🏏IPL 2023: Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals, 55th Match 🏏

“My goal is not to be better than anyone else, but to be better than I used to be.” ― MS Dhoni

🏏IPL 2023: Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals, 55th Match 🏏

Tag & Logo Credit: Sevenstreaks

Chennai Super Kings will be squaring off against Delhi Capitals in the 55th match of the TATA IPL 2023 at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai today.

Chennai Super Kings have managed to win 6 of their 11 matches in this season so far, and are placed second on the points table. They have 13 points to their tally and a net run rate of +0.409.

The Super Kings are currently second in the points table, while the Capitals are at the bottom.

The Super Kings have won six of their 11 games, while the Capitals have won four of their last five matches.

The IPL has seen the Super Kings and Capitals clash 27 times, with the Super Kings winning 17 and the Capitals winning 10.

On the other hand, Delhi Capitals have won 4 of their 10 matches this season so far, and are placed last on the points table, with 8 points to their tally and a net run rate of -0.529.

D Conway is the Super Kings’ highest run-scorer this season, having scored 458 runs in 11 games at an average of 57.25 and a strike rate of 139.2. Conway has three half-centuries in his past five appearances.

T Deshpande with 19 wickets at an average of 20.84, the right-arm seamer is tied for the season’s best wicket-taker. Deshpande had a four-over stretch of 2/26 against MI and will be looking to recreate that performance against DC.

M Marsh – Mitchell Marsh is a Delhi Capitals right-handed batsman and right-arm medium-fast bowler. So far in this competition, he has scored 120 runs and taken 9 wickets.

CSK vs DC Today Match Pitch Report

Chepauk has always been on the slow side, but it has a lot to offer spinners. Although there were a few high-scoring games early in the season, it is believed that Chennai will generate its customary sort of grass. Batting first will be the best option here.

Chepauk’s surface is batting-friendly, with good aid for batters throughout the game. The surface’s hardness deteriorates as the game progresses.

The surface has no grass covering, making it ideal for spinners. Pacers have virtually little assistance on this course. Another comparable pitch behaviour is likely in this encounter.

Weather Report

Chennai’s weather is overcast. On match day, the temperature is forecast to be approximately 33°C, with 64% humidity and a wind speed of 8.3 km/h. And the visibility is 6 km. During the game, there is no danger of rain.

CSK Predicted Playing XI

Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, MS Dhoni, Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana

DC Predicted Playing XI

David Warner, Phil Salt, Mitchell Marsh, Manish Pandey, Axar Patel, Rilee Rossouw, Aman Khan, Ripal Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Kumar

Average 1st innings score:

The average first-innings score on this wicket is 174 runs.

Record of chasing teams:

The team batting second has great records here. They have maintained a winning percentage of 60 on this ground.

Ajinkya Rahane is a right-handed batsman from Chennai Super Kings. He has stacked 245 runs in this tournament so far.

Philip Salt is a right-handed batsman from Delhi Capitals. He has smashed 151 runs in this tournament so far.

Ravindra Jadeja is a left-handed batsman and left-arm orthodox spinner from Chennai Super Kings. He has marked 92 runs and picked up 15 wickets in this tournament so far.

David Warner is a left-handed batsman from Delhi Capitals. He has hammered 330 runs in this tournament so far.

Maheesh Theekshana is a right-handed batsman and right-arm off-break bowler from Chennai Super Kings. He has taken 7 wickets in this tournament so far.

Ishant Sharma is a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium fast bowler from Delhi Capitals. He has hunted 6 wickets in this tournament so far.

This is usually that time of the season when the top teams are consolidating their positions and bracing for a Playoffs run. IPL 2023 has proved to be an antithesis to such notions and therefore Michael Hussey was quick to state that his side wasn't pursuing that line of conversation at all.

Chennai Super Kings though can see a tiny chasm between themselves and the chasing pack. With two of their three remaining games to be played at home, they will believe they can maintain, maybe even extend, the daylight to the logjam right behind.

Victory against Mumbai Indians, as MS Dhoni conceded, was most opportune. Not only did it create the aforementioned breathing room, it helped arrest a strange, three-game sequence without a win.

It would appear that particular game also helped brush the cobwebs off some other arrowheads in their quiver. Deepak Chahar found his PowerPlay efficacy to supplement the team's middle-overs smarts as well as the Pathirana-provided thrust at the death.

What to expect: Sultry evening conditions after a few days of showers in the city. CSK last played a night game on April 27.

Chennai last hosted a night game on April 21. So quick re-calibrations will be needed. MS Dhoni wanted to bat first against Mumbai Indians and was out-voted by the rest of the brains trust. Chasing could once more become the more unanimous choice this time around.

Head to Head: CSK 17-10 DC. Chennai's 91-run win over Delhi last year featured a familiar name from the class of 2023: Devon Conway. CSK rode on his 49-ball 87 and defended 208 with ease in Navi Mumbai.

Team Watch:

Chennai Super Kings

Injury/Availability: Hussey confirmed that Ben Stokes was available for selection having checked off all fitness criteria. He also enjoyed a lengthy batting session on the eve of the game. However, at this stage he is only likely to replace Moeen Ali and against a Capitals team that has lost most wickets to spin this season (30 at ER 7.43) and with three key left-handers in the top-six, CSK are unlikely to make that swap for this game.

Delhi Capitals

Injury/Availability: Anrich Nortje flew back home for a personal emergency ahead of the RCB camp. He remains unavailable for this clash in Chennai.

Tactics & Matchups:

Ruturaj Gaikwad has been dismissed four times this season to wrist spin. So, Kuldeep Yadav will be an obvious match-up option if Gaikwad bats out of the PowerPlay. The challenge for DC however will be to defend against Conway, who has hit left-arm spinners at a strike-rate of 203.85 without once being dismissed by them in this season. Then there's also Shivam Dube, who has a strike-rate of 165.33 against spin.

Did you know?

- Delhi last beat CSK at Chepauk in 2010 and have lost six matches in succession since.

- In a season of diminished home advantage, CSK still are the only team to have won more than they've lost at home (Won: 3, Lost: 2)

- Mitchell Marsh has taken 9 wickets in IPL 2023 - the most he has picked in an T20 tournament/series. He is also DC's leading wicket taker of the season.

What they said:

"Well obviously the balance that Phil [Salt] provides as a wicket-keeper is a starting point and knowing is his scoring ability when he's able to get in and get going. And we just knew the way he plays, you're just gonna have to be patient because he is fairly high risk with the way he bats. But that also makes him so incredibly dangerous when up and going like, we've seen the games where he scored the runs into the two 50s that he's got, it's against world-class bowling and he's taking him down." - DC Assistant Coach Shane Watson on the impact of Phil Salt.

"I don't think I've ever been involved in a tournament where the table is so tight. So it would be so dangerous to start looking ahead and start thinking about a final finishing position because if you take your eye off, then we'll get ourselves into trouble. So it's not even been a topic of conversation at all. Obviously, we're dreaming about it [the Playoffs]. And hoping, but there's a lot of hard work to be done before." - CSK batting coach Michael Hussey on casting one eye on the Playoffs.

In the last 15 T20 games at the Chepauk, the average first innings score has been 161 runs. The team chasing the total has won the previous three games at this venue this season. The pitch might offer a lot of support to both batters and bowlers in this game. Pacers have accounted for 55% of the wickets taken at this venue, while spinners have claimed the remaining 45% of the wickets.

1. Prioritize selecting spin bowlers from both teams, as they are likely to have a significant impact on the match.
2. Include all-rounders who excel in both spin bowling and batting, like Ravindra Jadeja, as they can contribute with both bat and ball.
3. Choose top-order batsmen who have a good track record against spin bowling, as they will face the majority of the spin attack.
4. Don’t forget to include MS Dhoni in your team, given his strong connection to Chennai and his experience playing in these conditions.

Thanks for the tag and thread, Madz!❤️