Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 got underway with a humdinger in Chepauk. The attention will now shift to Wankehde Stadium, Mumbai, where Delhi Capitals (DC) will play Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The Super Kings do have a superior IPL record, but it must be remembered that 2020 was when they failed to make it to the Playoffs for the first time. And that was just six months ago.
To make things worse, Chennai do not have many cricketers who have played at a lot of cricket the highest level in the interim period. MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo, even Ravindra Jadeja: the list is long. This is not a mere theory, for they had looked rusty in 2020. They will not be playing in Chepauk, either.
Delhi, on the other hand, have come out of their tag of underperformers. They made it to the top three in 2019. Then, in 2020, they finished runners-up for the first time. They would love to believe that this is part of an upward trend. Shreyas Iyer will be missed as batsman and captain, but whatever Rishabh Pant touches these days seems to turn into gold. What if he is the one?
The Wankhede pitch has supported the Mumbai Indians pace attack in the past. Chennai do not have an out-and-out fast bowler. But with Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje not available, Delhi will have to play both Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma for that extra yard of pace. They will not have Axar Patel, either: he has tested positive for Covid-19. On the other hand, the only major Chennai cricketer to miss out is Lungi Ngidi.
Chennai’s advantage lies in their incredibly deep batting line-up. Sam Curran, Jadeja, Moeen Ali, Dwayne Bravo – the list of all-rounders is too long to ignore. Shardul Thakur may have to bat at No. 10 and Deepak Chahar at No. 11. That will give them the licence to go hammer-and-tongs from the first first ball.
Delhi do seem to have the stronger squad, but the absence of Rabada and Nortje may even that out. They may also struggle if they have to pick at least two of Shikhar Dhawan, Steven Smith, and Ajinkya Rahane in the XI. A change in batting order, perhaps, to tackle the Powerplay? Promoting Marcus Stoinis may not be a bad idea. Or, for that matter, Sam Curran, when Chennai are concerned.
Head to head
Chennai Super Kings hold a 15-8 lead here (in other words, they have won almost twice as Delhi Capitals). However, Delhi won both matches last year.
Key players
Prithvi Shaw (Delhi Capitals): Shaw was criticised, even ridiculed, after failing in the Test match at Adelaide in December. He responded by setting a new record for most runs in a single edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He struck at 138, and his third-highest score was 165. Watch out.
Suresh Raina (Chennai Super Kings): How badly did Chennai miss their Chinna Thala in the UAE? Raina had left before the tournament began, for personal reasons. This time, however, he is back – and it will be surprising if he is not keen on compensating for missing a season.
Likely XIs
Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Marcus Stoinis, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Steven Smith, Shimron Hetmyer, Chris Woakes, R Ashwin, Umesh Yadav, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma.
Chennai Super Kings: Sam Curran, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, K Gowtham, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar.
Prediction
Delhi Capitals to win a close contest.