IPL 2021 | DC vs MI: Will spin-friendly Chepauk be welcoming to Pant and Co. against beastly Mumbai?

As Delhi Capitals set their foot in the uncharted territory of Chepauk, at what is officially known as MA Chidambaram Stadium, they will have their task cut out. The very first assignment of Rishabh Pant’s men is against the beasts from Mumbai who have manned Chepauk like none other. Although Royal Challengers Bangalore have won three out of three games, Rohit Sharma’s unit has no doubt been way more dominating, defending low titles with almost a smirk. 

This fight though is not only the battle of spinners. It goes back to the last IPL finals as well. The Capitals were beaten comprehensively by the Mumbai side both in the finals as well as the playoffs. The Win-Loss ratio in the last 10 games also sits comprehensively in the favour of the Mumbai side at 7:3. Thus for the Capitals, there is actually a lot to fight for. 

Chepauk to revive Ashwin's and DC's bowling fortunes?

In the three games that Delhi have played so far in this IPL, they have conceded more than 190 runs twice and the only time they were defending score that big, they were defeated by a wily Rajasthan Royals, who took the game by the scruff of its neck. It is more than enough to tell that bowling has not been the strongest side of the blue and red.  Kagiso Rabada has not been picking wickets in the powerplay for a while now, the lack of Anrich Nortje has hurt them in the middle overs and the resurgent Ravichandran Ashwin, their prime spinner has been going through a very lean patch as well. 

Ashwin, 34, has so far bowled 11 overs, but even after conceding 89 runs at more than eight runs per over, he has managed to pick only one wicket. Tamil Nadu born being expensive is not much of a problem for Ricky Ponting and his management. What should bother them is his ability to pick wickets has not worked so far. But Chennai might be able to end that drought, after all, it is Ashwin’s home ground. 

In 38 IPL games at the Chepauk, Ashwin has picked up 46 wickets, most for any ground at an average of 18.76 and an economy of just 6.01. Also, the way the pitch has turned at the MA Chidambaram, the Capitals would hope that Ashwin revitalises his relation with the first love of his life.

Rohit Sharma's destructive innings on the way

The Mumbai skipper has been itching to get on with his innings ever since the first game when he got run out on 19. Against Kolkata Knight Riders, he was at his best but unfortunately gave his wicket away to Pat Cummins. His 32 against Sunrisers too was an indication that the 33-year-old means business. 

Sharma has anyways been a great gunner against Delhi Capitals in the past. In the 28 games that he has played against the team from the capital, he has scored 818 runs, which is second only to his 982 against RCB. His average against the Capitals is also reasonably high for T20 cricket at 32.72. Thus it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Rohit Sharma show is unveiled at Chepauk on April 20. But for that to happen he would have to go through Ashwin!

Delhi Capitals vs Mumbai Indians: Match Details

Match No.- 13

Date and Time: April 20, 2021, 07:30 pm IST, 02:00 pm IST

Venue- MA Chidambaram, Chennai

Broadcast and Live Stream: Star Sports and Hotstar

Pitch Report

The pitch at which the last game was played between RCB and KKR in Chennai, has been, so far the only wicket which has offered runs aplenty. Will this wicket offer similar help. It’s hard to guess. What we can guess though, is that it can be two-paced, can have variable bounce and the team winning the toss would like to bat first, which is kind of a norm breaker, an achievement in a way for Chepauk.  

Weather and Toss

For a change, the Chennai weather is going to be cloudy, so finally, the missing dew, which has been troubling the chasing teams, with a lot of grip for spinners, might be seen. With dew coming in, the quantity of which is still unknown, captains might be tempted to chase, but the odds of it are still low. 

Team News

Delhi Capitals

The Capitals would be playing on this wicket for the first time. Although they have lost the services of Axar Patel, playing Amit Mishra would be a no brainer. Lukman Meriwala, who made his IPL debut last game, might make way for the 38-year-old Mishraji, who is also the highest wicket-taker in the league among active players. Rahane might also make a comeback, considering it is going to be a slow wicket. 

Strongest XI

Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Steven Smith/Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Marcus Stoinis, Lalit Yadav/Shimron Hetmyer, Chris Woakes, Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan

Mumbai Indians

The Blue and Gold have not made many changes to their XI in the tournament so far and they are likely to with the same team in this game as well. 

Strongest XI

Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Adam Milne, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult

Dream XI Predictions / Fantasy XI Suggestions

Rishabh Pant (wk), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan(c), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Lalit Yadav, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar (vc)