On Saturday, April 11, as part of the ongoing IPL 2026, a drained Chennai Super Kings (CSK) welcomes Delhi Capitals (DC) to MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. This will be the second of the two games in the day and will commence at 7.30 pm IST.
CSK are currently the only team in IPL 2026 who are yet to get off the mark on the points table. The five-time champions are languishing in the last spot of the standings, with three consecutive defeats.
DC was experiencing a different beginning to their campaign. They started off on a roll with two wins in a row. Nevertheless, they lost their last match in a heartbreaking one-run defeat to Gujarat Titans (GT) in their last match. The Axar Patel-led party is ranked fourth in the table and they have four points to their credit.
CSK are ahead of head-to-head 19-12 in 31 games. However, they suffered defeats to DC in their last two meetings. In IPL 2025, Delhi defeated Chennai by 25 runs in MA Chidambaram Stadium, which was their first win there since 2010.
Now we will take three interesting matches which might play a role in determining the outcome of the match.
3. Sanju Samson (CSK) vs Lungi Ngidi (DC)
Sanju Samson has not managed to reproduce his form in the T20 World Cup 2026. The opening batter has scored 6, 7 and 9 single digit scores this season. Interestingly, his three dismissals have been against off-shore fast bowlers.
Lungi Ngidi may be the go-to-guy of DC captain Axar Patel against Samson. In the last match that DC played, the South African bowler completed two overs of powerplay.
Samson has been against Ngidi in only one instance in his IPL career. He was caught by the seamer in the match after only managing to score three out of five runs. Additionally, the wicketkeeper-batter is not doing well in MA Chidambaram Stadium with an aggregate of 66 runs in six appearances with a strike rate of 100.
2. Khaleel Ahmed (CSK) vs KL Rahul (DC)
New-ball adventures by Khaleel Ahmed will play a crucial role with the hosts. The left-arm pacer has performed quite well this season yet he has not taken any wickets. Chennai would be pleased with the prospect of sending KL Rahul back early, particularly with the star batter in good form with a 92-run smash off 52 balls against GT.
The DC opener has an average of 45 vs. Chennai and has a total of 630 runs in 15 innings with a strike rate of 142.85. He has encountered Khaleel seven times during the IPL. Rahul has only been dismissed once by the fast bowler who has also awarded him 51 runs on 35 balls.
1. Dewald Brevis (CSK) vs Kuldeep Yadav (DC)
CSK will receive a significant boost with Dewald Brevis expected to come back after three games out owing to an injury. The swashbuckling batter is among their most outstanding players last year, with 225 runs in six matches, and a strike rate of 180.
When Brevis is on the crease, DC skipper, Axar Patel, may resort to Kuldeep Yadav. The left-arm spinner has picked up three scalps from as many outings with an economy rate of 9.45.
It is notable that Kuldeep sent back Brevis twice in the three match home ODI series of India against South Africa in 2025.
