Virtually assured of a berth in the playoffs, Chennai Super Kings will aim to tighten their grip on the No 1 position in the points' table when they take on out-of-contention Delhi Daredevils in Tuesday's IPL match in Raipur.
Just qualification isn't enough, CSK aim to be No 1
Delhi Daredevils lie second from bottom after losing eight of their 12 matches.
In fact, the side succumbed to four consecutive losses, its last win coming way back on May 1, that too against bottom-placed Kings XI Punjab.
Delhi Daredevils' campaign was nightmarish, but the one factor that could help them on Tuesday is that they have nothing to lose after being knocked out of play-offs contention.
Save an occasional minor slip-up, Chennai Super Kings have been clinical so far and it will be a huge task for Jean-Paul Duminy's men to upstage the title favourites.
Nothing seems to have worked for Delhi this season, with multi-crore buy Yuvraj Singh being their biggest batting flop. His lacklustre showing in the middle-order has hurt them badly even though Duminy and opener Quinton de Kock have also been disappointing.
On the bowling front, although veteran pace spearhead Zaheer Khan has managed decent figures since returning from injury, the attack lacks the necessary sting.
With eight wins and four losses from 12 games, two-time former champions Chennai Super Kings are on top in the preliminary standings.
They are a team on the roll though not without their own set of worries to ponder over.
Some of the frailties stood exposed on Sunday night against Rajasthan Royals even though they ended up on the winning side.
One of their concerns, as admitted by coach Stephen Fleming, is the dependence on New Zealand swashbuckler Brendon McCullum to get good starts.
The opener's form was very crucial in the games so far and for most part he delivered, but Dwayne Smith's bat has gone quiet after the initial flourish and he won't find an easier opportunity to regain find form than on Tuesday.
Ashish Nehra has been leading the Chennai bowling attack with remarkable consistency and found good support from the spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin, who was not bowled in Sunday night's game.
Such has been the contrast in their form that Chennai will be outright favourites even though Delhi's nothing-to-lose position may just help them unshackle and create an upset.
