Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals, IPL Match 7, Dubai
Pro tip
Have a couple of top-order batsmen but go big on middle-order batsmen.
Our XI: 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Faf Du Plessis (c), 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk & vc), 6 MS Dhoni, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 Lungi Ngidi, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Kagiso Rabada
Substitutes: Prithvi Shaw, Shane Watson, Ravindra Jadeja, Marcus Stoinis
Note: We might not always be able to tip you off about late injury (or other relevant) updates, so please finalise your team after the toss.
Player availability:
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There is little clarity on the extent of R Ashwin’s shoulder injury but we are expecting him to sit this game out as a precautionary measure.
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Dwayne Bravo still hasn’t recovered completely from his knee injury and Ambati Rayudu has picked up a minor hamstring injury. So both of them are out of this game but are expected to be back for the Super Kings’ next game.
Captain: Faf Du Plessis
Du Plessis has already scored 130 runs in two innings at a strike rate of 160.49 and we expect him to continue the good work. Since he fields in key positions, you could get a few points for some catches too.
Vice-captain: Rishabh Pant
Since the start of IPL 2019, Pant has scored the most runs in the middle overs – 356 runs at a strike rate of 143.54. Batting at No. 5 can be tough in UAE conditions, but he’s got the talent to pull it off
Hot picks
Sam Curran: Curran is filling the void left by Bravo with some terrific performances. He has already picked up four wickets and scored some crucial runs for the Super Kings. More than anything else, he has the knack of making things happen.
Shikhar Dhawan: Dhawan missed out in his first outing and will be eager to make a statement this time around. Since 2018, he strikes at 139.76 against pace. The absence of Harbhajan Singh, the bowler who got Dhawan out twice last season could be another reason to have him in your XI.
Shreyas Iyer: On big grounds where running ones and twos is key, Iyer is a great pick. Since 2019, he has scored 53.16% of runs in ones and twos. He scored a confident 39 against Kings XI, including three big sixes, so he can go big as well.
Differential Players
Anrich Nortje: With the Super Kings openers struggling to score freely, Nortje could have a big role to play. He has picked up 27 wickets in 23 T20 games at a good economy of 7.57.
Shimron Hetmyer: He is capable of destroying bowling attacks in the matter of overs and while his consistency is a cause for concern, he is someone worth gambling on. Hetmyer scored 267 runs including three fifties in CPL 2020 and ended up as the fourth-highest run-getter in the tournament.
Points to note
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Going by the first few games, batsmen have found the going easier in the second innings. So, it is better to have your captain from the team batting second.
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If R Ashwin recovers from the shoulder injury and plays this game, replace a Capitals batsman with him.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo