We are just a couple of days into the 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and have already witnessed some mouth-watering clashes. It was Chennai Super Kings who began the tournament with a resounding victory against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. It was a thoroughly professional performance by the whole team which saw them winning the opener by 7 wickets and with 16 deliveries to spare.
It was a great effort by the spin trio of Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir and Ravindra Jadeja as they bagged 8 wickets between them. Harbhajan was the wrecker in chief bagging the two prized wickets of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. He showed that even at the twilight of his career, Bhajji is a threat to even some of the stalwarts of the game.
Imran Tahir backed him up brilliantly and finished off the tail with a 3 wicket haul. Jaddu, on the other hand, contributed with a couple of wickets. It was a rank turner and the RCB batters had no answer to the CSK spinners. Eventually, RCB were bowled out for a paltry 70 runs which were never going to challenge Chennai. RCB bowlers fought hard but eventually the target was way too less in the end.
Delhi Capitals will look to surprise Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings has always been one of the finest teams in IPL. They have already won the tournament 3 times and will be looking to win their 4th title. In their next encounter against the Delhi Capitals tomorrow at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi. There is no doubt about the fact that CSK will start as the favourites. However after DC’s performance against Mumbai Indians yesterday, CSK will be up against a confident unit who is eager to change their fortunes this year.
Delhi Capitals started off their campaign with a resounding 37 runs victory against the Mumbai Indians yesterday. The victory was largely built around a stunning knock of 78 runs of just a mere 27 deliveries which was studded with 7 fours and 7 sixes. It was an exceptional knock to say the least. The youngsters took on the opposition bowlers with disdain which included the No 1 ODI bowler in the world Jasprit Bumrah.
Courtesy his special knock, Delhi Capitals managed to post a mammoth score of 214 runs in their allotted 20 overs. Colin Ingram and Shikhar Dhawan also scored 47 and 43 each. With the ball in hand, Ishant Sharma and Kagiso Rabada were the most successful bowlers bagging a couple of wickets each. All in all, it was a good all-round performance by Delhi Capitals and they will surely look to carry on their form in tomorrow’s clash against the Chennai Super Kings.
Date and Venue:
The match will be played at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi.
Pitch report
The surface at the Feroz Shah Kotla has been traditionally batting friendly and it is expected to be no different tomorrow. It should be a high scoring match and with players like Rishabh Pant and MS Dhoni in both the teams we might be in for a classic encounter. The Delhi pitch had been deemed unfit in 2009 after several Sri Lankan batsmen got injured during an ODI match. However, we can expect a belter in New Delhi tomorrow.
Weather Report:
Conditions in New Delhi is expected to be cool especially given it is an 8 pm start. Temperature is expected to hover from 16 to 31 degrees. No rain is expected and it should be an uninterrupted match tomorrow.
Match Prediction
Chennai Super Kings will definitely start as favourites. However, Delhi Capitals have some exceptional players in their ranks who can change the complexion of the game within a matter of moments. It was on display yesterday when Rishabh Pant smashed a sensational 78 of a mere 27 deliveries. Hence I will go with Delhi Capitals to win tomorrow’s clash. I know not many will agree with my prediction but look out, Delhi Capitals might eke out Chennai tomorrow.