IPL 2018: In-form CSK Takes on Depleted Delhi in Quest for Top-two Finish
Dec 22, 2018 at 4:43 PM
Another game and another opportunity for Delhi Daredevils (DD) youngsters to showcase their talent. This time, they are going to play against the tactical master Mahendra Singh Dhoni. As Delhi is already out of the tournament, they would like to spoil the party of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) confirming their top-two finish on Friday (May 18) night.
Chennai Super Kings – Would like to continue winning momentum:
Talk about the consistency, then, the first name to be listed would be Ambati Rayudu as far as the Indian Premier League 2018 is concerned. He has been in a great nick and knocking the ball as sweetly as it can get. He is fresh from a sensational tonne and would love to carry on the same against Delhi.
Shane Watson and Suresh Raina too got back into their own while Dhoni tops the list for having the highest batting average in IPL 2018.
England pick Sam Billings caught the eye of Dhoni to retain his spot while Dwayne Bravo and Jadeja proved to be an icing on the cake.
The bowling department is the worrying factor for Super Kings right from the word go. David Willey failed to keep it tight while Lungi Ngidi picked up a little niggle issue. However, the return of Deepak Chahar has been an added boost while Shardul Thakur is slowly finding his rhythm back.
However, Harbhajan Singh and Jadeja are delivering the required goods for the team while Karn Sharma never got the chance to express himself as all-rounders did their job to the perfection.
All in all, they would like to take those two points in their kitty against underperforming Daredevils.
Delhi Daredevils – Would like to delay top-two finish for CSK
The positive thing that could be for Delhi is that they haven’t got any pressure on their shoulders to be a worried team. They are already out of the tournament and the only thing left for them is to enjoy the game at their home ground.
The batting department is once again expected to be filled with youngsters in the team.
Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant have been the pillars of the team while Prithvi Shaw is showing some class at the top order.
The foreigners have been the biggest disappointment for Delhi as they have literally done nothing for the team.
Trent Boult has come good on a couple of occasions but the batting department has been a complete failure. However, it would be interesting to see whether Daredevils ask them to take the field in a dead rubber.
The bowling department has been taken to cleaners by Virat Kohli and his men in the previous game. With the likes of Rayudu, Watson, and Dhoni, Delhi as a unit need to be on their toes in order to come good for the team.
However, with shorter boundaries on offer and world-class batsmen set to take the field, it would be another high-scoring thriller tonight.
Match Details:
Possible Playing XI:
DD: Amit Mishra, Jason Roy, Trent Boult, Harshal Patel, Vijay Shankar, Shreyas Iyer (c), Junior Dala, Rishabh Pant (wk), Sandeep Lamichhane, Abhishek Sharma, Prithvi Shaw
CSK: Harbhajan Singh, Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Ambati Rayudu, David Willey, Deepak Chahar, Sam Billings, Shardul Thakur
Pitch Report – Wicket is once again set to be a nightmare for the bowlers.
Weather Report – Not a great news as rain is in the forecast.
Date & Time – 18th May 2018, 20:00 IST
Venue – Feroz Shah Kotla, New Delhi
Live Telecast – Star Sports Network, Jio, and Hotstar Premium Customers.