After bouncing back from their opening match defeat, last year’s runners-up Chennai Super Kings will look to maintain their winning momentum as they take on Delhi Daredevils in their Indian Premier League match here on Thursday.
Chennai Super Kings had a shaky start when they lost to Mumbai Indians in the IPL opener but Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men bounced back in the next match beating the Bangalore Royal Challengers by 92 runs.
With orange cap wearer Australian Matthew Hayden in great touch even after his retirement, CSK have no less a batting firepower than the formidable looking batting line-up of the Daredevils and cracker of a match is on the cards on Thursday.
Hayden, the current leading scorer, smashed the second fastest fifty in IPL en route to his 35-ball 65 and in company with Parthiv Patel plundered 106 runs for the opening wicket against Bangalore.
Chennai have some fine all-rounders in England’s Andrew Flintoff and South African Albie Morkel and with left-hander Suresh Raina also finding his form with a valuable 28 against Bangalore, there doesn’t seem to be any major chink in their batting resources.
Delhi Daredevils have also some in-form batsmen in their ranks with skipper Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir showing no problems in scoring easy runs. Delhi is also having some quality players like big hitter David Warner and old warhorse Glenn McGrath, who are still to make an appearance in the second edition of the Twenty20 extravaganza.
Among pacers, the Daredevils will depend on exuberance of Indian youngsters Pradeep Sangwan, Yo Mahesh and Australian Dirk Nannes, while Super Kings will have the task entrusted on Manpreet Gony, Laxmipathi Balaji and all-rounders Flintoff and Morkel.
And with spinners dominating the game so far, tomorrow’s match would also be a clash between New Zealander Daniel Vettori and Sri Lankan Muttiah Muralitharan, both scalping three wickets in their last matches.
