Chennai Super Kings set to test Delhi Capitals' ability to adapt to crisis

Since pulling off a Super Over heist against the Kings XI Punjab in their opening game, the Delhi Capitals have shown an indomitable spirit. They are currently second on the points table with six wins from eight games but their journey has been anything but smooth.

Right at the start, their main spinner R Ashwin had to miss two games after hurting his shoulder. Then Amit Mishra's tournament was cut short with a finger injury. Ishant Sharma played just one match before an abdominal muscle tear ruled him out. But the Capitals dealt with those blows so effectively that the absence of such key players was never felt.

However, the latest roadblock - a hamstring injury to Rishabh Pant - is proving a bit trickier to handle. With no other Indian wicketkeeper in the squad, the Capitals have been forced to play Alex Carey, which means there is no place for Shimron Hetmyer in the side. His replacement, Ajinkya Rahane, managed 15 off 15 and 2 off 9 in the last two games, of which the Capitals lost the first one and somehow sneaked in a win in the second.

On Saturday evening, they will be facing the Chennai Super Kings, who after numerous permutations and combinations finally seem to have figured out their best XI. The side that played in their last game, against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, had seven bowling options while boasting a batting line-up with no tail whatsoever.

Their approach too was fresh and positive with Sam Curran opening the innings to take advantage of the powerplay and MS Dhoni coming in at No. 5. The result - a third win in eight games - ensured they didn't slip too far behind in the playoffs race. A win against the Capitals would provide further momentum to their campaign.

Prithvi Shaw smashed 64 off 43 balls to power the Capitals to 175 for 3. Kagiso Rabada then picked up 3 for 26 as the Capitals' bowlers restricted the Super Kings to 131 for 7 to script a 44-run win.

Delhi Capitals: 1 Prithvi Shaw, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Axar Patel, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Tushar Deshpande, 11 Anrich Nortje

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Faf du Plessis, 2 Sam Curran, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 Piyush Chawla, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Karn Sharma