IPL 2021 Qualifier 1: Delhi and Chennai will battle to reach the final, know Playing 11

Delhi Capitals vs Chennai Super Kings Qualifier 1: Tomorrow i.e. on Sunday, the first qualifier match of IPL 2021 will be played between Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals and MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings. This match will be played from 7:30 pm Indian time. Chennai Super Kings team will start as a strong contender for victory against Delhi Capitals in the first qualifier on Sunday on the back of players having immense experience of playing in big matches. Delhi team topped the league stage with 20 points. Delhi maintained its consistency despite the tournament being postponed mid-way due to Kovid-19.

Chennai have made it to the playoffs again after missing out last year. Out of the 12 IPLs he has participated in, his team has reached the playoffs 11 times. However, losing three consecutive matches in the end would have been an exasperation for his captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Delhi also had to lose their last match. KS Bharat of Royal Challengers Bangalore shocked Delhi in this match by hitting a six off the last ball. This did not affect his condition, but his confidence must have been shaken.

Chennai Super Kings has made it to the final eight times so far, out of which it has become the champion three times. This shows that the team has the ability to perform at its best in times of need. Chennai has been relying on its aged experienced players and does not change its team much. Although there is also a talented young player in the team in the form of Ruturaj Gaikwad. Dhoni’s principle is clear, trust only those who have been tried, those who have experience and this is the reason why there are players like Ravindra Jadeja, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo and Faf du Plessis in his team. Apart from these, there are players of international level like Josh Hazlewood and Moeen Ali and former Indian captain Dhoni knows what kind of combination he wants.

Dhoni knows that he has not been in good form for a long time. He has scored only 96 runs in 14 matches. IPL legend Suresh Raina also managed to score 160 runs in 12 matches, but he has batsmen like Gaikwad (533 runs) and Plessis (546 runs) who have often given the team solid starts. Jadeja (227) has been showing his batting prowess in the last overs.

Similarly, Shardul Thakur (18 wickets in 14 matches) is showing amazing in bowling. But Dwayne Bravo (12 wickets) is always ready to make a useful contribution. Hazlewood could not regain form but Dhoni kept his faith in him.

At the same time, Delhi Capitals may have won 10 matches in the league stage, but their batting did not show the same confidence. Prithvi Shaw (401 runs) and Shikhar Dhawan (544 runs) played some good innings but their batsmen could not dominate the UAE stage. Captain Rishabh Pant (362 runs) was able to perform well in pieces. The balance of his team has been disturbed due to the injury of Marcus Stoinis. Shiman Hetmyer played a good role in the death overs, but no other batsman has been able to do so. Delhi’s strong side is its bowling. Avesh Khan (22 wickets), Axar Patel (15 wickets), Kagiso Rabada (13 wickets) and Enrique Norkia (09 wickets) have played their roles very well so far.

Probable playing XI of Chennai Super Kings- Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (captain and wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar and Josh Hazlewood.

Probable Playing XI of Delhi Capitals- Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Steve Smith, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (captain and wicketkeeper), Shimron Hetmyer, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan and Enrique Nortje.