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Chennai Super Kings
Delhi Capitals
Chennai Super Kings will take on Delhi Capitals in the 18th match of the Indian Premier League 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The match will see two teams moving in opposite directions. Chennai are currently at the bottom with 3 straight losses. Delhi will come in with 2 wins in 3 matches and is sitting fourth on the table.
Delhi will rely on their chasing strength, as both wins have come while batting second. KL Rahul will look to contribute after a quiet start, while Sameer Rizvi will continue his good form. Chennai will expect improvement from Sanju Samson, with Ayush Mhatre providing stability.
Chepauk will assist spinners, making bowling crucial. CSK will hold a slight edge in head-to-head with 3 wins in the last 5 matches, all coming while defending totals.
Lungi Ngidi has taken 5 wickets in 3 matches and will exploit CSKβs out-of-form top order on a slow Chennai pitch where early breakthroughs are likely.
The betting tip is...
Lungi Ngidi - Over 1.5 wickets
64 %
36 %
Chennai Super KingsDelhi CapitalsChennai Super Kings will start with Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top, and neither has fired so far this season. Ayush Mhatre has moved to number three after opening last season. Mhatre delivered with 73 off 43 against PBKS. Shivam Dube scored 45* off 27 in the same match.
Sarfaraz Khan contributed with 17 off 12, 32 off 12 and 50 off 25 across matches. Prashant Veer added 43 off 29 in the chase against RCB. Contributions came from multiple players, while the openers failed to convert starts.
With the ball, Anshul Kamboj picked up 3 wickets. The bowling unit struggled overall. Khaleel Ahmed and Noor Ahmad remained wicketless in all 3 matches. CSK used Dube and Jamie Overton in phases to manage overs.
Mhatre, Dube and Sarfaraz are the in-form players in the team.
Predicted Lineup: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Kartik Sharma, Noor Ahmad, Matt Henry, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Jamie Overton (Impact Player)
Delhi Capitals saw Sameer Rizvi emerge as the standout batter. He scored back-to-back fifties and guided the team home in both wins, taking his tally to 160 runs. Pathum Nissanka contributed with 44 off 30 and 41 off 24 against GT. KL Rahul struggled initially but responded with 92 off 52 in the same match.
Nitish Rana, Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel and David Miller added depth. Miller scored 41* off 20 in the last match. The batting unit handled pressure situations well.
With the ball, T Natarajan, Lungi Ngidi and Mukesh Kumar shared 13 wickets and maintained an economy of around eight. Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel controlled the middle overs and picked key wickets.
Rahul, Nissanka and Rizvi are the key batters in the team.
Predicted Lineup: KL Rahul (wk), Pathum Nissanka, Nitish Rana, Axar Patel (c), Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Vipraj Nigam, Lungi Ngidi, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Sameer Rizvi/Ashutosh Sharma (Impact Players)
Delhi Capitals will enter this match with better form in both batting and bowling. Their batting has delivered under pressure, while the bowling unit has consistently picked wickets.
Lungi Ngidi has been effective, with 5 wickets in 3 matches, and will benefit from the slow pitch and conditions in Chennai. Mukesh Kumar and T Natarajan have also supported well with regular breakthroughs, taking 4 wickets each.
Chennai Super Kings will rely on their batting, but their bowlers have struggled, with Khaleel Ahmed and Noor Ahmad yet to take a wicket after playing 3 matches. DCβs stronger bowling attack is likely to control the game and create more wicket-taking opportunities. We predict DC to win this match.
