MI vs BLR Dream11: Dhoni vs Pant. Two wicket-keeper batsmen who defied the status quo to create a space for their respective brand of cricket during their peak times. And now they lock horns against each other in the second Vivo IPL 2021 match. This is Dhoni’s fight to stay relevant, to show that despite the horrors of IPL 2020 he remains the Thala, while for Pant, this is the beginning of a new chapter as he fights to show that he is captaincy material. DC were the finalists last year and will have massive expectations as they have a strong squad despite the injuries while CSK have made big changes and will be interesting to see if these changes pay off.
A Patel will be unavailable as he is undergoing Covid-19 treatment while L Ngidi too is unavailable for selection.
Playing Combination: R Gaikwad and F du Plessis will open the innings with S Raina and A Rayadu handling middle order. MS Dhoni will be the finisher while S Thakur and D Chahar will lead the bowling arsenal with D Bravo.
CSK Playing 11 (likely)
S Curran is an impact player and CSK can use him to make the most of his all-round abilities. He has featured in 23 IPL games so far and has scored 281 runs at an average of 23.41 and has a strike rate of 143.36. He is also an effective bowler and has claimed 23 wickets at a strike rate of 19.56.
D Chahar is a master of new-ball swing. The Wankhede pitch will assist his style of bowling and he can be expected to claim a few wickets upfront. He has 45 wickets in 48 IPL games at a strike-rate of 22.22. The last time IPL was played in India, he claimed 22 wickets in 17 games at a strike-rate of 17.59.
The pace duo of K Rabada and A Nortje is unavailable for selection.
Playing Combination: The duo of P Shaw and S Dhawan will open the innings while R Pant, M Stoinis and S Hetmyer will form the middle order. R Ashwin will lead spin department while I Sharma will be lead pacer.
delhi capitals Playing 11 (likely)
R Pant is in terrific form in 2021 and has played aggressive cricket. He has had good numbers in IPL and has scored 2079 runs at an impressive strike-rate of 151.97 and averages a solid 35.23. He has slammed 1 hundred and 12 fifties as well and expect him to make a big impact.
P Shaw was unstoppable in the Vijay Hazare Trophy. He amassed a record 827 runs in 8 games with an average of 165.40 and a strike-rate of 138.29 and remember this was a fifty-over affair. 105*, 227, 185*, and 165 were his four hundreds in that tournament. So he can be a massive player in this tournament. He has 826 runs in 38 IPL games with a strike-rate of 139.76 and an average of 21.73.
Chennai still look a bit rusty and some of their key players have had very little cricket. DC too will feel their bowling is weak but even then expect DC to win the CSK vs DC match in today’s Dream11 today match prediction