Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will lock horns against Delhi Capitals (DC) in their upcoming IPL 2026 clash on Tuesday, May 5 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side will aim to secure a dominating victory to stay alive in the playoff race.
Ravichandran Ashwin exposes Delhi Capitals
Ahead of the key clash, former India-all rounder Ravichandran Ashwin has managed to find a loophole in DC's line-up, which could be attacked by CSK bowlers, saying that visitors could take full advantage of it and secure a positive result for themselves.
On his official YouTube Channel, Ashwin claimed despite having a good bowling attack, DC lacks a solid middle-order to have advantage over opponents. The former CSK star proved his point by recalling the incident from the last encounter of the two teams at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in the ongoing season, where CSK's Jamie Overton exposed DC's weak middle-order batters with his hard-length deliveries.
"The DC opening pair of KL Rahul and Pathum Nissanka started the game against Chennai at Chepauk in blazing fashion in the powerplay," said Ashwin.
“Khaleel brought CSK back into the game in the final over of the powerplay and CSK went on to win the game."
"DC’s batting order succumbed to Jamie Overton’s hard length there on out," Ashwin continued.
“DC’s bowling unit is strong as well, but their middle-order is vulnerable,"
“The ground is rather small, the bounce won’t be steep, and I feel the team that bowls better will go on to dominate the game," Ashwin concluded.
Will MS Dhoni play against Delhi Capitals tonight?
Providing some clarity on the situation, CSK bowling coach Eric Simmons shared the latest updates regarding the 44-year-old’s status. Simmons confirmed that MS Dhoni has not traveled with the squad to Delhi and that there is still no definitive timeline for his first appearance of the season.
"Updates on MS Dhoni are way above my pay grade. He's not with us (in Delhi), but steadily improving. He'll be ready when he's ready, and he knows when he's ready to play. But he hasn't travelled yet,” CSK bowling coach Eric Simmons said in the pre-match press conference.
With each passing game calls for MS Dhoni's comeback are growing stronger, but the former India skipper remains behind the shadow. It will be interesting to see if Dhoni makes even a single appearance before the end of the season.