The formidable Chennai Super Kings (CSK) begin their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 campaign tonight as they face the newly designed Delhi Daredevils (DD) side. Defeating this CSK side at their backyard will not be easy at all and if they are to achieve this feat, they will have to play some intelligent cricket.
Delhi is looking to find balance with their newly formed side and CSK looks perilous under the leadership of their skipper MS Dhoni. Chennai undoubtedly, has been one of the best sides in the tournament and they did not make any change to their sides at this year's auction. On the other hand Delhi, yet again, has altered their side and also have a new captain in the form of JP Duminy.
Here are some of the key battles can one can expect from this high voltage match in Chennai:
Brendon McCullum vs Mohammed Shami: McCullum, as we all know, is one of the most devastating batsmen in the world and he can tear apart any bowling attack. He also had a decent World Cup with the bat and lead New Zealand from the front.
On the other hand, Mohammed Shami was India's pick of the bowlers in World Cup 2015, as he bagged 17 wickets at an average of 17.29. If Shami allows McCullum to free his arms then there's no stopping him. It will be interesting to see how McCullum tackles Shammi's movement and pace.
Quinton de Kock vs Mohit Sharma: Quinton de Kock has been a good find for South Africa but he was out of form in the recently concluded World Cup and could only manage to score 145 runs in eight innings. As he is a good, clean hitter, he would want to get back to scoring ways right from the start. Sharma, on the other hand, comes in handy with his back of the hand slower balls and has been effective for his skipper MS Dhoni. Will Sharma be able to deceive de Kock with his slower one's or will it be de Kock who'll win the challenge?
Yuvraj Singh vs Ravichandran Ashwin: The entire cricket fraternity knows what Yuvraj Singh is capable of in the shorter format of the game. He can send the ball out of the park with ease and grace. But Ashwin will be a good challenge for Yuvraj as he has had problems with spin bowling earlier. Ashwin will look to deceive Yuvraj with his carrom balls and his stop deliveries. This will definitely be an intertesting contest.
Suresh Raina vs Amit Mishra: Amit Mishra has been one of the most consistent wicket takers in the IPL ever since it bloomed. Last year he did not have a good season with the Sunrisers Hyderabad and this year he was up for the grabs and Delhi picked him up yet again. His ability to flight the ball and deceive any batsman with his wrong one, helps him pick up wickets at regular intervals. Raina, on the other hand, has successfully carved out a niche for himself while playing for CSK and the records speak well for him. He is a powerful hitter of the cricket ball and can send the ball to some distance. Duminy has to be brave enough to throw the ball to Mishra while Raina will be at the crease.
Zaheer Khan vs Faf du Plessis: Faf was the second highest run getter for South Africa in the World Cup 2015 where he amassed 380 runs in just seven innings at an average of 63.33. He has been an important asset for CSK in the middle order as he too is a sweet timer of the ball. Zaheer on the other hand, is a veteran and is a slog over speacialist. He can deceive any batsman in the world with his slower ones and his accuracy with the yorkers make one of the best in business.
This match will be all about DD finding the right combination, while CSK does not seem to have any problem whatsoever. One can expect a good encounter between these two sides tonight.
