Rampant Delhi take on Chennai in first Qualifier

IPL Strokes by Pranav Mehta

IPL was racing along nicely in the third gear and suddenly the final day of the league stage went into the sixth gear, when Mumbai gave it everything possible to make it through, but in vain.

A lot of players gave their auditions, prior to the mega auctions prior to the next season. 428 runs were scored just in a single match between Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad, where both teams got their season best scores. On the other hand, Royal Challengers Bangalore needed five off the last ball, which was smashed for a six by Srikar Bharat.

Understanding The Qualifier

Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings have finished first and second respectively. They will clash today, where the winner will go to the finals and loser will play qualifier 2. Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders will play the eliminator, where the winner will play the loser of qualifier 1 (in qualifier 2) and winner goes to claim the second position in the finals of this grand event.

Chennai Super Kings

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has always been splendid with his captaincy in such crucial and important games and it’s not just his captaincy, but he has some absolute quality for the application of those high end strategies. Chennai has lost all its last three games and is definitely out of momentum, but what gives Chennai a massive advantage despite this is that, they have a fairly experienced team on the ground, who understands that it’s all about today. To add on, these experienced players are controlled by one of the best captain/think tank of all time.

Delhi Capitals

If Chennai is captained by the ex-Indian wicket-keeper, then Delhi Capitals is captained by the current Indian wicket-keeper. In addition, Delhi Capitals has the likes of Ricky Pointing, who has also been one of the best captain/think tank of his era. The young Rishabh Pant, who took over from Shreyas Iyer, has been brilliant with his decision making skills at crucial moments. The pace of Rabada and Nortje, followed by spin of Axar and Ashwin has worked well. Youngster Avesh Khan has also bowled well in the death overs.

What to expect?

The match at Dubai International Stadium, the average score is around 160. In the last match Royal Challengers Bangalore chased a stiff 164, set by Delhi Capitals, in a last ball thriller. Spinners have had a good role to play here. Both teams would like to put their best foot forward and qualify for the finals in the first attempt itself. Rituraj Gaikwad, will have a crucial role to play and Dhoni might come in early to express himself.