Chennai look to bounce back in style as Delhi eye maiden IPL final berth
CSK's bowling consultant Eric Simmons (second from right) alongside spinners Harbhajan Singh (left), Mitchell Santner and Imran Tahir during a training session on eve of their Qualifier 2 against Delhi Capitals in Visakhapatnam yesterday. Pic/PTI
Delhi Capitals, who have finally come together to play like 'Daredevils', will have to produce another special effort to beat the consistent Chennai Super Kings for the first time this season and make their maiden IPL final here today.
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It was CSK who denied Delhi a top-two spot in the league standings with a crushing 80-run win at Chepauk and the MS Dhoni-led side stands in their way again, only stakes are much higher in the Qualifier 2.The tense win in the Eliminator, set up by their star player Rishabh Pant, here on Wednesday night is bound to provide an extra dose of motivation going into the knock-out game at Vizag.
Rishabh, the key
Pant's 21-ball 49 in a high-pressure game reignited the debate on social media over his non-selection in India's World Cup squad with former England captain Michael Vaughan saying it was "bonkers" to not have the young-wicketkeeper batsman in the mega event starting May 30.
Another young gun Prithvi Shaw too played an important innings of 56 and was happy to be back among the runs after low-scores in the previous three innings. Delhi, having already played a game here, will have the advantage of knowing the conditions better. Their fast bowlers, Trent Boult and Ishant Sharma, did a decent job in the absence of Kagiso Rabada and were well supported by Keemo Paul, who picked up three wickets.
DC face CSK's spin threat
The batsmen would be rather relieved that they would not have to face the spin threat of Imran Tahir and Harbhajan Singh on a turner in Chennai but it would be a challenge nonetheless.
Another thing Delhi would have to be wary of is stage fright though the Eliminator surely prepared them for the tougher battles ahead. CSK, on the other hand, are used to playing the big matches, having won three titles besides being runners-up four times. They were hammered by Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 1 but expect CSK to bounce back in style. The talismanic skipper admitted that they could have read the conditions better against Mumbai at home and asked his batsmen to be careful with shot selection going forward.
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