Big picture

 

Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Daredevils are possibly IPL's two most contrasting teams. One from the south, the other from north. One with an enviable IPL pedigree, the other with one of the poorest tournament records. One a stable team with a stable leader, the other, constantly looking for their messiah. One in yellow, almost as confident in IPL as Australia are in their gold kit, the other, in blue, a bit lost like England. It's not difficult to see which team will be more nervous when the two meet in Chennai.

After finishing at the bottom of the points table for two consecutive seasons, Daredevils went on a head-turning shopping binge at the IPL auction. Record cash was splashed on one man in the hope that it would rejuvenate a side devoid of an icon. It will be, therefore, a huge challenge for the team, as well as for Yuvraj Singh, to make a statement in their first outing, specially with the absence of Angelo Mathews, who won't be available to play as the match is in Chennai. A win would be perfect but even a good fight would ease Daredevils' fans and management.

However, that is not going to come easy. Super Kings, who made it to the play-offs last year without playing a game in Chennai, are going to love being back; Chepauk is their fortress. It's hard to imagine that the first two times Daredevils played here, they comfortably beat Super Kings. Daredevils, however, lost their last three games in Chennai. Can 2015 bring in the change? Daredevils would certainly hope so.

 

 

 

 

 

Watch out for…

 

Brendon McCullum has the habit of setting the tone as an opener. Last year, he was the third-highest run-getter for Super Kings with 405 runs. Those came at a strike rate of 121.62. But if his World Cup form - 328 runs at a scorching rate of 188.50 - is an indicator, McCullum could be one of the most dangerous batsman for Super Kings in the first half of the tournament.

The same can't be said about Daredevils' opener. Quinton de Kock had a brilliant start to his international career but had a poor World Cup, managing 145 runs in eight outings. There were others in the South Africa batting line-up to cover for his lack of form, but in the Daredevils set-up, he will have to lead the way.

 

Stats and trivia

 

 

• Delhi Daredevils managed five wins in 30 matches over the last two seasons, a massive dip in fortunes after finishing at top of the table in the 2012 edition
• Zaheer Khan hasn't played competitive cricket for almost a year - Mumbai Indians' match against Kings XI on May 3, 2014 was his last outing

 

 

Quotes

 

"Irfan Pathan is not fit and he will not be considered. Also, Andrew Tye is carrying a slight injury. These two players will have to be watched from day to day and my understanding is that they will not be available for selection for the first game."
Chennai Super Kings' coach, Stephen Fleming

"We have Yuvraj Singh this time. Shreyas Iyer is an exciting cricketer. In all counts, we want to do well in this IPL and hopefully we will be the first team to make the top four and then go up in the ladder."
Delhi Daredevils' mentor, TA Sekar