Chennai, April 5 – After suffering two consecutive defeats, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will look to bounce back as they face an in-form Delhi Capitals (DC) in their next IPL 2025 encounter. As the tournament moves ahead with thrilling matches and surprising results, this clash is expected to bring more drama and excitement.
CSK Struggling for Momentum
CSK started their season on a high note with a strong win over Mumbai Indians. However, the joy was short-lived as they lost their next two games—first to Royal Challengers Bengaluru and then to Rajasthan Royals. These back-to-back defeats have pushed them down to 7th place in the current standings. With pressure mounting, CSK will need to regroup quickly and fix the issues in both batting and bowling.
Delhi Capitals Riding on Confidence
Delhi Capitals have made a dream start to their IPL 2025 campaign. In their opening match, they clinched a last-over thriller against Lucknow, thanks to a heroic knock by Ashutosh Sharma, who hit a stunning 18 boundaries in a pressure-filled innings despite the team being nine wickets down.
Their momentum continued in the second match, where DC outclassed Hyderabad by 7 wickets. After restricting Hyderabad to just 163 runs, the Capitals chased the target in only 16 overs, showcasing their firepower with both bat and ball.
CSK’s Probable Playing XI
| Role | Player | Specialty |
|---|---|---|
| Captain | Ruturaj Gaikwad | Batter |
| Opener | Rachin Ravindra | Batter |
| No. 3 | Rahul Tripathi | Batter |
| No. 4 | Shivam Dube | All-rounder |
| No. 5 | Deepak Hooda | All-rounder |
| No. 6 | Ravindra Jadeja | All-rounder |
| No. 7 | MS Dhoni (WK) | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| No. 8 | Sam Curran | All-rounder |
| No. 9 | R. Ashwin | Bowler |
| No. 10 | Noor Ahmad | Bowler |
| No. 11 | Matheesha Pathirana | Bowler |
| Impact Player | Vijay Shankar | All-rounder |
Top Order: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi
Middle Order: Shivam Dube, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja
Lower Order: MS Dhoni, Sam Curran
Bowlers: Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Pathirana
Impact Substitute: Vijay Shankar
Delhi Capitals’ Likely Playing XI
| Role | Player | Specialty |
|---|---|---|
| Captain | Axar Patel | All-rounder |
| Opener | Faf du Plessis | Batter |
| Opener | Jake Fraser-McGurk | Batter |
| No. 3 | Abhishek Porel | Batter |
| No. 4 | KL Rahul | Batter |
| No. 5 | Tristan Stubbs | Batter |
| No. 6 | Mitchell Starc | Bowler |
| No. 7 | Kuldeep Yadav | Bowler |
| No. 8 | Mohit Sharma | Bowler |
| No. 9 | Mukesh Kumar | Bowler |
| No. 10 | Ashutosh Sharma | Bowler/All-rounder |
| Impact Player | Vipraj Nigam | Batter |
Top Order: Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Abhishek Porel
Middle Order: KL Rahul, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel
Lower Order: Starc, Kuldeep, Ashutosh Sharma
Bowlers: Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar
Impact Substitute: Vipraj Nigam
Full CSK Squad – IPL 2025
- Captain: Ruturaj Gaikwad
- Wicketkeeper: MS Dhoni
- Batters: Rahul Tripathi, Devon Conway, Shaik Rasheed, Vansh Bedi, Andre Siddarth
- All-rounders: Shivam Dube, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Vijay Shankar, Jamie Overton, Ramakrishna Ghosh
- Bowlers: Matheesha Pathirana, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Khaleel Ahmed, R. Ashwin, Rachin Ravindra
Full Delhi Capitals Squad – IPL 2025
- Captain: Axar Patel
- Wicketkeepers: KL Rahul, Tristan Stubbs
- Batters: Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Karun Nair, Donovan Ferreira, Abhishek Porel
- All-rounders: Ashutosh Sharma, Sameer Rizvi, Darshan Nalkande, Vipraj Nigam, Ajay Mandal, Manvanth Kumar L, Tripurana Vijay, Madhav Tiwari
- Bowlers: Mitchell Starc, T Natarajan, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav
Match Outlook
CSK vs DC – Overall Head-to-Head Stats
| Category | Chennai Super Kings (CSK) | Delhi Capitals (DC) |
|---|---|---|
| Total Matches Played | 30 | 30 |
| Matches Won | 19 | 11 |
| Highest Team Total | 223 | 198 |
| Lowest Team Total | 110 | 83 |
| Tosses Won | 17 | 13 |
| Elected to Bat First (after toss win) | 10 | 4 |
| Elected to Field First | 7 | 9 |
| Won Toss & Match | 11 | 5 |
| Toss Won → Batted First → Match Won | 6 | 2 |
| Toss Won → Bowled First → Match Won | 5 | 3 |
| Average Runs per Match | 166.13 | 148.9 |
| Average Wickets Taken per Match | 5.57 | 6.33 |
While Delhi Capitals look strong and confident after back-to-back wins, Chennai Super Kings will be desperate to return to winning ways, especially in front of their home crowd. The battle between CSK’s experience and DC’s momentum could make this one of the best matches of the season so far.
Will Dhoni’s men turn things around? Or will Axar’s Capitals continue their winning streak?
Cricket lovers, fasten your seatbelts – a thrilling night awaits!
