🏏IPL 2025-Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals,17th Match 3:30pm 🏏

🏏IPL 2025-Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals,17th Match 5th April, 3:30pm IST at Chennai 🏏

Just three games into the tournament, Chennai Super Kings are already feeling the heat. If that loss to RCB at home rattled them, losing to Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati continued to expose some chinks in their armour. While there has been so much focus on MS Dhoni, CSK's struggles run a lot deeper. Their stronger suit - the bowling attack - allowed RCB to post almost 200 on a sticky surface. Despite finishing strong with the ball against Royals, the opening 12 overs had seen saw them concede 129 runs.

With the bat, the problems are even more glaring. CSK's batting lineup already looks heavily reliant on Ruturaj Gaikwad and there are concerns over the skipper's availability for tomorrow. Rachin Ravindra did contribute in the first two games but the likes of Rahul Tripathi and Shivam Dube haven't fired yet. Completely unlike CSK, changes have already been made involving Deepak Hooda, Vijay Shankar, Sam Curran and Jamie Overton.

Amidst all this, they are now up against a side that is flying high after winning both their games so far. They won a thriller in their opening game despite the top order's collective failure but their middle order collectively stepped up. In the next, the top order made up for it as last season's runners-up SRH were blown away with ease. With an attack consisting of Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel and Vipraj Nigam, a slowish surface might actually play into DC's hands.

Upbeat Delhi Capitals aim for a hat-trick as CSK fret over Gaikwad injury. CSK have won one and lost two games so far, while DC are unbeaten after two matches. All eyes on the Chepauk pitch

Delhi Capitals (DC) have emerged as the early pace-setters, along with Punjab Kings (PBKS), in IPL 2025 while Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have been dreadfully off the pace so far. Having suffered their biggest-ever defeat at Chepauk, in terms of runs last Friday against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), and a much narrower loss away from home against Rajasthan Royals (RR), CSK will be hoping for some home advantage this Saturday. Their captain Ruturaj Gaikwad is under an injury cloud, and if he doesn't recover in time MS Dhoni is likely to captain CSK on Saturday.

After CSK's 50-run defeat against RCB, their head coach Stephen Fleming was spotted having a chat with the pitch curator, with a member of the groundstaff in tow. He then came out to the press conference and expressed his discontent with the nature of the surfaces being rolled out at Chepauk over the past two years. Expecting purchase for the spinners, CSK packed their squad with bowlers of slower variety, but the pitches haven't really aided them.

Three games into the season, CSK are also searching for their best combination. Rahul Tripathi has been struggling at the top while Vijay Shankar, who was swapped in for Deepak Hooda in Guwahati, also fell without making a substantial contribution with the bat. Old-ball specialist Jamie Overton, who was handed the new ball, ended up leaking 30 runs in two powerplay overs.

As for DC, they look in much healthier shape, having recruited experienced super-specialists who have dovetailed beautifully with the youngsters. Faf du Plessis continues to go strong at 40 while Mitchell Starc has hit the ground running this season, with eight strikes in two games at an average of 9.62 and an economy rate of 10.04. Rookies Vipraj Nigam and Ashutosh Sharma have seamlessly slotted into the side and have already played match-winning hands.

Even if Chepauk dishes out a pitch that turns, DC have captain Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Nigam to exploit it and turn the tables on CSK. They look ready to end their 15-year jinx against CSK at Chepauk: the last time they beat them was in 2010 when their current coach Hemang Badani was part of the CSK squad as a player. Badani then transitioned into a coach and led Chepauk Super Gillies to multiple titles in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), which put him back on the IPL radar. Will it be a happy homecoming for Badani?

When: April 5, 3:30 PM IST

Where: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

What to expect: The pitches have been on the slower side so far in Chennai but RCB's new ball bowlers extracted bounce and movement as well. However, with this being an afternoon game, spin is expected to dominate proceedings.

Team news

Chennai Super Kings

Injuries/Unavailability: There is uncertainty surrounding Ruturaj Gaikwad. The home side will take a late call on their skipper's availability. On the eve of the game, Gaikwad received only throwdowns for a brief period and didn't face the bowlers in the nets.

Tactics & Match-ups:

With Rahul Tripathi struggling up top against pace, there is a case for CSK to drop him down to face spin. Tripathi does hold a pretty good record against DC's most potent spin weapon, Kuldeep Yadav, striking at 200.

Probable XII: Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Shivam Dube, Sam Curran, Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (WK), Noor Ahmad, Matheesha Pathirana, Khaleel Ahmed

Delhi Capitals

Injuries/Unavailability:

T Natarajan is inching closer to making his first appearance in IPL 2025, according to teammate Kuldeep Yadav. However, the wrist spinner noted that he is unlikely to feature tomorrow.

Tactics & Match-ups:

How DC fare against Noor will be interesting to watch. The Afghanistan spinner has dismissed Faf du Plessis thrice in just ten deliveries. The conditions and the opposition might bring skipper Axar Patel more into play tomorrow to thwart CSK's spin trio.

Probable XII: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel, KL Rahul (WK), Axar Patel (C), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar

Form guide

Chennai Super Kings: LLW (Last three matches; most recent first)

Delhi Capitals: WW

If Gaikwad isn't fit for Saturday's game, CSK might bring in Devon Conway at the top and swap out Jamie Overton for a local seamer.

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Devon Conway, 2 Rahul Tripathi, 3 Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt)/Rachin Ravindra, 4 Shivam Dube, 5 Vijay Shankar, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Jamie Overton/Anshul Kamboj, 8 MS Dhoni (wk), 9 R Ashwin, 10 Khaleel Ahmed, 11 Noor Ahmad, 12 Matheesha Pathirana

DC have no reason to change their winning combination unless T Natarajan has recovered fully from a shoulder injury. On the eve of this game, Kuldeep Yadav suggested that Natarajan is an uncertain starter but might be ready to go for DC's clash against RCB in Bengaluru on April 10.

Delhi Capitals: 1 Faf du Plessis, 2 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 3 Abhishek Porel (wk), 4 KL Rahul, 5 Axar Patel (capt), 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Ashutosh Sharma, 8 Vipraj Nigam, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 Mukesh Kumar, 12 Mohit Sharma/T Natarajan

Big question

Conway is no longer New Zealand's first-choice opener in white-ball cricket, but has been an ever-present at CSK, Joburg Super Kings (JSK) and Texas Super Kings (TSK). Perhaps, there's a case for CSK to have Conway open - with or without Gaikwad.

In the spotlight: Khaleel Ahmed and Faf du Plessis

Khaleel Ahmed's swing has been one of the bright spots for CSK in an otherwise bleak start to the season. He has moved the new ball both ways so much that he seems like an upgrade over Deepak Chahar with the ball. However, there's a large discrepancy between his numbers in night and day matches. Since 2023 in night fixtures, he has picked up 11 wickets in 22 innings at an average of 32.18 and economy rate of 7.37. In day fixtures, the numbers diminish to two wickets in five innings at an average of 64 and economy rate of 11.63.

Faf du Plessis, one of CSK's most respected overseas stalwarts, will come up against them at Chepauk. At 40, he continues to tear up powerplays, patrol the hotspots in the outfield, and bring leadership qualities to franchises around the world. His Benjamin Button act in T20 cricket is set to continue at DC and their affiliate franchise in the Hundred, Southern Brave.

Key Stats: Gaikwad on the brink of 5000 T20 runs

CSK have the lowest run rate (7.27) and the worst economy rate (10.22) among all ten teams in the powerplay in IPL 2025

Matheesha Pathirana has dismissed Tristan Stubbs in four innings while giving away just 19 runs off 22 balls in T20 cricket

Watch out for Jake Fraser-McGurk vs Khaleel. Since IPL 2024, the Australian opener has scored 72 runs off 35 balls against left-arm seamers at a strike rate of over 205 while being dismissed three times

Three of the oldest players in IPL 2025 will be in action on Saturday - MS Dhoni (43), du Plessis (40) and R Ashwin (38).

Gaikwad is ten away from 5000 T20 runs. If he plays and gets there on Saturday in his 143rd innings, he will be the joint-fastest Indian to the landmark along with KL Rahul. Chris Gayle got there in 132 innings

Quote

"The environment is amazing, and the vibe is perfect. Obviously, when you win, you celebrate and that's the most important thing."
Kuldeep Yadav on the mood in the DC camp

"He hasn't exactly got going just yet, but we have full faith in him, and he's training really well, so I feel like a big score just around the corner for him."
CSK batting coach Michael Hussey backs Rahul Tripathi to come good

Did you know:

- CSK have won each of their last seven matches against Delhi Capitals at Chepauk.

- This is only the fifth time Delhi Capitals have managed to win their first two games of the season

- CSK scoring at 7.44 in the PowerPlay across their first three games is the lowest among all teams in IPL 2025 and well below the overall average this season - 9.58.

What they said:

"He is bowling really well, and I know him personally, and he is someone who tries to learn from everyone. We had a chat last night as well. Obviously, he has a lovely wrong'un and with that kind of a pace, it's very difficult for a batter to pick, and especially when you play in Chennai, it's always very difficult to score against any wristspinner." - Kuldeep Yadav on Noor Ahmad

"I don't think we've actually thought about that too much. Well, I haven't thought about it too much. I'm sure Fleming and Rutu have thought about that. But we've got some young guy coming through. He's behind the stumps. Maybe he can do a good job. I'm not sure. He's got a bit of experience in the role, so maybe he could do it. But I'm not exactly sure, to be honest." - Mike Hussey on who could lead CSK if Ruturaj isn't fit