Not so often do you call a game that Chennai Super Kings (CSK) involved a dead rubber, but fate has its say on the five-time champions, with them shifting their base to Delhi for their penultimate league match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 and their final home match which is going to be on a neutral venue.
Chennai Super Kings will face Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in the 62nd match of the season on Tuesday (May 20). This is a clash of two franchises that played in the inaugural final, but both are languishing at the bottom of the points table now.
CSK and RR have 6 points each, with the former having the worst net run rate of the two, but have a game in hand. The winner of this match is more likely not to hold the wooden spoon.
The IPL officials didn't pick Chepauk as one of the venues for the remainder of the season during the league's resumption, citing a possibility of heavy rainfall in the extreme South of India. However, that isn't a great deal of disadvantage for the Super Kings this season, as they have lost five matches at home.
Devon Conway, Dewald Brevis, Matheesha Pathirana, and Noor Ahmad are the confirmed overseas availabilities for CSK, while Rachin Ravindra's availability is still uncertain, and he is least likely to return for the last bit of the competition. England all-rounders - Sam Curran and Jamie Overton - have decided not to return to India, with England's international summer beginning soon.
A Sneak Peek into the Numbers of Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, in IPL:
Matches Played - 96
Matches Won by Team Batting First - 46
Matches Won by Team Batting Second - 48
No-Result: 1
Abandoned: 1
Highest Innings Total - 266/7 by Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Delhi Capitals, 2024
Lowest Innings Total - 83/10 by Delhi Capitals against Chennai Super Kings, 2013
Highest Individual Score - 128 by Chris Gayle (Royal Challengers Bengaluru) vs Delhi Capitals, 2012 & 128 by Rishabh Pant (Delhi Capitals) vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 2018
Best Bowling Figures - 5/13 by Lasith Malinga (Mumbai Indians) vs Delhi Capitals, 2011
Average Runs per Wicket - 27.77
Average Runs per Over - 8.57
Average Score Batting First - 168.26
This is the first time that CSK and RR will face each other at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, in the IPL.