Former and present Indian wicketkeeper-batsmen Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rishabh Pant will take on each other in an epic Indian Premier League (IPL) clash between the Chennai Super Kings and the Delhi Capitals on Saturday. Fans are eagerly anticipating the ‘master vs apprentice’ clash between the two, and it seems Indian cricket coach Ravi Shastri is equally as excited.  

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Taking to Twitter, Shastri said, “Guru vs Chela. Bahot Maza aayega aaj. Stump Mic suniyega zaroor (Master vs apprentice. It will be fun today. Do listen to the stump mic),” along with the hastag #Dhonireturns #Pant and others. 

Meanwhile, the clash will be extra special for the 23-year-old Pant, whose first match as skipper will be against his idol Dhoni. “My first match as captain will be against Mahi bhai (MS Dhoni). It will be a good experience for me as I have learned a lot from him. I’ll apply my own experience and learning from him,” he said. 

The Delhi Capitals appointed Pant to lead the team after regular captain Shreyas Iyer was ruled out of the tournament with a shoulder injury. 

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Looking to build on their final appearance last season, Delhi have acquired Steve Smith as their marquee signing for a bargain price of Rs 2.2 crore. 

On the other hand, Suresh Raina’s return will be a major boost to CSK, with Dhoni looking to get the campaign unerway with a statement win after recording their worst IPL season in the UAE last year.