IPL 2021: 3 players you can pick as captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the CSK vs DC match
Match 2 of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) sees the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) take on last year's finalists Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
CSK enter the campaign with a squad that is well-rounded on paper, but most players haven't featured in a lot of top-level cricket in the recent past. The team's fortunes will hinge heavily on the performances of skipper MS Dhoni, who will be firmly in the spotlight during IPL 2021.
DC, on the other hand, should be able to contend for a playoff spot with ease despite the loss of regular captain Shreyas Iyer. 23-year-old Rishabh Pant will be up against the man who he replaced in the Indian cricket team, and he'll have a lot of responsibility on his young shoulders.
CSK's squad for IPL 2021: MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Narayan Jagadeesan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KM Asif, Karn Sharma, Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar, Faf du Plessis, Shardul Thakur, Mitchell Santner, Dwayne Bravo, Lungi Ngidi, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Imran Tahir, Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, K Gowtham, Cheteshwar Pujara, M Harisankar Reddy, K Bhagath Varma, C Hari Nishaanth, R Sai Kishore, Jason Behrendorff
DC's squad for IPL 2021: Ajinkya Rahane, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Prithvi Shaw, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rishabh Pant, Shikhar Dhawan, Lalit Yadav, Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Chris Woakes, Anrich Nortje, Steve Smith, Umesh Yadav, Ripal Patel, Lukman Hussain Meriwala, M Siddharth, Tom Curran, Sam Billings, Pravin Dubey, Vishnu Vinod
Here are 3 players who could be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the CSK vs DC IPL 2021 game.
#3 Marcus Stoinis (DC)
Marcus Stoinis was one of DC's best performers in their run to the final in IPL 2020. The Aussie contributed regularly with the bat, even winning a couple of Man of the Match awards for blitzkriegs at the death.
Although he was a touch underutilised with the ball, Stoinis could have an increased role to play this year under a new captain, especially for the first game. DC will be without their two premier fast bowlers Anrich Nortje and Kagiso Rabada, who are serving their week-long quarantine.
Stoinis' experience and explosiveness will be of utmost importance in a DC middle order that is not only without Iyer but also has a number of sedate batsmen. He is a good choice to be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the CSK vs DC IPL 2021 game.
#2 Sam Curran (CSK)
Another all-rounder who was at the centre of everything good for his team last year, Sam Curran seems to have only improved since. The Englishman, who was one of the few bright spots in a dismal campaign for CSK in IPL 2020, comes into this tournament in good form with both bat and ball.
Curran cracked an unbeaten 95 in the final ODI against India recently, nearly taking his team over the line and giving CSK fans hope of a high strike rate in the middle overs. The all-rounder is also expected to take the new ball alongside Deepak Chahar, with even Lungi Ngidi unavailable for the game against DC.
As the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the CSK vs DC IPL 2021, Curran could return a huge points haul.
#1 Shikhar Dhawan (DC)
Shikhar Dhawan finished second on the Orange Cap list in IPL 2020, holding up one end of the opening combination as his partners failed miserably on a consistent basis. The responsibility on his shoulders has only increased, and he'll need to replicate his performances from last year.
Dhawan can be backed to do so. The southpaw lost his place in the Indian T20I team, but roared back to form with two stellar innings in the ODI series against England. He also has an in-form partner in Prithvi Shaw, who could relieve pressure in the powerplay if he gets going.
Dhawan's match-winning century against the Men in Yellow last year is still fresh in memory. He is another good choice to be the captain or vice-captain of your Dream11 team for the CSK vs DC IPL 2021 game.