Kings circle!

Chennai Super Kingsrsquo old guards with an uncanny knack of owning the big stage at right moments will start as favourites against a solid Delhi Capitals lineup led by lsquoyoung pretenderrsquo Rishabh Pant in what promises to be an exciting first IPL Qualifier here on SundayCapitals were the best team in the league and their 20point finish at the group stage was an indication of their consistent performances which didnrsquot dip due to the COVID19 forced breakSimilarly CSK are now back in familiar settings of playoff rounds something that they have done 11 out of 12 times although losing three matches on the bounce wouldnrsquot have amused their allpowerful skipper Mahendra Singh DhoniDC on the other hand were handed a rude jolt by Kona Bharatrsquos lastball six in their final group league game against Royal Challengers Bangalore It didnrsquot change their pole position but did enough to shake themCSK over the years have been in final eight times and won on three occasions which speak volumes of the teamrsquos ability to lift their game just when itrsquos required mostAlso Read Brendon McCullum Abhishek Nayar two good as coachesThatrsquos the reason why CSK are not one of those franchises which unleashes new talent by dozens like other teams Ruturaj Gaikwad is an exception and he could be called a pure CSK product after more than a decadeMSDrsquos simple philosophyDhoni has a simple cricketing philosophymdashrely on tried and tested individuals who are battlehardened and thus he has always relied on the likes of Ravindra Jadeja Ambati Rayudu Suresh Raina Dwayne Bravo and Faf du PlessisThese are players who have been there and done that People who can control phases and win pressure situations which more often than not results invictoriesAdd Josh Hazlewood or Moeen Ali who are also international regulars in that mix and the former India captain knows exactly what is the kind of combination that he needs to put on the parkAs much as one speaks about team effort no one knows more than Dhoni that T20 is perhaps one form of cricket where individuals win matches Dhoni knows that even though his batting form 96 runs in 14 games has deserted him years back since 201516 and an IPL legend like Raina 160 in 12 games is a pale shadow of his once destructive self he still has Gaikwad 533 runs and Du Plessis 546 who have more often than not provided solid starts and the menacing Jadeja 227 runs providing final flourishA chance to reflect PontingDelhi Capitals coach Ricky Ponting felt the defeat to Royal Challengers Bangalore in their last league game of the ongoing IPL has given his team a ldquochance to reflectrdquo ahead of the playoffsHaving suffered a dramatic sevenwicket loss against RCB here on Friday Delhi Capitals will look to bounce back with a win to make a direct entry into the final ldquoIt was a disappointing way for the game to end and for us to lose the way we did but I am not unhappy about it at all I actually think itrsquos a really good thing because it will give the boys a chance to reflect and think about how we can improve for Sundayrsquos gamerdquo said Ponting ldquoItrsquos a short turnaround so you have to forget about things and start focusing on the next gamerdquo He also termed the loss a ldquostep forwardrdquoAlso Read IPL 2021 Bharatrsquos lastball six helps RCB beat DelhiThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliabilitsy and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the contents in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever