Delhi Capitals will look to enter their first final in IPL. (Source: IPL)Delhi Capitals will face off against Chennai Super Kings in the second qualifier on Friday, as the Shreyas Iyer-led side look to book their ticket to Indian Premier League 2019 final. If DC were to surpass the defending champions in the do-or-die knockout, it would be their first entry in IPL final in the history of the tournament.
DC finished at the last spot in the tournament, but have been revitalised this season with a new name and under the dual-leadership of Ricky Ponting and Sourav Ganguly. But if anything, the two-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator, once again showed DC’s ability to make things difficult for themselves in crucial stages of the match, much like they have done most of the season.
Young players vs experienced campaigners
In the do-or-die clash against SRH, rose two youngsters for DC – Rishabh Pant and Prithvi Shaw – to script the win. This is what DC is all about – young talent. The skipper of the side, Shreyas Iyer, has been good nick, and forms the backbone of the team, with Shaw and Pant and young South African batsman Colin Ingram forming the core of the team. Apart from Shikhar Dhawan at the top, the majority of DC’s batting line-up comprises of young cricketers.
Rishabh Pant slammed 49 runs in 21 balls in Delhi’s 2-wicket win. (Source: PTI)For CSK, on the other hand, it is all about veterans. The 37-year-old skipper MS Dhoni forms the backbone along with Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, and Imran Tahir. For DC’s young guns, it would be a big task to challenge CSK’s veterans, who are in good form at the moment and have the experience of playing on the big stage in pressure situations. The task in hand for DC would be to keep their calm and not let things go out of their hand, just how it almost went away from their grasp on Wednesday, after Rishabh Pant’s fall.
DC vs CSK – Results in this season
Delhi have faced Chennai twice this season in the round robin stage, and have failed to win either of the two games. The first time the two teams faced off each other, it was a home game for Delhi and turned into a low scoring contest. CSK took their time to chase down 148 but managed to pull off an easy six wickets.
Chennai Super Kings spinner Imran Tahir . (BCCI)The second time the two time meets, DC were bowled out for 99, with Tahir picking up four wickets and giving away just 12 runs in 3.2 overs. The past results this season is bound to put pressure on Delhi, considering, they have not been able to solve the CSK puzzle even once this season.
Squads:
Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (captain), Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Murali Vijay, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Shorey, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Rituraj Gaikwad, Dwayne Bravo, Karn Sharma, Imran Tahir, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Mohit Sharma, K M Asif, Deepak Chahar, N Jagadeesan, Scott Kuggeleijn
Delhi Capitals: Shreyas Iyer (captain), Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant(wicketkeeper), Colin Ingram, Keemo Paul, Axar Patel, Rahul Tewatia, Amit Mishra, Kagiso Rabada, Ishant Sharma, Hanuma Vihari, Ankush Bains, J Suchith, Manjot Kalra, Chris Morris, Sherfane Rutherford, Jalaj Saxena, Sandeep Lamichhane, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Nathu Singh, Bandaru Ayyappa, Colin Munro.
