What

The Delhi Daredevils will clash with the Chennai Super Kings in Match 49 of Pepsi IPL 2015.

The Delhi Daredevils will still be hurting from their 6-run defeat at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad in their previous match. That result shut the door on their chances of progressing to the Playoffs. For a formidable unit, DD have not shown the consistency, have not clinched the key moments and have had to pay for it; they have four wins from 12 matches, but that could well have been seven or eight wins had they just held their nerves better at critical junctures in a few other matches. They lost to CSK by one run, conceded to Tim Southee a boundary off the last ball in RR’s run-chase, made a meal of a an achievable run-chase against KKR, and most recently let slip a match they had in their hands against SRH.

The Chennai Super Kings – who have eight wins from 12 matches - are sitting pretty at the top of the table. The challenge for the two-time champions – apart from wanting to finish among the top two teams - is to adjust their game to conditions outside of their home; CSK haven’t been as convincing on the road as they have been at home – they have so far won only two of their five away fixtures. Brendon McCullum admitted in a chat after the match against Rajasthan Royals that CSK hadn’t played as well on the road, but said it was only a case of tweaking a few things. He said, “We probably didn’t play as well as we possibly could in our away games and we need to change that. It is not a complete overhaul; just a bit of nipping and tucking in a couple of areas and we will get a better performance away from home.”

When

12 May 2015, 8p.m. IST

Where

Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium, Raipur

The Protagonists

The addition of Quinton de Kock to the Delhi Daredevils lineup has given the team solidity at the top of the order. If he can bat as well as he did in the previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, it will give the experienced guys in the middle – JP Duminy and Yuvraj Singh – the opportunity to play their strokes without pressure. DD will also want their bowlers – led by Zaheer Khan, and supported by Amit Mishra and Imran Tahir – to keep a check on a formidable CSK lineup.

Chennai Super Kings flourish when one of their top three gets cracking; Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Smith and Suresh Raina have formed the nucleus of the side's batting plans. Not only have they provided the team a solid start, but the manner in which they score their runs have deflated many a team in the past. With McCullum unavailable - the opener is on his way to join up with the New Zealand team on their tour of England - the onus falls on the other two batsmen in the top three. Michael Hussey is in line for a call up to open the innings; he will be expected to settle in quickly and play the role of anchor so the other stroke-makers can bat around him.

On evidence of what one saw in the previous match in Raipur – where the surface was two-paced, CSK will look towards their battery of spinners, and Dwayne Bravo, to cause damage with the ball.

Previous Meetings

Chennai Super Kings have generally dominated their matches against the Delhi Daredevils. The two teams have so far met on 15 occasions; while CSK have won 11 of those matches, DD have emerged victors in the remaining four.

When these two teams met earlier this season – on April 9 – the Delhi Daredevils fell just short of their target of 151. With six needed off the final ball, Albie Morkel’s lofted off-drive fell just a couple of yards short of the fence. That boundary four gave CSK a narrow 1-run victory; had that ball carried a couple of yards, DD might well have started their season with a victory.

Trivia

The Chennai Super Kings have the best economy rate of all teams in Pepsi IPL 2015 – 7.68.

R Ashwin has taken more wickets against the Delhi Daredevils than against any other IPL opponent; he has 17 wickets from 11 matches against DD, and has an incredible economy rate of 5.78.

What Next

The Delhi Daredevils will wind up their Pepsi IPL 2015 with an away fixture against Royal Challengers Bangalore, scheduled for 17 May 2015. The Chennai Super Kings meanwhile head to Mohali to play their final league fixture; they are scheduled to take on Kings XI Punjab on May 16.