New Delhi: Delhi Capitals will need to stop oscillating between sublime and suicidal to overcome their streak of three painful losses at home when they take on an equally desperate Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League here on Tuesday.
Both sides are on eight points from nine games and with five matches remaining, there is no room left for error.
The Capitals put up a clinical batting performance in Jaipur on Friday night to get a welcome win after a hat-trick of defeats. Two of those losses came at home causing immense hurt in the dressing room as Punjab Kings chased down a record 265 before Royal Challengers Bengaluru exposed their fragile batting against a potent pace attack.
The defeats at Kotla also includes a harrowing one-run loss to Gujarat Titans, a game that DC should have definitely won.
The biggest positives going for DC heading into the CSK game is opener Pathum Nissanka finding his range alongside the ever consistent K L Rahul while speedster Mitchell Starc providing the much-needed bite to the bowling attack.
Kuldeep Yadav would be itching to make amends after being smashed for three sixes in his final over in Jaipur. He has also been rather expensive thus far in the tournament, leaking runs at 10.26 runs per over while taking only seven wickets in nine games.
Middle and death overs specialist T Nataran too has not compensated for his high economy rate, tallying five wickets in nine games.
Despite an up and down run, captain Axar Patel has managed to remain calm and pragmatic.
“You have to come every day and keep doing the same things. You can always turn things around. So very happy with the way the boys played. The way they batted and bowled, I think both departments were excellent and I’m very happy,” he said after the win over Rajasthan Royals.
Ahead of their 10th game of the season, CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan confirmed to PTI that M S Dhoni has not yet regained full fitness, ruling him out of the game at Kotla.
Like DC, CSK too are walking on a tightrope and if they slip on Tuesday night, it would ensure another premature exit from the tournament, having finished at the bottom last season.
The lack of runs from skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s bat cost them dearly in the first half of the season with Sanju Samson alone carrying the burden in a rather young looking batting line up.
But the captain has found a way to get back amongst the runs and goes into the DC game at the back of consecutive half-centuries.
Urvil Patel batting at number three ahead of Sarfaraz Khan after injured Aayush Mhatre’s pullout has been debated.
A 12-ball 14 in the win over Mumbai Indians would do wonders for Patel’s confidence. Same goes for Kartik Sharma, who struck his maiden IPL fifty on Saturday night.
Two of CSK’s four wins have come against a struggling Mumbai Indians while one was against DC at the Chepauk. Gaikwad and Co. Would carry the confidence of that performance in the return leg.
