Super Kings take on Daredevils with an eye on playoff berth

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Delhi Daredevils players during a training session in Chennai on Monday. —Jaison G.

As table toppers Chennai Super Kings take on eighth-placed Delhi Daredevils here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday, the omens are in favour of the home side. But what may surprise many is, despite sitting on top of the table with 20 points from 14 matches, Chennai are not yet assured of a place in the play-off thanks to their defeat against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday.
With two matches left, the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side need one win to be assured of a last four berth and Chennai wouldn’t have asked for easier opponents than Delhi who are going down with each match they are playing. To say that the Daredevils are low on confidence would be a massive understatement of IPL-6. A defeat against Delhi would put Chennai in a must-win situation against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their last league match.
So coming into the game, Chennai would be itching to get their focus on track. Good sides show character in crunch situations, and Chennai through the years have shown tremendous ability to produce the goods under pressure. The defeat against Rajasthan is a timely wake-up call for the side that seemed to be complacent in the last two matches.
Batsmen have been Chennai’s flag-bearers as Michael Hussey, Suresh Raina, Dhoni, Murali Vijay and S. Badrinath have played crucial roles in setting up huge totals when batting first. CSK are no slouches in chasing as they have a deep batting line-up that includes all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Albie Morkel and Chris Morris.
Dhoni hinted at changes in the bowling department and it would be interesting to see if the ‘Captain Cool’ changes the side in a crucial match. The development of Mohit Sharma who continues to impress in every outing is a big boost for the side going into the final stages of the tournament. R. Ashwin looked off-colour against Royals and the off-spinner would look to get back to his usual best in his backyard.
Delhi, on the other hand, can be dangerous, as they have nothing to play for. With the play-off hopes long gone, the Daredevils would look to spoil others’ party. And they have every right to believe they can do it, as they possess explosive batsmen at the top.
In Virender Sehwag, David Warner and Mahela Jayawardene, they have prolific batsmen who can win games on their own. Unmukt Chand seems to have got back to form and that would be a welcome sign for the Daredevils. But the bowling, which carried the team to the play-off last season, has looked ordinary.
The likes of Umesh Yadav, Morne Morkel, Ashish Nehra and Ajit Agarkar have not lived up to their potential and have leaked in power plays and as wells as at the death. Delhi may probably rest some players to give time for Johan Botha, Gulam Bodi, Jeevan Mendis and Andre Russell in the middle.