IPL 2019: Can CSK put out the Capitals' fire?
With a change of name came a change of fortunes for the Delhi-based franchise (from Daredevils to Capitals), as they 'dared' to dream the unimaginable and made the IPL playoffs after 7 long years. Finishing in the bottom half of the points table or with the wooden spoon had become a bit of a habit for the team, but in the IPL 2019 season they have ended up on the winning side against most teams - except Chennai Super Kings.
Previous encounters
CSK have a win percentage of 70% against Delhi, with their head-to-head being 14-6 in 20 matches. This season they have managed to get the better of DC both times, with Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer saying after the most recent match that 'the loss was a good reality check.'
Form
The Capitals are coming into this bout in red-hot form, having won two back-to-back matches, while the Super Kings have been less than super, having lost two. DC may even have an edge as they just played a match at the Visakhapatnam Stadium, and have a good understanding of the conditions. The Eliminator between DC and SRH was the first time this season a match had taken place at the ACA VDCA Stadium in Vizag.
Team news
Delhi Capitals
While they got outplayed in all departments the last time these two teams met, Delhi may look to play left-arm spinner Jagadeesha Suchith tomorrow as he managed to get the two big wickets of Shane Watson and Suresh Raina, the latter of whom was batting at a high strike rate. That said, they wouldn't want to tamper with a winning formula either, especially since they emerged victorious in the Eliminator on this same pitch.
Probable XI
Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Colin Munro, Axar Patel, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Trent Boult, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma.
Chennai Super Kings
The team is known for backing even its under-performing players, and not changing their playing XI. It's unlikely that that mindset will change going into the second qualifier.
Probable XI
Shane Watson, Faf Du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir.
Match prediction
Even if the Super Kings are a bit battered or wounded after coming off a couple of losses, the team has a knack for winning big matches, and as history tells us making it to the IPL finals. But the revamped Delhi Capitals are looking to continue their journey of re-writing these said books.
While a firm prediction cannot be made on who will win, this is definitely going to be a hard fought and exciting match, just like the entire 2019 season has been!
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