IPL 2021, CSK vs DC: DC's predicted playing XI

Under a new captain in Rishabh Pant, the Delhi Capitals (DC) attempt to quench their thirst for an Indian Premier League (IPL) title. Their first assignment in the 2021 edition of the league sees them take on the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

DC aren't anywhere near full strength, and this is not only because of the absence of regular captain Shreyas Iyer. Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje featured in South Africa's recent ODI series against Pakistan and will miss out, while Axar Patel is also unavailable for selection as he hasn't recovered from COVID-19.

DC are still among the best teams in IPL 2021 though, and they can put out a formidable playing XI against CSK on April 10.

DC's squad for IPL 2021: Ajinkya Rahane, Amit Mishra, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Prithvi Shaw, Ravichandran Ashwin, Rishabh Pant, Shikhar Dhawan, Lalit Yadav, Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Chris Woakes, Anrich Nortje, Steve Smith, Umesh Yadav, Ripal Patel, Lukman Hussain Meriwala, M Siddharth, Tom Curran, Sam Billings, Pravin Dubey, Vishnu Vinod

Here is DC's predicted playing XI for their first IPL 2021 game against CSK.

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Openers: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan

Two in-form openers, Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw, will walk out to face the new ball for DC. While Dhawan will look to replicate his performances from last year, Shaw will look to banish his IPL 2020 demons by getting off to a good start. Both batsmen will have to be wary of a canny CSK new-ball attack comprising of Deepak Chahar and Sam Curran.

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Middle Order: Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Shimron Hetmyer

Rishabh Pant

Ajinkya Rahane, while not completely suited to the No. 3 slot in T20 cricket, is DC's best shot of replacing Iyer. The experienced batsman struggled at the position last year, but he'll be able to play his shots at the batting-friendly Wankhede.

With Rahane and Smith unlikely to co-exist meaningfully in the DC middle order, we might see Shimron Hetmyer pip the former Australian captain to a spot in the playing XI for the match against CSK.

Of course, Rishabh Pant - captain, wicket-keeper and middle-order dasher - also finds a place in the team. He will look to continue the form that he showed for India across formats in the recent series against England.

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All-rounders: Marcus Stoinis, Chris Woakes, Tom Curran

Marcus Stoinis

Rabada and Nortje will be missed, but DC ensured in the 2021 IPL auction that they have a couple of backups raring to go.

Chris Woakes and Tom Curran (who'll play another game against his brother Sam if he's picked) could make up a formidable overseas pace-bowling all-rounder trio to cover for the South African pair's absence.

While Woakes was retained despite pulling out of the last IPL season, Curran was acquired in the action. Along with last season's star Marcus Stoinis, the English duo will play a number of roles for DC in the batting and bowling departments.

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Bowlers: Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishant Sharma, Amit Mishra

Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin doesn't have his Test bowling partner Axar Patel for company, but savvy veteran Amit Mishra is a lethal weapon DC will unleash against CSK in Match 2 of IPL 2021. The spin duo complement each other very well, and could ask questions of the CSK batsmen even though a lot of turn isn't expected to be on offer in Mumbai.

The final spot in DC's playing XI for the IPL 2021 game against CSK could be a toss-up between Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav. The former could get the nod, as he has been at the franchise longer and his performances in the IPL over the last three years have been better than those of his teammate.

If DC play both Ishant and Umesh, Woakes would have to be the man to miss out as Curran offers an extra option at the death. In this case, Steve Smith could play instead of Rahane at No. 3. But this XI featuring Hetmyer, Stoinis, Woakes and Curran as the four overseas players has great balance, and should be the one DC turn to in their first game of IPL 2021 against CSK.