Chennai Super Kings rarely enters an Indian Premier League (IPL) contest at home as the underdog, especially against a team it has dominated for 15 years.
But an unprecedented 50-run defeat in Chennai against bitter rival Royal Challengers Bengaluru last week attests this isn’t just any other season.
What could add further intrigue to the tournament on Saturday is MS Dhoni reprising the captain’s role, which appears to be a possibility after CSK batting coach Michael Hussey hinted at Ruturaj Gaikwad’s unavailability due to a hit on the right forearm, suffered during the defeat to Rajasthan Royals on Sunday in Guwahati.
Regardless of who is at CSK’s helm, Delhi Capitals will fancy the prospects of snapping its seven-match losing streak against Super Kings at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday, much like Royal Challengers breached the fortress after a 17-year hiatus last Friday.
That the sides that are on opposite sides of the spectrum will only boost the confidence of the visitor, which is riding the crest of two consecutive wins, even as its opponent is buffeted by the shifting winds of an evolving format.
Super Kings conceded the PowerPlay phase in both departments against Royal Challengers and Rajasthan Royals and eventually lost the said games, falling short of a run-chase in excess of 175 for the ninth time in a row.
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With the ball, they let the initiative slip by handing the ball to R. Ashwin, who was pasted for 35 runs in the two PowerPlay overs he bowled across both games. While Khaleel Ahmed made inroads with the new ball, he lacked support from fellow-pacers Sam Curran and Jamie Overton during this phase. As a result, a team that prided itself on its ability to strangle the opposition is left to contend with the second-worst economy rate (10.38) in the PowerPlay in the tournament, behind only a struggling Sunrisers Hyderabad side.
Batting woes
Rejigging the order hasn’t helped Super Kings’ returns with the bat in the PowerPlay either. Newly recruited Rahul Tripathi’s promotion to the opening slot, at the expense of Gaikwad, has been a tough pill to swallow for the franchise’s faithful.
Rahul Tripathi in action during an IPL 2025 match.
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REUTERS/Stringer
Rahul Tripathi in action during an IPL 2025 match.
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS/Stringer
A busy middle-order batter, Tripathi’s technique and temperament have been found wanting against high-quality seam-bowling. He perished to Deepak Chahar and Josh Hazlewood’s bouncers in the first two games before Jofra Archer kept him on a leash for a good part of the PowerPlay with his searing pace.
A lack of stability at the top has translated into sedate starts and an abysmal run rate of 6.88 in the PowerPlay – the lowest in the tournament so far. The loss of early wickets has also meant Rachin Ravindra and Gaikwad prioritising damage control over switching gears.
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If Gaikwad is to continue at No. 3, CSK could flirt with the idea of opening with Devon Conway, who had an extensive open nets session on match eve.
To compound its woes, CSK batters’ general malaise against the short ball has also been exploited, with the team averaging 8.33 runs per wicket against that length – the worst in the competition. Its run rate against the short-pitched ball (8.33) is also the lowest for any team in the IPL this year.
Mitchell Starc, fresh off a five-wicket haul, will be smacking his lips at the prospect of having a go against a set of batters with this weakness. He stopped a trendsetting Sunrisers batting unit in its tracks by nabbing three wickets in the PowerPlay using the shorter deliveries and has turned that into his modus operandi this season.
With Josh Hazlewood’s metronomic spell as a reference point, Starc will hope to emulate his Australian teammate’s heroics on a pitch the host hasn’t been able to read or make the most of.
Delhi’s two-pronged bowling attack will have the host on edge. Skipper Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav add complementary variety and guile to the ranks, and Mohit Sharma, with his variations, can extract enough from a familiar Chepauk wicket to emerge as a potent threat.
A trump card in Noor
Chennai Super Kings’ Noor Ahmad celebrates after taking the wicket of Virat Kohli.
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS/Stringer
Chennai Super Kings’ Noor Ahmad celebrates after taking the wicket of Virat Kohli.
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS/Stringer
All isn’t lost for the host, however, and Purple Cap-holder Noor Ahmad will be the trump card against a right-hander heavy Delhi line-up. Noor, who relies on his quick googly that leaves the right-hander, has already picked seven wickets at the venue and promises to become Super Kings’ mainstay and a crowd favourite.
How Noor fares against Delhi openers Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk, who put together 81 runs for the opening wicket against Sunrisers, will be crucial. In its comprehensive seven-wicket victory over Sunrisers in Visakhapatnam, Delhi lost all three wickets to leg-spinner Zeeshan Ansari, and Noor could inflict similar damage.
Delhi’s opening victory against Lucknow Super Giants was built on resilience as it overcame horrific PowerPlays with both bat and ball to clinch a 210-run chase, thanks to Ashutosh Sharma’s stunning rescue act. Whether Super Kings can tide over similar challenges and turn things around will determine the endurance of its storied legacy at home.