The Chennai Super Kings enter the final lap of the ongoing Indian Premier League’s preliminary phase, looking to beat back the challenge of a resurgent Delhi Capitals here on Wednesday and get closer to a play-off berth.
CSK returned to winning ways with a convincing victory over the Mumbai Indians, a bogey team at their fortress in Chepauk, and would be hoping to pick up two more points against the Capitals, who have struggled in the tournament for the most part.
While the top-order batters (Conway with 457 runs, Gaikwad with 292 runs, and Ajinkya Rahane with 245 runs) have been doing a great job, the middle-order hasn’t fired as much as the think-tank would have hoped for. The experienced Ambati Rayudu (95 runs in 11 games) and Ravindra Jadeja (92 in 11 games) haven’t gotten going, making for a floundering middle order. Skipper M.S. Dhoni has managed the cameos expected of him whenever he has gotten in.
The team will be hoping that the middle order is not put to the test in a crunch game. Dhoni and the CSK fans will be praying for the likes of Rayudu, Moeen Ali, and Jadeja to rise to the occasion when it matters the most. The big-hitting Shivam Dube has so far collected 290 runs (from 9 innings) and will be eyeing bigger contributions in key games.
Tushar Deshpande, with 19 wickets so far, has done a fine job, but his economy rate of 10.33 and giving away runs at crucial junctures have hurt CSK at times. The captain would like him to be more thrifty with the ball. Jadeja, as always, has struck crucial blows, while slinger Pathirana will be keen to continue the good run, like against MI.
The DC batters have underperformed, but Salt has expressed confidence that they can turn it around in the remaining games. Skipper David Warner has not been his usual ebullient self, and the batting line-up, which includes Mitchell Marsh and Rovman Powell, among others, has flattered to deceive. As the season wound down, DC managed to keep their chances alive by winning four of their last five matches.
Whether the team can sneak into the top four remains to be seen. They will need to perform very well if they aim to surprise CSK in their den, which is easier said than done. For that, the DC batters need to come to grips with the spin challenge expected to be posed by CSK, and the bowling department needs to find ways to contain the methodical Conway and Gaikwad first before dealing with the others.
