New Delhi, India

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be looking to bring an end to their 4-match losing streak against Delhi Capitals (DC) when they lock horns with Rishabh Pant & Co. in the Qualifier 1 of IPL 2021 on Sunday (October 10). MS Dhoni-led CSK will be eyeing their ninth final in the IPL while Delhi Capitals will be battling it out for a second straight appearance in the final after finishing runners-up last season.

Advertisment

After missing out on a spot in the playoffs last season, Dhoni's CSK completed an incredible turnaround this year as they become the first team to reach the playoffs of IPL 2021. However, CSK have lost the momentum in their last few games and are currently on a losing streak of three matches. 

Delhi Capitals started from where they had left last season and have had a brilliant campaign so far. They are placed on the top of the points table with 20 points from 14 matches and will be hoping to make it to the final once again this year. DC have defeated CSK in their last four meetings and a win on Sunday will confirm their spot in the final of IPL 2021.

DC might have had a remarkable rise in the last couple of years, but Dhoni's CSK have traditionally dominated the knockout stages of IPL. CSK have played a staggering eight finals and have 13 wins to their name in 22 playoff matches in the history of the tournament.

Advertisment

In what is expected to be Dhoni's final IPL season with CSK, the Men in Yellow will be looking to give their all and reach the final in their first attempt on Sunday. The loser of Qualifier 1 will get another shot at redemption against the winner of the Eliminator between RCB and KKR. 

Here is all you need to know about IPL 2021's Qualifier 1 between DC and CSK:

Head to head:

Advertisment

Chennai Super Kings have enjoyed an edge over Delhi Capitals when it comes to the head to head record between the two sides in IPL with 15 wins in 25 matches. However, Delhi Capitals have dominated CSK in the last couple of years and have not lost against MS Dhoni's men in their last four meetings.

Stats:

CSK pacer Deepak Chahar owns a formidable record against Delhi Capitals opener Prithvi Shaw, having dismissed him as many as six times in the IPL. Chahar will be looking to make it seven times on Sunday to ensure CSK get a good start with the ball in the all-important game.

Also Read: Video analyst captains KKR: Gautam Gambhir fires shots at Eoin Morgan ahead of IPL 2021 playoffs

Trivia:

Rishabh Pant's first game of the season as the captain of Delhi Capitals was against CSK where he led his team to a thumping win. He once again outclassed his mentor MS Dhoni in the second meeting between the two sides this season. If Pant can make it three wins in a row against Dhoni on Sunday, DC will be the favourites for the title this season.

Squads:

Delhi Capitals: Rishabh Pant(w/c), Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer, Shimron Hetmyer, Ripal Patel, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan, Anrich Nortje, Vishnu Vinod, Kulwant Khejroliya, Lalit Yadav, Praveen Dubey, Ben Dwarshuis, Tom Curran, Lukman Meriwala, Marcus Stoinis, Sam Billings, Steven Smith, Umesh Yadav, Amit Mishra, Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma

Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni(w/c), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood, Suresh Raina, Imran Tahir, Jason Behrendorff, Krishnappa Gowtham, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Hari Nishanth, N Jagadeesan, KM Asif, Harishankar Reddy, Dominic Drakes, Bhagath Varma, Karn Sharma, Cheteshwar Pujara