CSK vs DC: Chennai let them go, now Lungi Ngidi, Sameer Rizvi return to hurt them

CHENNAI: These are tough times for Chennai Super Kings. Three losses in a row have left them in a difficult situation and as they take on high-flyers Delhi Capitals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Saturday, they may be looking at their rivals with a degree of envy.

DC have been on a high, winning two of three and coming close in the third game, and their success has been largely built around two CSK rejects in Lungi Ngidi and Sameer Rizvi.

CSK bought Ngidi from the auction in 2018, when he was a virtually unknown quantity. He got 11 wickets that season, playing a significant role in CSK's title-winning run. But subsequently, he fell out of favour and was released by the franchise. Now, he's been picked up by DC for Rs 2 cr. But Ngidi himself said that it was during his stint on the sidelines of CSK that he learnt the tricks that have made him a force of late. "I worked with Dwayne Bravo at CSK, working on my slower balls and yorkers and that's working wonders for me now," Ngidi had said.

CSK, meanwhile, were desperate in their search for a pacer ahead of the auctions this season. But they overlooked Ngidi and went for Matt Henry, Nathan Ellis and Zak Foulkes, who haven't exactly set the stage on fire.