Faf du Plessis, who is also one of the most seasoned players for the Delhi Capitals (DC), will not play in today's IPL 2025 encounter against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), which is set to be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, on April 5 (Saturday). At the toss, captain Axar Patel revealed that young Indian star Sameer Rizvi, who was part of CSK in the previous edition, would be replacing the former Proteas captain.
Axar Patel on Faf du Plessis
Delhi Capitals won the toss and elected to bat first. After winning the toss, Axar Patel revealed that Faf du Plessis is currently not fit for selection in this game. Du Plessis, who was an integral part of the CSK line-up before his run with RCB, was crucial for the team with all his experience of playing Chepauk.
Even in this season, he has so far amassed 79 runs in two games, including one half-century. Sameer Rizvi, another former CSK player, has taken up his place in the playing XI.
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"We are going to bat first. Feels like there'll be help for the bowlers. It's an afternoon game and we expect it to get slower in the second innings. When you are winning, the atmosphere in the dressing room will obviously be good. In our team, we have a few players who have captained other franchises and their inputs help me a lot. Same combination - three fast bowlers and three spinners. Unfortunately, Faf is not fit for this game, Sameer Rizvi is playing," said Axar Patel after winning the toss.
"We were looking to bat first as well. Good wicket, looks a bit dry. It's a bit cloudy, I don't think it'll change too much. You always want momentum in T20 cricket, we haven't got it in the last two games. Last game was an improved performance in terms of batting and bowling. The fielding wasn't up to the mark. Everyone is eager to have a massive improvement. Overall, the chat has been positive. Batting and bowling, you'll have an off day in a tournament like IPL. Fielding is something which we can improve day by day. We may not be the greatest fielding side, but we want to be proactive, we want to save those 10-15 runs so that it'll be easier to chase. Elbow is good. Conway comes in for Jamie Overton. Mukesh comes in from Tripathi," said Ruturaj Gaikwad at toss.
CSK vs DC Playing XIs
Chennai Super Kings: Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana
Delhi Capitals: Jake Fraser-McGurk, KL Rahul(w), Abishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel(c), Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma