Overview
The Delhi Daredevils play the Chennai Super Kings in a dead rubber, with Delhi the only team not in contention for the playoffs. CSK have qualified already, but need to win one of their remaining two games to hold on to the second spot, which could be usurped by KKR should they win against SRH.
The results have simply failed to go Delhi’s way after a tumultuous season that has seen them change captains and Rishabh Pant hanging on to the second highest run-scorer spot in the tournament. Can they end their tournament on a high despite being doomed to the last position, or will CSK inflict yet another defeat upon them?
Squads
Chennai Super Kings
MS Dhoni (c), Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Faf du Plessis, Harbhajan Singh, Dwayne Bravo, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Kanishk Seth, Lungi Ngidi, Dhruv Shorey, Murali Vijay, Sam Billings, Mark Wood, Kshitiz Sharma, Monu Kumar, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Imran Tahir, Karn Sharma, Shardul Thakur, N Jagadeesan, David Willey.
Delhi Daredevils
Shreyas Iyer (c), Rishabh Pant, Glenn Maxwell, Gautam Gambhir, Jason Roy, Colin Munro, Mohammed Shami, Amit Mishra, Prithvi Shaw, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Daniel Christian, Jayant Yadav, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Trent Boult, Manjot Kalra, Abhishek Sharma, Sandeep Lamichhane, Naman Ojha, Sayan Ghosh, Liam Plunkett, Junior Dala.
Where the teams stand
Chennai Super Kings
Chennai have been reliant on their batting to bail them out of trouble the same way SRH relies on their bowlers. Dhoni has expressed disappointment regarding the performances of his bowlers in many a post-match press conference, and with good reason. They have often been leaky, with the fielding standard set by them not the highest either. None of the bowlers, save perhaps Jadeja, have been consistent in earning breakthroughs and low economies, and that will be a huge concern for them ahead of the playoffs.
With batting being their obvious strength, Dhoni will surely want to field first on winning the toss. Rayudu is in the form of his life after his century in the previous game against the best bowling attack in the tournament. Dhoni has also been in sublime form, while the rest of the batsmen have all been hitting the ball well, contributing with big innings’ whenever needed. Delhi’s attack gas also been expensive in the season so far, and this batting will relish this battle.
Fantasy Picks: Their entire batting lineup is worth having. Rayudu and Dhoni are the top picks, while Raina and Watson have looked in good touch as well. Jadeja has been excellent with the ball, making him another worthy pick
Delhi Daredevils
One feels for Rishabh Pant after his consistent performances for Delhi. Far too many of them have gone in vain due to a lack of support on the other end, or the bowlers failing to contain the opposition batsman. Shreyas Iyer has failed to accelerate the scoring rate after settling in, while Delhi’s opening combination has failed to establish any stability. Delhi seems to have succumbed to the losing mentality that can creep into teams who are running out of answers to their woes, making for yet another disappointing season that is showing no sign of improvement.
Delhi’s bowling has to be the one to win them this game. Chennai’s batting lineup is far too strong for DDs severely under-performing lineup, and the big names from their ranks must shoulder the responsibility of saving the match. Boult has been quite successful when it comes to picking up wickets, but he has been very expensive throughout. Mishra has been the most economical, and Iyer must utilise him earlier in the innings. He might just earn them some breakthroughs too. On winning the toss, Delhi must bowl first and try dismissing the Chennai batsmen cheaply. If they fail to do so, it might be yet another disappointing night for the Daredevils
Fantasy Picks: Pant, Iyer, and Shaw have been their top batsmen so far. Boult has been amongst the wickets, albeit with a high economy. Mishra is a safe pick, while Shankar could be a handy pick as well.
Prediction
CSK win. They have been patchy with the ball but will back themselves to get this one.
Can the Super Kings get the job done against the Delhi Daredevils? Let us know in the comments and poll below.
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