In IPL 2020, Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings represented a severely contrasting fortune. While Delhi marched their way to the final, CSK barely survived from the wooden spooners tag. However, a year after that, the MS Dhoni-led franchise were at the top, having qualified for the playoffs for the 11th time in 12 seasons of participation. On Monday, Delhi Capitals, who are at second place on the table, would also want to get one past the three-time champions and seize a spot in the top two. 

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Overall - 24 | CSK - 15 Wins | DC - 9 Wins

Last Five Matches | CSK - 2 Wins | DC - 3 Wins

GROUND DETAILS

Dubai International Cricket Stadium is the second most batting-friendly venue in the IPL at the moment, but in the last three years, the venue has had an average first innings score of 161. 181 is the highest score that has been chased at the venue but it must be kept in mind that batting second is ideal here. Only 40.43% of the time in the last three years that a team batting first have won the encounter. 

Pacers have been the dominant entity at the venue with 67.12% of wickets being taken by the fast bowlers whereas only 32.88% have gone to tweakers’ books. That poses an interesting question on how would CSK plan to marshall their squad, having rested Deepak Chahar and Dwayne Bravo for the last encounter against Rajasthan Royals.

SUGGESTED TEAM

While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.

Captain

Whatever the Law of Averages is, Ruturaj Gaikwad doesn’t care. In IPL 2021, alongside du Plessis, Gaikwad has been one of the reasons for Chennai’s success. The opener has amassed 508 runs this season, making him the first Indian CSK opener to score 500+ runs in a season of IPL. In such a red-hot form, would you not bet your money on him? 

Our Criclytics Players Projections predict Gaikwad to score 44-66 runs

X-FACTORS

Since returning to the DC side for the second half of the IPL 2021, Shreyas Iyer has been superb and is scoring consistently. In four matches, he has 124 runs at an average of 62. Even though his strike rate of 111.71 is debatable, the fact that he had to endure the tough responsibilities of being an anchor in difficult situations would hold in his side. You can bank on him to boost your fantasy points.

Our Criclytics Players Projections predict Iyer to score 22-34 runs

You must be crazy not to accommodate Ravindra Jadeja in your team irrespective of the format. One of the finest there has ever been, Jadeja is in the form of his life, and has become the trusted finisher for Chennai Super Kings. He has an average of 37 points per game in the last five matches, which makes him a strong contender for a place in your Fantasy XI.

Our Criclytics Players Projections predict Jadeja to score 14-22 runs and pick 0-1 wickets

Here are top Criclytics Projections :

Player Match-up

If Deepak Chahar plays this encounter, it will be an interesting game on how he bowls to Prithvi Shaw. Shaw has been dismissed five times in 50 balls he has faced off Deepak Chahar and has scored 55 runs in the process.