Gujarat cricketer Ripal Patel will make his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut for the Delhi Capitals in summit clash against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Monday, as both teams look to consolidate their position in the top two places ahead of the playoffs. 

Delhi skipper Rishabh Pant, facing his mentor Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the opposing captain, won the toss and chose to bowl at the Dubai International Stadium. 

Speaking on his decision, Pant said the wicket might help the bowlers early on, so it was better to bowl first. On the team’s goals for the last two league matches, he said, “We just need to focus on the basics, continue doing what we have been doing, want to finish in the top two.”

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The wicketkeeper-batsman also confirmed one change for the match, with Patel replacing Australian batsman Steve Smith. “He’s a lower middle-order batsman who can bowl a few overs,” Pant said about the 26-year-old.

On his much-awaited duel with mentor Dhoni, Pant said it is “always great learning from him, but right now he’s a rival, so focus is on the game.”

Meanwhile, Dhoni said he would have liked to bat first anyways had he won the toss. He confirmed three changes for his side, with Dwayne Bravo replaing Sam Curran, Deepak Chahar replacing KM Asif and Robin Uthappa replacing Suresh Raina, who has a back issue. 

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“We are trying to rest players who have some niggles, top-two is important, if you have a bad day in the qualifiers, you have another chance to make a comeback,” Dhoni said. 

Playing XIs:

Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (WK/C), Ripal Patel, Axar Patel, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan, Anrich Nortje

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (WK/C), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood