On Saturday, a sea of yellow will sweep the roads leading to the Feroz Shah Kotla ground and fill the stands during Chennai Super Kings’ last league encounter against host Delhi Capitals.
Seen as Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s final IPL appearance in the Capital, the match has attracted more attention than the previous six league matches hosted here this season. Clearly, the former India skipper is among those few who enjoy a pan-India following.
With the Delhi Capitals already out of reckoning for a place in the playoffs, a sizable number of home supporters could turn out in yellow to support the legend.
Though there could be nothing better for Dhoni to sign off with a win that would ensure CSK a place in the playoffs, he knows it is important for the team to stay focussed on the job against an unpredictable Capitals.
Dhoni’s men are well aware that despite struggling this season, Capitals has scored over Gujarat Titans and Royal Challengers Bangalore, the two among the top four teams on the points-table.
For CSK, the consistency of the top-order batters and the wicket-taking abilities of the lesser-known bowlers have come handy.
In contrast, more often than not, Capitals suffered owing to the inconsistency of its top-heavy batting line-up. Even after losing the first five matches, if Capitals manages to finish ahead of Sunrisers Hyderabad, it should applaud the bowlers.
Prithvi Shaw, the biggest let down for Capitals, did return against Punjab Kings in the previous match with a half-century. But skipper David Warner would continue to look at other overseas batters to contribute more.
How Capitals bowls to in-form openers Devon Conway (498 runs), Ruturaj Gaikwad (425) and surprise-packet Ajinkya Rahane could well serve as a pointer to the outcome of this match. Shivam Dube has looked very effective while Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja have been ordinary.
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