IPL 2025, CSK vs DC: Delhi Capitals captain Axar Patel drops big-hitting star for CSK clash

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Delhi Capitals will play without vice-captain Faf du Plessis in their crucial match against Chennai Super Kings due to fitness issues. Despite this, captain Axar Patel won the toss and chose to bat first as DC looks to continue its winning momentum, while CSK aims to recover from recent defeats.

NEW DELHI: Delhi Capitals will miss the services of their vice-captain Faf du Plessis in Saturday’s high-voltage clash against five-time champions Chennai Super Kings, as skipper Axar Patel won the toss and opted to bat first in Match 17 of IPL 2025 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

Currently placed second on the points table, Delhi Capitals come into the contest riding the momentum of back-to-back wins.

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On the other hand, CSK, languishing at eighth, return to their fortress in Chennai after suffering two consecutive defeats.

At the toss, Axar confirmed that du Plessis, who struck a crucial half-century in DC’s emphatic win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, was unavailable due to fitness concerns. He has been replaced in the XI by Sameer Rizvi.

In du Plessis’ absence, KL Rahul will move up the order to open the innings alongside the in-form Jake Fraser-McGurk.

“We are going to bat first as it feels like there’ll be help for the bowlers. Expect it to get slower as the game progresses. In our team, we have a few players who have captained other franchises and that helps me a lot,” the all-rounder said.

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CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, who took a blow on his elbow in the defeat to Rajasthan Royals and was doubtful of playing Saturday’s game, said Devon Conway (whose name got loud cheers from the crowd) and Mukesh Choudhary come in for Jamie Overton and Rahul Tripathi respectively.

“We were looking to bat as well. Looks a bit dry. It’s a bit cloudy, won’t change much. You always want momentum in T20 cricket. Overall, the chat has been positive. Fielding is something which we can improve day by day. We want to be proactive. Elbow is good,” he said.

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PLAYING XIS

Chennai Super Kings: Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Khaleel Ahmed, and Matheesha Pathirana

Impact Substitutes: Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Shaik Rasheed, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Nathan Ellis

Delhi Capitals: Jake Fraser-McGurk, KL Rahul (wk), Abishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs, Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (captain), Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, and Mohit Sharma

Impact Substitutes: Mukesh Kumar, Karun Nair, Darshan Nalkande, Donovan Ferreira, Tripurana Vijay

Get the latest IPL 2025 updates on Times of India, including match schedules, team squads, points table and IPL live score for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Don’t miss the list of players in the race for IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple cap.

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