It is the battle between the best in the first match on an action-packed Saturday. The first match is between last year’s finalists, the defending champions Mumbai Indians vs the mighty Delhi Capitals. Both teams are on opposite sides of the see-saw, with Delhi sitting in second place in the points table and having qualified. As for the defending champions, they are battling for their place in the top four of the league and are sitting in the fifth position on the table.
The last time these two sides met DC had the upper hand over MI as they won the match with an over to spare. Amit Mishra was the star with the ball for DC, taking four wickets alongside Avesh Khan who, also picked up two crucial wickets. Steve Smith and Shikhar Dhawan were the anchors of the chase. The MI team is coming into this match with a win, and they will feel confident to take their revenge from the second leg of this contest.
Head-to-Head
These two teams have had a great competition amongst themselves. When it comes to head-to-head in IPL, Mumbai has won 16, and Delhi has won 13 matches. It is a close margin as both teams are the best in the business on their given days. Delhi has been a formidable side over the past two to three years and has made a mark in this league by defeating top sides like Mumbai Indians. Mumbai has been the best in the business and has dominated the tournament over the years. When it comes to the last five encounters between these two giant sides, MI has won four out of the five, which was in the year 2020, and DC has just won a single match which was their latest contest in 2021. DC would like to continue on this streak and defeat the top side of the league once again.
Players to watch out for: DC
DC players have been in form this season and have looked solid in both departments of the game. The players to watch out for in this match against MI would be Iyer and Rabada, who have performed exceedingly well against MI over the years. Iyer has made a solid comeback after his injury in the second leg of the IPL. He got out on a duck against KKR in the previous match, but he was in great form in his first two games of IPL 2021. The Mumbai lad would want to perform well against Mumbai Indians and continue his prime form, which will be beneficial for him as well as for his team, as the playoffs are nearing. Rabada will be the bowler MI will be watching out for in this contest. Rabada provides pace, accuracy and is one of the fiercest bowlers in the league. Rabada has picked up ten wickets in his nine matches against MI throughout his IPL career. Rabada, alongside his pace bowling partner, Avesh Khan, will be the players to look out for.
Players to watch out for: MI
MI’s top players have performed well against Delhi over the years in IPL. Rohit Sharma and Bumrah will be the players to watch out for in this contest for MI. Rohit has also been in good form in this year’s IPL, and overall, he has played 22 matches against DC and has scored 677 runs at a good average and strike rate of 33.85 and 131.71, respectively. Bumrah, the best bowler of this MI team, has to step up again in this match for his team to qualify for the playoffs. He has done it before against Delhi as he has picked 19 wickets in the 16 games he has played against Delhi. He has also been pretty economical and has the best bowling figures of 4-14, which he needs to repeat in today’s match to win his team the game.
Probable XI:
Both the teams will look to bring in their A team as MI are fighting for the playoffs spot, and DC is just a win away from securing 18 points and a confirmed top-two seat in the table. MI should go unchanged after their win against PBKS as they looked like a top side with their middle-order firing for them. However, even though DC lost their previous contest against KKR, they can make only a single change and give Ben Dwarshius a debut and rest Nortje. Smith should regain his spot in the top with Dhawan as Shaw is injured.
What to expect:
DC would like to win this contest and hit two targets with one bow, firstly the top two spot and the other to reduce MI’s chances of qualifying, as they are one of the top sides in the league. It is a must-win contest for the defending champions to qualify for the playoffs and stand a chance to defend their title. Sharjah will witness fire against fire as both the teams have one of the strongest teams on paper and will give their all to win the contest.