With their backs to the wall, Chennai Super Kings finally got its third win against Sunrisers Hyderabad to keep its hopes alive in the competition. On Saturday it will take on the in-form side Delhi Capitals in Sharjah.
In the previous encounter between the two sides, Capitals’ spinners Axar Patel and Amit Mishra applied the pressure in the middle overs to defend 175 easily winning by 44 runs.
The Build-up
With six wins Delhi Capitals are close to sealing its place in the playoffs and a win against CSK on Saturday will get them closer to that mark. However, the team has been affected by injury concerns.
Amit Mishra and Ishant Sharma were the first two to be ruled out the event. Then Rishabh Pant picked up an injury that has forced him on to the sidelines for the time being.
Just as it was coping with these setbacks, Shreyas Iyer injured his shoulder in the last match against Rajasthan Royals.
Shreyas has been in good form while leading the side ably as well. If the stylish batsman is not available for Saturday's match, then it creates more selection headache for the side.
For CSK, the crucial thing will be how it adapts to the smaller ground in Sharjah. The team played its second match here against Rajasthan Royals and conceded more than 200 runs but has since then played most of its games in Dubai.
However, the wickets have since slowed, which should bring its spinners into play. In the last match against SRH, the team took the first strike for the first time this tournament and probably left a few runs on the table though it did not cost it much. Against a strong Delhi side, such misses can prove costly.
The key men
The match will boil down to how the CSK top order of Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson handle the threat from Axar Patel and R Ashwin, both of whom have been exceptional so far. Sam Curran opened the innings in the last match but whether the team persists with a left-hander especially with Ashwin in top form, will be one to watch out for.
For the capitals, the form of Prithvi Shaw is a concern and if Shreyas is not fit, the youngster will need to step up and take charge. But apart from its spinners, Kagiso Rabada and Andrich Nortje, with their sheer pace can pose a lot of trouble for an unsettled CSK batting unit.
Head-to-head: Total matches: 22 CSK 15; DC 7.
Squads
Chennai Super Kings: Murali Vijay, Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (Captain & Wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Kedar Jadhav, Deepak Chahar, Piyush Chawla, Lungi Ngidi, Karn Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Imran Tahir, Shardul Thakur, Monu Kumar, Mitchell Santner, R. Sai Kishore, N Jagadeesan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KM Asif
Delhi Capitals
Shreyas Iyer (Captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Shimron Hetmyer, Kagiso Rabada, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Sandeep Lamichhane, Keemo Paul, Daniel Sams, Mohit Sharma, Anrich Nortje, Alex Carey (Wicket-keeper), Avesh Khan, Tushar Deshpande, Harshal Patel and Lalit Yadav.
Match: IPL 2020 Match 34 DC vs CSK
When: Saturday, October 17, IPL 2020 7:30 IST
Where: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
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