CHENNAI: Chennai Super Kings are going through a rough patch. With three defeats in succession, the four-time champions find themselves under pressure as they prepare to face Delhi Capitals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday. In the build-up, CSK may well look at their opponents with a hint of envy—Delhi have been in strong form, winning two of their last three matches and pushing hard in the third, where they came close to finishing the job.
That momentum for Delhi has been powered, in large part, by two players who previously wore the CSK jersey: Lungi Ngidi and Sameer Rizvi. Their impact has added an edge to DC’s campaign and underlined how quickly fortunes can change within the IPL ecosystem.
How two CSK connections shaped Delhi’s rise
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CSK acquired Lungi Ngidi in the 2018 auction, at a time when he was still largely unknown to the wider cricket audience.
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In that debut phase with CSK, Ngidi delivered 11 wickets across the season and played a meaningful role during the title-winning run.
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After that promising start, Ngidi fell out of favour and was eventually let go by the franchise.
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Delhi then picked him up for Rs 2 crore, giving him another opportunity to make an impact at the top level.
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Ngidi has credited his time away from the spotlight—specifically his spell working within CSK’s setup—saying the training and refinement helped him develop the variations that have become central to his recent performances.
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He highlighted working with Dwayne Bravo at CSK, focusing on slower balls and yorkers, and suggested that those adjustments are now “working wonders” for him.
CSK’s situation, however, is a reminder that the margin between success and struggle can be thin. Ahead of this season’s auctions, the team was reportedly eager to bolster its pace department, but it missed out on Ngidi and instead pursued Matt Henry, Nathan Ellis, and Zak Foulkes. Those moves, at least so far, have not delivered the kind of immediate spark CSK would have hoped for.
