🏏Tata IPL 2024: Delhi Capitals vs Chennai Super Kings, 13th Match🏏

🏏Tata IPL 2024:  Delhi Capitals vs Chennai Super Kings, 13th Match🏏

Credit:WildestDreams

Tags Credit: Sutapasima

Delhi Capitals have had an interesting relationship with their "home" venue.

Back in 2019, when they did get a full season at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Ricky Ponting wasn't shy of making his displeasure known about the slow and sluggish pitches that worked against a side full of stroke-makers. 

And as if on cue, the pandemic and the covid protocols ensured that they didn't play a single game at the venue for the next three years.

When DC returned to their usual home base last year, they did so without Rishabh Pant and looked lost as a side. Perhaps losing five of the seven matches was defensible. 

This year, then, made for the perfect opportunity for reconciliation, especially with the return of Pant and the work that went into quickening up Delhi's pitches before the World Cup.

That fence-mending between a side and its troubled history with its home venue is going to happen but only later. Because the Women's Premier League just got over there and the pitches in Delhi need to recuperate. So for now, DC starts this home stretch at Visakhapatnam, a place Ponting has embraced.

"This is our second home for this tournament, we know that. This is a home ground tomorrow, not a neutral ground by any chance," the head coach said. "We have our first two games here, and we are going to make sure that this is the place we can win. Tournaments have been won mainly by teams at home, and we are at home tomorrow, and we expect to win the game."

Standing in Ponting and DC's way will be Chennai Super Kings, who know a thing or two about winning at home.

 Incidentally, this will be the first game they play away from home this season and Eric Simons, their bowling consultant, has already stressed the importance of "adapting quickly" on the road.

The fixture is an interesting meeting point for the two teams. DC, with two losses from two away games, are set to play a "home" game against a side on four points and that's playing its first away game. 

Ponting has already promised "more intent" and a "lot more aggression" than the first two games, and how that augurs against a side as nonchalant as CSK will be something to watch out for.

Pitch report-- 

What to expect: Simons said that the pitch had a lot of grass rolled in and felt it would be a "good cricket wicket" which could have some bounce going by what he saw on the side pitches on the square. That said, there's always some swing available in the humid Vizag air and new-ball bowlers should be able to get some help. Across 8 IPL games at this venue, 61 wickets have fallen to pace and 36 to spin.

Team Watch:

Delhi Capitals

Injuries/Availability: Ponting confirmed that Jhye Richardson is fit and available for selection. Ishant Sharma is likely to continue on the sidelines where Shai Hope will take things "nice and easy" on the eve of the game, Ponting said.

Tactics & Matchups: Ponting felt that bringing Lalit Yadav's offspin was an option to counter the left-handers in CSK. Also, watch out for DC spinners bowling to CSK's designated spin-hitter Shivam Dube.

Probable XI: David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Ricky Bhui/Prithvi Shaw, Rishabh Pant (w/c), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Sumit Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar [Impact Sub: Lalit Yadav]

Chennai Super Kings

Injuries/Availability: There are no injury concerns here.

Tactics & Matchups: Ruturaj Gaikwad against left-arm pace is developing as an interesting match-up, with the CSK captain out to the bowling type twice in two innings. Khaleel Ahmed will be itching to bowl with the new ball to him.

Probable XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Rachin Ravindra, Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Sameer Rizvi, MS Dhoni(w), Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mustafizur Rahman [Impact Sub: Matheesha Pathirana]

Did you know?

- CSK and DC have faced only once at Vizag before. It was in Qualifier 2 of the 2019 IPL, which CSK won

- The average score batting first in Vizag is 157

- DC have never finished in the top six once they have lost the opening two games of the season

What they said:

"We had a couple of chats about our cricket and the consensus out of those meetings is that we have played some really good and bad cricket. So, we need to find somewhere in the middle where we can play consistently good cricket over 40 overs" - Ricky Ponting on DC's season

"He has made a bit of technical change which has made a big difference. One of the things we have seen is his bouncer becoming more effective... that just adds another weapon to your arsenal. I don't think he's swung it as much as he can; he's working on a few things to get the seam in a better position so his best is yet to com" - Eric Simons on Deepak Chahar

Go CSK

Thanks for the tag Madhu.

May the best team win.

Cheers..

Thanks for the tag...hope CSK wins again today. 💛💛

Though it is DC's home ground (how on earth, I have no idea), it will be a neutral ground for both.  So, can DC produce a miracle?

Ok I got it.  There are three reasons.

1. Because later part of  WPL was played in Delhi and curators need time to make it available for IPL 2024.
2. The timing of India's general election
3. Some teams are preferring to make other cities as their home ground to build popularity outside their original base.  PBKS and RR did that already.

Cheers..