3 things DC need to do right to beat CSK in IPL 2025 clash ft. Faf du Plessis

The Delhi Capitals (DC) are one of only two unbeaten sides in the IPL 2025, the Punjab Kings (PBKS) being the other. The Axar Patel-led side have a chance to record their third consecutive win to continue their fairytale start, but have a huge challenge in the form of the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

DC, like the majority of the sides in the IPL, have struggled at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. They recorded two successive wins in the early years of the IPL, but have lost seven consecutive matches at the Chepauk since then.

On that note, let us look at three things DC need to do right to beat CSK in IPL 2025.

3 things DC need to do right to beat CSK in IPL 2025 clash

#1 Openers need to capitalize on the new ball

DC's opening pair has shown a lot of potential in the early stages of the 2025 season. Not much needs to be said regarding their importance, but it gets ramped up to a degree in an afternoon game at the Chepauk on a slow surface, where playing against the old ball could be a lot trickier.

As such, getting as many runs as possible when the ball is new and hard before the spinners come into play becomes absolutely paramount. Much to DC's advantage, they have a player in their ranks who is more than familiar with playing at the Chepauk. Faf du Plessis is one of the finest exponents to capitalize on the powerplay, and when new ball movement is limited, he can flourish even further.

He has played 18 innings at the iconic venue, the majority as an opener, scoring 588 runs at an average of 36.75 and a strike rate of 120.99.

Jake Fraser-McGurk's reckless approach could also bode well since it is a risk worth taking. He can unsettle the already struggling CSK powerplay bowling by stepping out and piling on the boundaries.

#2 Don't over-utilize Mitchell Starc with the new ball

An afternoon game at the Chepauk might just be the most unappealing trip for an overseas seamer. The grueling heat and the lack of pace and carry, along with minimal swing or seam, cripple new-ball dependent bowlers like Mitchell Starc and Trent Boult.

Luckily for Starc, he is an excellent exponent of the old ball, capable of getting the ball to reverse. Since there is no prospect of dew, DC can proceed with the same ball for the entirety of the innings. With the reversal of the saliva ban and the soft ball being hard to hit, Starc would be a much bigger threat at the back end of the innings rather than the new ball.

Whether it is a barrage of short-pitched balls to Shivam Dube or choking CSK at the death with reverse swing, the left-arm seamer promises to be an asset if given more overs with the old ball. He can be given an over up front, but the rest of the powerplay can certainly be handled by Mukesh Kumar and Axar Patel.

#3 Use the possible 12 overs of spin judiciously

DC are likely to continue with their spin trio of Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, and Vipraj Nigam. The help from the surface is inevitable, given that spin is CSK's biggest strength, but how the 12 overs of spin will be used will dictate how DC get the most out of the surface.

Axar Patel, being the skipper, gives DC an advantage in that regard. Being a spinner himself, he will have a fair idea of how to utilize himself and his spin bowling peers to get the maximum impact.

There is a good chance that Vipraj Nigam and Kuldeep Yadav will be deployed primarily in the middle overs, which gives Axar Patel the cushion to bring himself early into the attack in the powerplay and choke the out-of-sorts CSK top order. The ball will likely come well onto the bat off the pacers, and Axar Patel's overs in the powerplay might make it difficult for CSK to maximize the powerplay.