MI Vs DC, Match Preview
The Mumbai Indians have been the most dominant side in the last two years. They had near perfect season in 2019, and 2020, despite a string of their own challenges. Mumbai now however, are in a fight for the playoffs. MI faced scenarios similar to this before, and travailed in 2014 and 2015. They know how to win games and tournaments better than anyone, and the other sides will be praying for a Delhi win.
Their last two games are against the bottom two sides in Rajasthan and Hyderabad. The odds favor them, but a win against Delhi is their biggest challenge ahead of the playoffs.
The Delhi Capitals are one win away from sealing a spot in the playoffs. While they are already in with a strong chance, their mind will be on a top two finish. A win for them will help other sides relax as a key title contender is put in a tough spot. Last season however, Delhi were in a similar situation. They started well, but lost five of their last six games. They were left with a must win fixture, despite being comfortable through the first half of the tournament.
Their final two games are against Chennai and Bangalore, who are well placed in the points table. Those two fixtures will be important in setting up a top two finish.
MI Vs DC, Team News
Prithvi Shaw missed the previous game with an injury. Steve Smith took his spot, and opened the batting. Depending on Shaw’s fitness, DC may have to choose between Smith and Sam Billings, who is back from quarantine. Marcus Stoinis is on his way to full fitness, but will likely miss the remaining three games.
The Mumbai Indians has a habit of bringing in Jayant Yadav while facing Delhi. His off-spin has a good record against the lefties in Delhi’s line-up. Given the situation, they might stick to the same plan, and include him in place of one of their batters, or all-rounders.
MI Vs DC, Predicted XIs
Delhi Capitals: 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Prithvi Shaw/Steven Smith/Sam Billings, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Rishabh Pant (capt & wk), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Lalit Yadav, 7 Axar Patel, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Anrich Nortje.
Mumbai Indians: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Suryakumar Yadav, 4 Saurabh Tiwary/Jayant Yadav, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 9 Rahul Chahar, 10 Trent Boult, 11 Jasprit Bumrah.
MI Vs DC, Players to Watch out for
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin is in the news after a controversy regarding the spirit of the game again. He let his feelings out, and is going to be fired up ahead of the game against Mumbai. Ashwin is a key factor in the fixture, as his off-spin, and experience will come in handy against Mumbai, who have had the edge over Delhi in recent fixtures. Ashwin also has a good record against Mumbai, making his role all the more important.
Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya returned to batting form with a good forty in the win against Punjab. He took the game deep, started slow, and finished strong. His big hitting was on display, and his performance will encourage both Mumbai and India. His form and workload is still a concern, but with more performances like the previous one, Hardik could quickly change peoples views.
MI Vs DC, Pitch Report
The Sharjah pitch is much slower than last season. Runs aren’t easy to come by, and scores are very low this season. The ball is keeping low, not bouncing much, and gripping nicely. With good spinners on both sides, batting first is a better choice, as the pitch will slow down as the game progresses.
