In 30 matches they have played against each other so far in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Chennai Super Kings have won 19 while Delhi Capitals have bagged 11. But while CSK have the IPL title five times, Delhi Capitals are still searching for their maiden title going into their clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Saturday.
However, going into their first clash of IPL 2025, Delhi Capitals seem in a better position with two wins in two matches and are placed in second position while CSK are eighth among 10 teams with one win from three games.
The five-time winner have suffered their biggest-ever defeat at home whereas DC have done well both in bowling and batting. CSK also go into the match with injury concerns as skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has suffered an elbow injury during the match against Rajasthan Royals and in case he sits out, former captain MS Dhoni will lead the side. Devon Conway is likely to come in his place.
CSK is also facing concerns over their batting with their middle-order failing to hold its own in all the three matches. Their bowling is also a bit suspect despite the success of spinner Noor Ahmad as they conceded their highest-ever score at home a few days back.
The concern for Delhi Capitals will be to maintain their consistency in their first away match of the season. They can't afford to take CSK lightly.
Chennai Super Kings have some quality players in their lineup. My plan (against them) is simple, I want to pick wickets and keep things tight at the same time. Length is very important. I'm focusing on what lengths to bowl at. Moreover, getting the ball to turn has been my strength, and I want to continue doing that.
Kuldeep had words of praise for his counterpart, Noor Ahmed, who is currently the leading wicket-taker in the competition.
Noor (Ahmed) is bowling really well, and he is someone who is trying to learn from everyone. We had a chat last night about bowling leg spin as well. He has some good pace also, so it's very difficult for a batter to read him and especially when you play in Chennai.
"I believe a wrist spinner, whether you bowl right or left arm, you have to adapt and you have to learn the skill of spinning the ball, and that's what I have done over the years. Even now, I just look at how I can improve,” he further explained while talking about the specialty of wrist spinners.
The focus will also be the pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium because DC looks capable of exploiting whatever is offered to them. If the pitch offers a turn, they have spinners like Axar Patel, and Kuldeep Yadav to exploit it. Delhi has not won a match at Chepauk Stadium in 15 years as their last win came here in 2010.
Probable Playing XIs
Chennai Super Kings: Devon Conway, Rahul Tripathi, Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt)/Rachin Ravindra, Shivam Dube, Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, Anshul Kamboj, MS Dhoni (wk), R Ashwin, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad.
Delhi Capitals: Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abhishek Porel (wk), KL Rahul, Axar Patel (capt), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Kuldeep Yadav, Mitchell Starc, Mukesh Kumar.
