Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are set to face Delhi Capitals (DC) for the first time in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The match is set to be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. It is also the penultimate game of the season at CSK's home venue. The Men in Yellow are currently at the second position in the points table despite suffering from so many injury issues during the season. Moreover, their premier all-rounder Ben Stokes has not played since April 3 for the team due to heel injury.
However, ahead of the game against DC, CSK batting coach Michael Hussey has come up with a massive update on Stokes stating that he is fully fit and available for selection now. "I'm pretty sure Stokes is available for selection but it comes down to the balance of the squad," Hussey said on the eve of the match.
Even if Stokes if fit, it remains to be seen if he will slot back straight into the playing XI. Four overseas players who are featuring in the XI currently are Devon Conway, Maheesh Theekshana, Moeen Ali and Matheesha Pathirana. Apart from Moeen, the other three players have performed decently so far. Moreover, Moeen's off-spin might come into play against three left-handed DC batters. Hence, despite being available, Stokes might not get a chance to play due to the balance of the squad.
To add to it, CSK won the previous outing at the same venue against Mumbai Indians (MI) pretty comfortably with the same combination. MS Dhoni generally doesn't change the winning combination much and so, CSK seem unlikely to change their playing XI.
CSK Probable Playing XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c&wk), Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Tushar Deshpande (Impact Sub: Ambati Rayudu)
