Delhi Capitals (DC) are expecting that their star all-rounder Marcus Stoinis will return for Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2021) against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Sunday (October 10) in Dubai.

Stoinis had suffered a hamstring strain while bowling his second over during Delhi Capitals’ (DC) first match of the second leg of the IPL 2021 against Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 22.

DC won four of the six matches in the absence of Stoinis and later handed a debut to Indian all-rounder Ripal Patel in the ongoing IPL 2021 in the UAE. However, DC really felt the absence of the Australian all-rounder in their 7-wicket defeat against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Friday.

After the heartbreaking defeat against RCB ahead of the IPL 14 playoffs, DC skipper Rishabh Pant said they are hoping that Stoinis will be fit for the selection for Qualifier 1 against CSK on Sunday.

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Pant told reporters after the DC v RCB match: “We had already qualified, so we thought we are going to try someone because Stoinis was injured. Hopefully, he will be in for the next game.”

Notably, Stoinis' return will not be only good news for DC, but also for Australia, as the all-rounder was named the national squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, starting on October 17 in the UAE.

Well, the winner of Qualifier 1 between DC and CSK will book a place in the IPL 2021 final on October 15. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will take on RCB in the Eliminator on Monday, October 11, in Sharjah with the loser bowing out of the IPL 14, while the winner will lock horns against the loser of Qualifier 1 to get another opportunity to book a place in the summit match.

(With AFP Inputs)