IPL 2018: Match 30, CSK vs DD - Chennai Super Kings Predicted XI

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) suffered their second loss of the season and their first at their adopted home ground in Pune on Saturday. They were outplayed by their arch-rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) who were in a must-win situation and also got more support than the hosts. Though it could be considered as a blip for the Men in Yellow as they have played some brilliant cricket this season so far. However, they will face Delhi Daredevils (DD) in the next game who are also on a high after winning their previous encounter in grand fashion.

CSK will once again have to resurrect their team combination as the youngster Deepak Chahar has been ruled out of the action for two weeks due to a hamstring injury. He also didn’t bowl his full quota of overs in the last game which will now force Dhoni to make a few changes as well. The scenario is not new for them this year as the team is plagued with injuries and they have enough resources to replace Chahar.

Here we bring you the predicted XI of Chennai Super Kings for this game:

Openers (Faf du Plessis, Shane Watson)

Faf du Plessis will come in to play his second game of the ongoing season and he will replace Sam Billings who has not done much in the last few matches. The South African will open the innings as well with the impressive Ambati Rayudu moving down the order. Du Plessis failed in the only appearance a couple of matches and would be itching to make his impact now if he gets the chance.

Shane Watson is looking vulnerable since scoring the century against Royals. He hasn’t been at his best in the last few games and is also going for runs with the ball in hand. It is important that he gets back his mojo soon as the tournament will soon reach its business end. His form at the top of the order will more or less determine where his team will finish in the points table.

Middle Order (Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c & wk))

Suresh Raina is back in form but still is not at his versatile best. His 75-run knock against Mumbai looked good but he failed to up the ante when they needed the most and eventually, they fell around 15-20 runs short. Raina in full-flow is a fiery prospect for the opposition and the time has come when he should unfurl his trademark strokes.

The flexible man Ambati Rayudu will once again have to move down the order to accommodate Du Plessis in the side. He won’t have any problem as the orange cap holder is in scintillating touch. Even the other night he played beautifully and was unlucky to miss out on yet another half-century. Though CSK has to take care that they don’t shuffle him too much.

MS Dhoni is having one of his best IPL seasons so far on both captaincy and batting fronts. He is batting up the order and most importantly is teeing off from the word go. He has found his old touch and this might just prove to be his renewed version which will be even more dangerous for the oppositions.

All-Rounders (David Willey, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja)

David Willey is too good a player to be benched and the time has come when CSK has to use him. The left-hander could be used as a floater with the bat anywhere in the batting line-up and is a potential new-ball bowler. Willey also is a near perfectionist at the death and he could be the answer to their death overs trouble. Jadeja had nothing much to do apart in the previous game and will continue featuring in the playing XI given his all-round skills at any stage.’

Dwayne Bravo is the champion cricketer and should’ve been handed over the ball in the 19th over by the skipper against Mumbai. He was in the zone and was bowling well. He has to keep going in the same vein though as the team doesn’t have any replacement for him in the squad.

Bowlers (Karn Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Shardul Thakur)

Imran Tahir will have to sit out unfortunately now to fulfil the quota of 4 overseas cricketers. Karn Sharma will be a like-for-like replacement for him as the wrist-spinner is needed in the team always. He has played in a couple of games and has fared well. Shardul Thakur needs to show the improvement in his bowling now and again conceded 17 runs in the penultimate when the game was on the line. Dhoni is trusting him a lot and the youngster has to repay the faith as the tournament progresses.

Harbhajan Singh bowled beautifully and kept a lid on the run-scoring of Mumbai the other day. He is expected to do the same against Delhi. Bhajji brought all his experience to the fore during his spell and didn’t concede many especially again Evin Lewis which increased the pressure and brought the fall of Suryakumar Yadav. The wicket had brought back his team in the game as well.

Here’s Chennai Super Kings Predicted XI against DD

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