IPL 2021 : CSK v DC Match Preview & Probable XIs

CSK V DC – HEAD TO HEAD : 23 MATCHES

CSK WON : 15, DC WON : 8

2020 was the year of very firsts and it saw CSK, for the first time in the history of IPL, not making it into the playoffs. They appeared to be quite rusty and out of sorts throughout the tournament and finished at no.7 on the points table.

Even in worst of your times, there may be some positives to look at. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sam Curran’s performances were the silver lining for CSK. Although M.S Dhoni’s returns as a finisher were quite underwhelming but Ravindra Jadeja compensated for that pretty well. It will be interesting to see Dhoni’s approach this time, whether he decides to bat up the order or not and if he’ll be able to turn it around given it’s been only 5 months since the last IPL.

Delhi Capitals have improved significantly over the last few seasons under the influence of coach Ricky Ponting. From finishing last in 2018, they ended being as the runner-ups in 2020. They would like to get their hands around the IPL trophy this time around.

Getting to the teams, CSK will be happy with the fact that their ‘Chinna Thala’, Suresh Raina is back. Quite evidently, they missed him badly in the previous IPL and would want him to be at his best. CSK have also added the likes of Moeen Ali and Cheteshwar Pujara through the auctions and they also have Robin Uthappa among their ranks, who was bought as a result of a trade deal.

Delhi Capitals, on the other hand, will be missing the services of star batsman and their captain Shreyas Iyer. DC had the likes of Steve Smith and Ravichandran Ashwin but they decided to go with Rishabh Pant as the captain. It will be interesting to see how he approaches his innings with the bat, now that he has an added responsibility over his shoulders.

There are quite a few concerns for DC regarding the team selection. Axar Patel tested positive for Covid-19 and will be unavailable. They will also be without the pace duo of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje. Chris Woakes and Umesh Yadav are likely to come in for both of them.

Probable XIs :

CSK : Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir

DC : Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Chris Woakes, Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav