. 

 

 

. 

MS Dhoni’s silent weapon

CSK’s Shardul Thakur is making a habit of picking up wickets at crucial junctions. The pacer has proven to be the trump card for MS Dhoni whenever the CSK captain needs to get the breakthrough and he would play a key role in repeating what he has been doing for quite a while now. 

Experienced, equipped all-rounders

The Chennai Super Kings side comprises two of the most experienced all-rounders in their ranks, Dwayne Bravo and Ravindra Jadeja. Bravo brings a lot to the table for CSK. He can chip in with quick runs, is a good fielder and most importantly has the ability to deceive the batsmen in the death overs with his slower ones. 

Jadeja on the other side has impressively improved as a batsman and scores runs quickly while has the ability to pick up wickets in the middle overs. Apart from this, his fielding abilities don’t really need much introduction. The left-hander takes good catches in the deep but is on point while throwing the ball from a distance. 

Confident batting unit

Openers Ruturaj Gaikwad has been in some sublime form. He along with Faf du Plessis has made the top order look pretty strong. Apart from these two, Ambati Rayudu is another important batsman in the unit who can fetch runs at a good scoring rate. 

DC’s opening- A concern 

The Delhi Capitals opener Prithvi Shaw hasn’t really had a great run in the second half of this edition. In fact, he finally got some runs in the last match against RCB where he managed to score 48 during the course. But Shaw’s form is surely a major concern for the team management considering the importance of this game. 

Shikhar Dhawan who opens the innings with Shaw would need support from the other end in the initial phase of the innings to put up a good score. 

Impressive Avesh Khan

For some who wouldn’t have followed this season’s IPL, Avesh Khan wouldn’t be an impressive bowler. Ofcourse, the right-hander was hit for a six on the last delivery that eventually cost them the game. But Avesh’s talent is way more than that one ball. 

He has scalped the wickets of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli during the course of the tournament and is presently the second-highest wicket-taker in the competition. One major ability that this young lad has is that he has a certain plan for every batter whom he bowls to and this would be pretty helpful for DC when they take the field on Sunday. 

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Delhi Capitals:

Shikhar Dhawan scored 124 runs in the two matches vs CSK in the league stage (85 off 54 balls and 39 off 35 balls). The left-hander has made three 20+ scores in his last four matches, so will today be the day he goes past 50? He has the third-most runs in IPL 2021, with 544 at an average of 41.84 and strike rate of 128.

Dhawan loves playing CSK. In 25 matches against them, Dhawan has ammassed 901 runs at an average of 42.90 and strike rate of 129.27. Also, Dhawan has been solid in Dubai this season, with scores of 42, 39 and 43.

Prithvi Shaw has not been able to replicate his first leg form in the second, but his 48 vs RCB might just be the catalyst to a change in form. Shaw did score a whirlwind 72 (37) vs CSK early in the season, but has a modest record overall vs CSK (9 inns, 213 runs, avg. 23.67, SR 147.92).

Also, Shaw averages just 20.50 in 10 matches Dubai. Can he improve on these numbers in a big game?

Shreyas Iyer :- It is a big game for Shreyas Iyer who has scored 47*, 2 (vs CSK) and 18 at Dubai this season. Overall vs CSK, Iyer has struck 235 runs in 10 matches at an average of 26.11 and strike rate of 110.33.

Rishabh Pant to produce a big innings? The DC skipper has a great overall record vs CSK, with 252 runs at an average of 42.00 and strike rate of 156.62. He has made scores of 35*, 15 (vs CSK) and 10 at Dubai this season, so the time is now to make a substantial score.

Axar Patel has been brilliant in IPL 2021 (10 inns, 15 wickets, avg. 16.73, econ. 6.43). He was player of the match against CSK on this ground last week (2/18), and has a total of five scalps in three matches on this ground this season.

Avesh Khan has been a revelation this season, with the second-most wickets (22, avg. 17.31, econ. 7.38). Three of them came against CSK (2/23 and 1/35), but he has just the one wicket to his name in three matches at Dubai in IPL 2021.

Anrich Nortje has taken nine wickets in six matches this season at a superb average of 13.88 and economy rate of 5.59. He has taken at least one wicket in every match, including five in three games at Dubai.

Probable XI

Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Ripal Patel/Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan

Chennai Super Kings:

 Ruturaj Gaikwad cope with Delhi’s pace? He has scored 13 and 12 since his majestic 101* vs the Royals, so he will be looking for a big response today.

He has just the 23 runs in three innings vs DC at an average of 7.67. However, a player with such a brilliant record this season (14 inns, 533 runs, avg. 44.41, SR 137.01) can never be discounted.

Faf du Plessis :-  A 25+ score coming for Faf du Plessis? The right-hander has struck four scores of 25+ in his last five matches, including 76* in his last outing vs Punjab on this ground. Also, he averages 30.27 in 11 innings vs Delhi.

Moeen Ali :-  This is a big game for Moeen Ali, who has fallen away a little with 43 runs in his last four innings. Also, Moeen has struggled at Dubai this season, with just five runs in three innings, including two ducks.

He scored 36 (24) and 5 (8) vs DC in the league stage, and could be a key bowler against DC’s left-handers. He is always a player to watch given his ability to deliver on any given day.

Ambati Rayudu has been one of the real positives of CSK’s season. His 256 runs come at an average of 32.00 and strike rate of 153.29, including knocks of 23 (16) and 55* (43) vs DC. Overall for CSK vs DC, Rayudu has scored 244 runs at an average of 61.00 and strike rate of 148.78.

Ravindra Jadeja has struck 459 runs since the beginning of IPL 2020 at an incredible average of 57.38 and strike rate of 157.37. Overall for CSK vs DC, Jadeja has scored 188 runs in 12 innings at an average of 31.33 and strike rate of 146.88. He also has 14 wickets in 15 innings at an average of 24, including 2/28 last week on this ground.

Dwayne Bravo will be key at the death. He was expensive vs DC last week (1.4 overs, 1/20) and went the distance vs Punjab too (0/32 off two overs). However, before that, Bravo was superb, taking figures of 3/25, 3/24 and 2/17.

Overall for CSK vs DC, Bravo has 16 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 23.19.

Shardul Thakur :-  Need something to happen? Call on Shardul Thakur. Thakur has been outstanding in the UAE leg, with 13 wickets in seven matches including 2/13 in four overs vs DC. Importantly, he has taken at least one wicket in each of those seven matches.

Probable XI

Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Robin Uthappa/Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Josh Hazlewood

Stats and Facts

Head-to-head: Matches 25, DC 10, CSK 15.

Delhi Capitals beat Chennai Super Kings twice in the league stage, and have won their last four matches against them.

Ashwin has dismissed just two right-handers in IPL 2021 at an economy of at 8.1 compared to 6.3 against left-handers.

Shimron Hetmyer will be key as DC’s finisher. With some luck, he did score a crucial 28 off 18 balls to beat CSK last week. His 188 runs this season come at an average of 37.60 and strike rate of 170.90.

Kagiso Rabada is wicketless in his last three matches, including vs CSK. He does have five wickets in four matches against them at an average of 21.20, and strikes every 17 deliveries at Dubai (16 wickets). He is capable of bouncing back.

Deepak Chahar has dominated Prithvi Shaw in T20 cricket, with six dismissals in 56 deliveries for just 62 runs.

Pitch Report

The last two matches in Dubai have seen the batsmen being among runs in the second phase of the game and the track is expected to behave in the same manner. The bowlers might find it difficult to put a halt on the scoring rate, especially in the later half. So, if you win the toss, elect to field first

final team here