"Lucky Charm is Missing!" - Twitter is disheartened as Suresh Raina misses from CSK's playing XI for Qualifier 1

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Delhi Capitals (DC) will face off in the first qualifier of the IPL 2021 game in Dubai today. Both teams have an advantage as they will get one more opportunity even if they lose this contest.

CSK skipper MS Dhoni won the toss and chose to field first. Suresh Raina is on the sidelines once again as CSK are playing with an unchanged side. Delhi Capitals brought in Tom Curran for Ripal Patel.

Here are the playing XIs:

CSK XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood

DC XI: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (w/c), Tom Curran, Axar Patel, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan, Anrich Nortje

Also Check: IPL Live Score | IPL Stats | IPL Schedule

Fans were excited about the crucial clash between the two top teams this year and took to Twitter to express it.

They also gave their views on the team selections of both teams. Suresh Raina's absence in CSK's playing XI evoked reactions from his ardent fans.

Here are some of the best ones:

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Head-to-head records don't matter in the qualifiers: Gautam Gambhir

Former KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir opined that IPL head-to-head records don't have as much weightage during high-pressure games as in the IPL 2021 playoffs.

Ahead of the first qualifier match between CSK and Delhi Capitals, Gautam Gambhir explained the pressure involved while playing in such encounters on ESPNcricinfo and said:

"Head to head records don't matter in these qualifiers. The only thing that matters is that this is the playoffs. Each team is under the same amount of pressure. A couple of bad overs can break your chances of winning, so both CSK and DC will have equal amount of pressure."

Gambhir then continued and gave his opinion on the strengths of the Delhi Capitals' side. He said:

"Delhi Capitals' biggest strength lies in their bowling unit. They only play with five bowling options and still manage to restrict opposition to below par scores. 3 world class pacers and 2 international spinners have been phenomenal for them throughout the tournament."

Chennai Super Kings are coming into this game with three consecutive losses. MS Dhoni and Co. will be looking to use all of their experience to make a comeback by winning this encounter.

The Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals will be hoping to book their spot in the IPL 2021 final today. DC had lost to the Mumbai Indians in the summit clash in IPL 2020.