Chennai Super Kings enter the last leg of the ongoing Indian Premier League qualifying phase, looking to beat the challenge of a resurgent Delhi Capitals here on Wednesday and move closer to a play-off spot.
CSK got back to winning ways with a convincing victory over Bombay Indians, a bogey team in their Chepauk stronghold, and will be hoping to pick up two more points against the Capitals, who have struggled for most of the tournament.
The Super Kings edged out MI in a low-scoring game last Saturday with the bowlers, Matheesha Pathirana in particular, doing a good job of restraining the opposition. The chase ended without much ado, with contributions from Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway and Shivam Dube.
While the top-order batsmen (Conway 457 runs, Gaikwad 292 runs and Ajinkya Rahane (245 runs) have been doing a great job, the middle order hasn’t shot as much as the pundits would have hoped.
One step closer to realizing the dream 🇮🇳#WTCFinal #WhistlePodu #yellow 🦁💛
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the experienced Ambati Rayudú (95 runs in 11 games) and Ravindra Jadeja (92 in 11 games) haven’t gotten going, making for a shaky middle order. Skipper MS Dhoni has pulled off the cameos expected of him every time he has entered.
The team hopes that the middle order will not be tested in a crucial game. Dhoni and CSK fans will pray for players like Rayudu, moeen ali and Jadeja to rise to the occasion when it matters most.
Big hitter Shivam Dube has so far amassed 290 runs (from 9 innings) and will look for further contributions in key games.
Tushar Deshpande with 19 wickets so far has done a good job but his economy rate of 10.33 and giving away runs at crucial moments has hurt CSK at times. The captain would like him to be more thrifty with the ball.
Jadeja, as always, has landed crucial shots, while Pathirana slingshots will be eager to continue their hot run, like against MI.
Pathirana will be a bowler the Capitals, including the aggressive Phil Salt, who shone in the team’s last game, would be wary of.
DC’s hitters have been underperforming, but Salt has expressed confidence that they can turn it around in the remaining games.
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— capitals of delhi (@DelhiCapitals) May 9, 2023
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Pattern david warner hasn’t been his usual enthusiastic self and the batting lineup that includes mitchell swamp and Rovman Powell among others has flattered to deceive. As the season winds down, DC managed to keep their chances alive by winning four of their last five games.
Whether the team can sneak into the top four remains to be seen. They will have to do very well if they are to surprise the CSK in their lair, which is easier said than done.
For that, DC’s batsmen must face the spin challenge that CSK is expected to present and the bowling department must find ways to contain the methodical Conway and Gaikwad first before dealing with the others.
Veteran ishant sharmawho appears to have rediscovered his mojo, would be someone to watch out for besides pacer Anrich Nortje, Marsh and slow bowlers – Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel.
equipment (of):
Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (cap/week), Akash Singh, Moeen Ali, Bhagath Varma, Deepak Chahar, Devon Conway, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Sisanda Magala, Ajay Mandal, Matheesha Pathirana, Dwaine Pretorius , Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Ambati Rayudu, Mitchell Santner, Subhranshu Senapati, Simarjeet Singh, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, Ben Stokes, Maheesh Theekshana.
Delhi Capitals: David Warner (captain), prithvi shawMitchell Marsh, Sarfaraz Khan, Aman Hakim Khan, Abhishek Porel (week), Axar Patel, Khaleel AhmedKuldeep Yadav, Rovman Powell, Rilee Rossouw, Anrich Nortje, Mustafizur Rahaman, Chetan Sakariya, Mukesh Kumar, Phil Salt, Lungi Ngidi, Praveen Dubey, Lalit Yadav, Ripal Patel, Vicky Ostwal, Ishant Sharma, manish pandeyKamlesh Nagarkoti, Yash Dhull.
The match starts at 7:30pm IST.
