What

Two-time champions Chennai Super Kings open their Pepsi IPL 2015 campaign with a clash against the Delhi Daredevils.

While the eventual goal for all teams competing in Pepsi IPL 2015 will be getting their hands on the trophy on May 24, the immediate goals will be slightly different for CSK and DD.

CSK, who seem to have made it a habit of finishing among the final four teams, will look to begin with a flourish, go the distance this season (after getting eliminated in Qualifier2 in Pepsi IPL 2014) and add to the titles they won in 2010 and 2011. For DD, who have endured some difficult times in recent seasons, and finished at the floor of the table in Pepsi IPL 2014, the immediate goal will be to start getting a few wins under the belt, netting points and getting the confidence levels up within the team and among the fans.

When

09 April 2015, 8p.m. IST

Where

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

The Protagonists

Given the kind of form Brendon McCullum was seen in during the recently concluded ODI World Cup, one can expect the Delhi Daredevils to have spent a lot of time strategizing ways to pack him off as quickly as possible. The New Zealander played an aggressive brand of cricket right through the World Cup – and he will need no invitation to carry those same aggressive methods into the IPL. Among others who will play key roles in the CSK scheme of things are the top run-getter in the IPL – Suresh Raina and skipper MS Dhoni.

The Delhi Daredevils, who finished at the floor of the table last season, have rejigged their side to a major extent and will be hoping for better results. In a team that doesn’t boast of too many match-winners of international repute, the onus will be on the skipper JP Duminy to lead from the front. The South African was the Delhi Daredevils’ top run-getter last season – scoring 410 runs at an impressive strike-rate of 134.42. There will be plenty of eyeballs following Yuvraj Singh too; the left-hander was signed up at the Pepsi IPL 2015 Player Auction for a record price of Rs. 16 Crore. Still only 33 years old, there is a lot the left-hander has to offer, and Pepsi IPL 2015 could just be a platform for him to revive his ambitions of wanting to get back in the national team.

Contest to look-forward to

The experienced Zaheer Khan, together with Mohammed Shami, pitted against a raging Brendon McCullum promises to make for a gripping contest. Zaheer, whose last competitive outing was in Pepsi IPL 2014, has had McCullum’s number on 8 occasions in international cricket and knows a thing or two about how to outsmart the Kiwi batsman. Mohammed Shami bowled with plenty of fire in the World Cup 2015, and he will be expected to keep the CSK opener quiet.

Previous Meetings

History indicates that the Chennai Super Kings have generally dominated contests against the Delhi Daredevils. Off the 14 matches between the two teams, the Chennai Super Kings have prevailed on ten occasions – including in each of the last six meetings against DD.

Trivia

Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni is the most-experienced captain in the T20 format; the 33-year old has captained in a total of 185 T20 matches.

JP Duminy will become the 8th player to captain the Delhi Daredevils. Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Dinesh Karthik, James Hopes, Mahela Jayawardene, David Warner and Kevin Pietersen were the other players to have captained the franchise earlier.

Yuvraj Singh has scored more runs against the Delhi Daredevils than against any other team. Off the 1851 runs he has scored so far in the IPL, 342 runs have been scored in 11 innings against DD. He will incidentally be taking the field in the Delhi Daredevils jersey this season.

What Next

Chennai Super Kings will remain at home and play their second home fixture of the season when they host the Sunrisers Hyderabad on 10 April. The Delhi Daredevils meanwhile head back to their HQ – the Ferozeshah Kotla Stadium in Delhi – and host the Rajasthan Royals in the late evening fixture scheduled for 11 April.