Chennai Super Kings have seen the good and the bad of IPL cricket in the first two matches they have played, posting a win and a loss respectively. While everyone has oscillated between being decent and indifferent. Veteran South African Faf du Plessis has been on the money in both games, with a match-winning 58 not off 44 deliveries against Mumbai Indians and then 72 off 37 balls against Kings XI Punjab (7 sixes) in a big run chase. He is going to be an important cog in the CSK batting when they meet Delhi Capitals in their next match. The Delhi outfit would be hoping that Ravichandran Ashwin recovers from the injury accrued against Kings XI Punjab and can also restrict and even dismiss the marauding South African.

Ashwin was a part of the CSK line-up for a long time and a little bit of needle with his former teammates is inevitable. But if there was anyone who would take a fight head-on, that would be the Tamil Nadu off-spinner.

Ashwin has played 140 IPL matches, many of them for CSK, and picked up 127 wickets at an economy of 6.78. He had two wickets for two runs in the only over he bowled against KXIP and has unfinished business in IPL 2020.

Du Plessis has been in the CSK line-up for a long time. He has played 73 IPL matches and scored 1983 runs at a strike rate of 128.51. More importantly, he had netted 130 runs at a strike rate of 160.49 in IPL 2020 so far, which is something Ashwin will have to look at.

At the same time, Dubai as a ground is way bigger than Sharjah and also Abu Dhabi. So, anything that is a sure 6 in Sharjah may well land inside the ground in Dubai, so that will be something to consider when a spinner bowls.

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Both players are looking good and one hopes Ashwin is fit enough for the face-off, since it promises to be an intriguing one.

Note: All stats courtesy iplt20.com