Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Delhi Capitals (DC) are going to be playing their opening match of IPL 2021 against each other. While CSK is one of the most successful teams in the history of the tournament, it suffered its worst season in 2020 and has not made too many changes. DC finished runners-up and is one of the strongest teams of the entire IPL. It is missing Shreyas Iyer due to injury but the depth in the squad should be able to provide enough cover.
Chennai Super Kings vs Delhi Capitals IPL 2021
Teams’ strengths & weaknesses
CSK has a lot of experience in its squad and its plans are pretty much set. That can be both a positive and a negative since it will allow the teams to plan against it as well. We think the team has a strong top-order but its power-hitting credentials are in question. Its spin-heavy attack could also struggle at the Wankhede.
DC has a very strong team with the biggest strength being the quality of the Indian players. Almost every position is filled by an international player. The fast-bowling resources of DC seem superior to that of CSK while the depth in batting is also impressive. The lack of experience for Rishab Pant as a captain is the biggest weakness in our opinion.
Players in form
Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja are the players in form for CSK while the players to watch out for are Suresh Raina and Faf du Plessis. Raina missed the previous season of the IPL and will be raring to go. He is one of the highest run-scorers of all time in the IPL and is going to be hard to stop.
Prithvi Shaw was dropped from the DC side in the previous season after which he lost his place in the Indian team as well. Since then, though, Shaw has scored a flurry of runs in domestic cricket and is in good form. We also think the time is right for Ashwin to make a claim to return to the Indian team since the incumbent spinners are not performing.
Match conditions
The Wankhede is one of the highest-scoring grounds in the IPL. The pitch is going to be good for batting and the dimensions of the ground make six-hitting quite easy as well. Dew can be a factor and so batting sometimes becomes better in the second inning. The loss of home conditions could be a big hit for CSK since it thrives in those conditions.
Game statistics
- CSK holds an impressive 15-8 advantage over DC in head-to-head matches. However, the recent situation seems to be changing as DC won both the matches against CSK last season.
- There have been nine matches played by CSK at the Wankhede out of which they have won just three. DC has not fared much better and has won three out of the eight it has played at the Wankhede.
- MS Dhoni (547) and Suresh Raina (498) have made the most runs in matches between CSK and DC.
- Imran Tahir with 4/12 has the best bowling figures in matches between these two teams.
Predictions
DC is the easy favorite in this match and we think there are some very good reasons to believe it will win. Delhi Capitals have a younger side, they have more players that are playing international cricket, and the quality of their Indian players is clearly superior. We also think that Wankhede, as a venue, is going to suit the Delhi Capitals more. They have more power in their batting and better fast-bowlers to use the bounce to their advantage as well.
Winner: Delhi Capitals
