New Delhi: Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel won the toss on Tuesday and opted to bat first against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Team Updates
In a significant boost for the Delhi Capitals bowling attack, South African pacer Lungi Ngidi returned to the playing XI after missing a few matches due to a head injury he sustained during a home match against Punjab Kings on April 25. Ngidi replaced Kyle Jamieson in the lineup.
Chennai Super Kings, on the other hand, made two changes to their combination, bringing in Akeal Hosein and Gurjapneet Singh to rejig the squad due to an injury to Ramakrishna Ghosh.
Toss Comments
Speaking at the toss, Axar Patel said, "We will bat first. I think the surface looks good, and we feel it's a very good pitch. Maybe in the second innings it might slow down a bit, so I'd like to give that advantage to our bowlers. The way the tournament is going, it's a very important match. But at the same time, it's more important to focus on how you're playing. You can't think too much about points - if you do, you put extra pressure on yourself. That's what we've been discussing as a team, we just want to play good cricket, and the points will take care of themselves. We've lost some close matches, but if you look at the season overall, I'm happy with the wins and performances. That's what happens sometimes, but if we talk about cricket, I'm very happy with the boys' batting and bowling. In fielding, if we had done better, we could have been in a stronger position. One change - Lungi Ngidi in place of Kyle Jamieson."
CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad commented, "We were looking to bowl first, but the pitch looks a bit dry, so I don't think it will change much. So batting or bowling first won't make much difference. (On the team atmosphere) There have been some positive signs in the last 2–3 matches. Even though we haven't won every game, there are good positives. Since the first three matches of the tournament, we've improved a lot in all departments. Our bowling has been doing really well, and the batting is slowly coming together. We just want to carry that momentum into the last phase of the tournament. We're really happy coming into this game, especially after the last one. But this is a new game, so we want to start fresh and start well. It's also great to see youngsters getting opportunities and stepping up. It's a good sign for the franchise - they are repaying the faith shown by the management. Still a long way to go."
Playing XIs
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Gurjapneet Singh
Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): KL Rahul(w), Pathum Nissanka, Karun Nair, Tristan Stubbs, Nitish Rana, Axar Patel(c), Ashutosh Sharma, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Lungi Ngidi, T Natarajan
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