The Chennai Super Kings and the Delhi Capitals are on opposite ends of the curve in terms of their performance in IPL 2024 so far. While Chennai have soared high with their powerful game, Delhi seem to be nose-diving with their ordinary acts on the field. Chennai are yet to lose, Delhi are winless.
That makes it easy to understand how difficult a job it will be for Delhi skipper Rishabh Pant when his team take on Chennai’s might in Visakhapatnam on Sunday. To make matters worse, Delhi do not really enjoy playing in Visakhapatnam, their temporary home, having lost three of the five IPL matches they have played there.
But then, that’s not the biggest hurdle that captain Pant has to cross. Pant needs to worry more about a shaky middle order, a depleted bowling attack, the task to rediscover his own batting prowess post-comeback and of course Chennai’s batting muscle, which look threatening when on song.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni and (right) Ravindra Jadeja during practice, in a picture shared on X on Saturday X
David Warner and Mitchell Marsh make quite a good opening pair for Delhi, but the problem starts thereafter. Ricky Bhui, Pant himself, Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel follow the openers. Do they inspire enough confidence? Delhi might throw in Prithvi Shaw into the mix just to shake things up.
In bowling, Ishant Sharma’s injury has hurt their plans and Anrich Nortje hasn’t looked at his lethal best. Will Jhye Richardson play on Sunday? It will help Delhi if he does.
Contrast that with how Chennai are placed. Rachin Ravindra has been plundering runs, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad looks to be in form, Shivam Dube is turning heads with his strokeplay and the Mustafizur Rahmans and Deepak Chahar’s are taking enough wickets to win their team matches.
Where’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni? Chennai have been doing so well that they haven’t yet required their former captain with the bat. Dhoni has been Dhoni behind the stumps though, diving to take catches and playing the guiding light to new skipper Ruturaj.
In a nutshell, it looks very difficult for Delhi in their current shape to outmuscle Chennai. But then, it’s foolish to write anyone off in a T20. Not when there’s Pant at play.
