Rejuvenated Chennai eye fourth victory of Dream11 IPL 2020 against impressive Delhi Capitals

A Chennai Super Kings team which would be spurred on by their victory against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in their previous game will take on the high-flying Delhi Capitals as they aim to resurrect its campaign. A victory against the Capitals will put Chennai back in contention for the top 4. Delhi on the other hand will be keen to wrap up a playoffs spot as quickly as they can, and a win against CSK will be a step in that direction for them.

Chennai desperately needed a spark, and Sam Curran provided it for the Men in yellow. Opening the batting ahead of Shane Watson, Curran’s 21-ball cameo of 31 was just the sort of explosion that the somber Chennai batting needed. That innings allowed the Chennai middle order to pace their innings to their strength and put up a competitive 167 on the board. If it was Curran at the beginning of the innings, it was the other all-rounder in their ranks, Ravindra Jadeja who was the inspiration at the fag end of the innings. A 10-ball 25 was the perfect finish to their innings.

Chennai will be hoping that Dwayne Bravo has worked his way back to his best - his 2/25 from 3, 2 of those overs bowling at the death will be a sigh of relief for the Superkings. Chennai will derive strength from the number of bowling options they had. Once Chennai had runs on the board, Dhoni the master could control the game from behind the stumps, switching the bowlers around according to the situation. With 3 all-rounders, all of them who can bat in the top 7, Chennai now looks a much more potent side.

The Capitals look like a strong unit. On a day when their batting could not put up a winning total, their bowling pulled through. Shikhar Dhawan with consecutive half-centuries seems to be hitting form at the right time. Although Rishabh Pant has been missing in action, the Capitals have had the option to fall back on Ajinkya Rahane which further illustrates their deep bench strength. 

In the bowling department, Anrich Nortje seems to be the next big thing and Delhi have made a worthwhile investment in the Protean paceman. The contest between Jos Buttler and Nortje was one of the most entertaining aspects thus far in the IPL, Nortje cranking up speeds of nearly 100 miles-an-hour. R Ashwin with his subtle variations, Kagiso Rabada with his bags of experience are all pulling their weight, and collectively that has reflected in Delhi’s position on the league table.

The previous time these two teams met, Delhi inflicted a 44-run beating on the Superkings. However, the Superkings look rejuvenated and the contest might be much closer this time around. A smaller ground in Sharjah will again prove to be a challenge for the bowlers who might get hit for a six or two. However, the tracks of late have slowed down considerably and the ball has taken turn. The two apparently forgotten spinners of the Indian team, at least in the limited-overs format, Ashwin and Jadeja will be trying to one-up each other, and whoever comes out on top might well decide the fate of the game.