CSK v DC: IPL MATCH 55 PREVIEW

We are into the final stages of the tournamnet where every match is a must win game for 3-4 teams. LSG & GT have their one foot in the playoffs with 16 points while RR is knocking on the doors with 14 points. DC, SRH are tied at 10 points from 10 games, while RCB need to win 2/3 games with big margins. The season is over for MI, while CSK and KKR need a miracle to qualify.

DC have the highest scoring rate in PP (9.39). The duo of Shaw & Warner registered 4 consecutive partnerships of 50+ but Shaw has registered low scores in the past few innings and missed the last game. Warner on the other hand is going strong with 5 scores of 40+. Middle order had been DC's achilees heal uptil now. None of their batters had managed to score a 50 till Rovman Powell in the last game against SRH. Marsh who was supposed to bat 3 had to sit out due to injuries & Covid and that was a major reason behind DC's chopping and changing at the no 3 position. Khaleel Ahmed & Kuldeep Yadav have been the surprise elements in the bowling department. Especially, Kuldeep when he had a horrid time in last 2 seasons. He now has 18 wkts out of which 17 have come in the middle overs.

If the Super Kings win all their remaining games, still their qualification chances are almost minimal.. A vintage MS Dhoni finish helped them gain another 2 points in the game against their arch rivals Mumbai Indians but probably left it little too late for him against PBKS & RCB. What changed for CSK is their bowling in PP. In the 1st 4 games, they had picked up just 1 wkt in the PP. In the last 6 games, they have picked up 13 wkts courtesy Theekshana and Choudhary who have picked majority of the wkts. It would be interesting to see if CSK swap Moeen for Santner again or continue to persist with him . CSK were always known for batting deep but this time they don't have the riches lower down the order. There were few games where Pretorious was underutilised as a batter and Jadeja's poor form with the bat hasn't helped their cause either.

Probable XI

Delhi Capitals

Prithvi Shaw, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Rovman Powell, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel/Ripal Patel, Shardul Thakur, Khaleel Ahmed, Kuldeep Yadav, Mustafizur Rahman/Anrich Nortje .

Chennai Super Kings

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja (c), MS Dhoni (wk), Moeen Ali/Santner, Dwaine Pretorious, Mahesh Theekshana, Mukesh Chaudhary, Simarjeet Singh.

Venue

Dr DY Patil Stadium

CSK: Played 7, Won 5, Lost 2
DC: Played 3, Won 1, Lost 2

-Average Total batting 1st: 156.4
-Average Total batting 1st: (In 2022: 167.5)
-Avearge 1st innings winning total: 173.5

-Highest total: 216/4- CSK vs RCB, 2022

-Total Match Played: 32
-Batting First Won: 13
-Batting Second Won: 19

Head to Head

Overall: CSK leads by 16-10
Batting 1st: CSK leads by 9-3
Batting 2nd: Both teams have 7 wins each
Last 5 matches: DC leads by 4-1

Match Ups

Uthappa v Axar: 86/2 at 105 sr
Dhoni v Axar: 75/0 at 119 sr
Moeen v Axar: 15/2 at 107 sr

Warner v Jadeja: 92/0 at 155 sr
Pant v Jadeja: 62/2 at 147 sr
Axar v Jadeja:59/0 at 168 sr
Shaw v Jadeja: 41/1 at 157 sr

Dhoni v Kuldeep: 46/2 at 164 sr
Mooen v Kuldeep: 45/1 at 300 sr
Rayudu v Kuldeep: 24/2 at 100 sr

Form Update
(last 5 innings)

Key Players & Fanatsy Picks

Captain/Vice Captain

David Warner: One of the most consistent batters in the history of the league. Warner had marked his presence in this season with 3 back to back half centuries. He has 7 50+ and 2 40+ scores in his last 14 T20 innings. Shaw & Warner are one of the most lethal opening pairs of the tournament. They have now put up 4 consecutive scores of 50+ and that too at an excellent RR. Last match was the 1st time Warner to played against SRH and scored 92*.

Rovman Powell: Promoted to no 4 against Eng in the t20i series in Jan, Powell smashed a scintillating 100 and announced his comeback in the national side in style. There were expectations of similar fireworks in IPL, but he failed in the 1st half. His entry point were questionable in few games since he is still vulnerable against leg spin but he has played 4 back to back amazing knocks and scored 171(87).
1st non opener to score a 50 for Delhi this year.

Devon Conway: Just like his intl career, he has started his IPL career on a high note. In the 1st 3 innings of all 3 formats, Conway has scored atleast 2 50s and repeated the same in IPL with back to back scores of 88 and 56.

Budget picks
(Fanatsy rating: 8/8.5 points)

Mahesh Theekshana: He has the most wkts by a spinner in Powerplay this season.

Mukesh Chaudhary: 11 wkts in 9 game, 2nd most by an uncapped fast bowler.

Wild Card

Rishabh Pant: The DC skipper has gone past 30 five times this year but hasn't converted any of those starts into a big score. Today might be that day.

Prediction: Winners - CSK. Since DY Patil is assisting spinners, CSK with 3 spinners is going to be an uphill task for any batting side the way Theekshana, Jadeja, Moeen, Santner have bowled this year.

Fanatsy XI