IPL 2023: CSK skipper Dhoni wins toss, opts to bat first against DC

NEW DELHI: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper MS Dhoni won the toss and elected to bat first against Delhi Capitals in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Saturday.

This match is crucial for CSK's playoff chances, which is sitting at the second spot with seven wins, five losses and one no result from 13 matches. They have a total of 15 points and lost their last match to Kolkata Knight Riders. DC is out of the competition, have five wins, eight losses from 13 games, with a total of 10 points. They won their previous match against Punjab Kings and could spoil CSK's party today.

CSK skipper Dhoni said at the toss, "We will bat. We have been trying to win games right from the first game. We are playing the same XI, it is a balanced eleven and we do not need to make many changes. Day game, the pitch will also slow down as the match progresses, that is the reason we wanted to bat first. In a tournament like this, we will have good and bad games, need to take the learnings from very game and that is what I want the youngsters to learn."

DC skipper David Warner said at the toss, "It is about consistency, we have not settled in home conditions, but today is another chance. The match-ups work - Lalit Yadav comes in, we will have to start afresh here after that convincing win in Dharamsala."

Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w/c), Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana.

Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): David Warner(c), Philip Salt(w), Rilee Rossouw, Yash Dhull, Aman Hakim Khan, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed, Anrich Nortje.