IPL 2021: Qualifier 1 – Strongest Delhi Capitals (DC) predicted playing XI against Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

Delhi Capitals are appearing to be a threatening side in this tournament owing to their sheer dominance on the field. The team is pretty balanced and can stand tall in the toughest of the situations and thus no brainer that they find themselves at the top of the points table. The team will now take on the MS Dhoni-led side for Qualifier 1.

CSK has faced three consecutive defeats in the league after having qualified for the play-offs. Whereas DC has also lost their previous encounter with RCB. Though the team was much in control of the game, the batting heroics of Glenn Maxwell and Srikar Bharat sailed RCB to victory.

Delhi has looked unstoppable in the tournament so far. The Rishabh Pant-led side will be keen on putting their ‘A’ game to the table to book their seat for the finals. CSK too is a strong side and even though they have lost both the league matches to DC, one cannot write off the team.

Here’s the Delhi Capitals Predicted XI for the DC vs CSK match:

Openers- Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw

Shikhar Dhawan has enjoyed scoring runs against Chennai Super Kings. In the last game against the Men in Yellow, he stood firm for the side and added 39 runs off 35 balls which included as many as three fours and two sixes. Though the southpaw hasn’t looked very destructive with the bat in the initial part of the UAE leg, he has seemed to have got back his rhythm.

In the last league game against RCB, both the openers provided a steady start to the team. They stitched in a partnership of 88 runs before Harshal Patel’s slower ball showed Dhawan the way back to the pavilion. Shaw on the other hand fell just two runs short of his half-century as he put up an impressive show at the display.

Middle-order – Shimron Hetmyer, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Ripal Patel

DC is a solid team that can bounce back from the crunch moments. The side has trusted its core over a couple of years now and that has reaped them good rewards. But for the team that has looked dominating in the league, their only little concern has been their batting in the middle order.

Delhi’s middle order hasn’t been too disappointing, but some resistance from the batters in the middle phase of the game is what DC will aim ahead of the crucial encounter. Shreyas Iyer has made important contributions to the side and so has Shimron Hetmyer. Skipper Rishabh Pant too will look to fetch in some crucial runs for the side and take some pressure off the lower-order batters. If at all Marcus Stoinis returns fit, he will replace Ripal Patel in the squad and that would strengthen their batting even more.

All-rounders- Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin

The all-rounders are doing pretty decent for the team. Axar Patel has enjoyed bowling in difficult situations and has struck with crucial breakthroughs for the team. He has consistently scalped wickets for DC and has made run-scoring difficult for the batters.

Patel has scalped 15 wickets in the tournament so far. In the last game against CSK, Pant brought in spin early on and the plan worked in the team’s favor. The spinner picked up the crucial wicket of Faf du Plessis and put the team in the driver’s seat. Ashwin on the other hand has kept the batters guessing with his turn. His experience and variations in the balling are a great asset to the team.

Bowlers- Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan

There seems absolutely no issue with DC’s bowling unit. The team probably possesses one of the best fast bowling bunches that has fancied their chances of winning on most occasions. All the three pacers have been exceptional for the side and can run through the best of the batting lineups.

Avesh Khan is currently the second-highest wicket-taker of the tournament with a total of 22 wickets to his account. Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje too have maintained excellent lines and lengths to trouble the batters. The success of DC in the tournament has been vastly influenced by their bowlers. And the side will pin hopes on them to yet gain shine in the crucial encounter.