Right from the first week of this 2020 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL); Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals were marked as the strongest teams in the competition and eventually they finished the league stage as the two top teams in the point’s table. Though unlike Mumbai, the sailing was not exactly pretty smooth for Delhi as there were a few hiccups in the middle but after four successive losses Shreyas Iyer’s boys raised their game when it mattered the most and comfortably beat Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their last league game to secure the second spot.
In hindsight, the team to beat in the league stage, four-time winners and defending champions Mumbai too lost a bit of their momentum following a surprising 10-wicket thrashing against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Tuesday (November 3).
Hence, as these two sides head into the first qualifier in Dubai on Thursday (November 5), we might say things are pretty even-stevens at both ends.
Possible strategies:
> Both teams have heavyweight bowling units. So, it may eventually come down to their batting and here Mumbai have a clear advantage. In their previous two encounters during the league stage, Mumbai won comfortably while chasing. In fact, in their last encounter in Dubai, they restricted Delhi to just 111/9 and then chased it down in 14.2 overs with nine wickets to spare. So, in order to secure their maiden appearance in an IPL final, Delhi should ideally look to chase on Tuesday, especially considering the fact that dew plays a huge role in Dubai in the second half.
> Mumbai, having won their last five playoff matches in IPL, have a better big-match temperament. From Delhi’ point of view, head-coach Ricky Pointing and other members of the think-tank need to make sure that the occasion should not get the better of some of its players.
> The biggest positive for Mumbai has been the return of skipper Rohit Sharma, who had missed four games to recover from a hamstring injury. Though he failed to get going against Sunrisers but on the big day he would like to lead from the front with bat in hand. Hardik Pandya, Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah will also make a comeback in the XI after being rested in the last game. The spot for the third front-line steamer is still undecided though and one of Nathan Coulter-Nile and James Pattinson is expected to make the cut.
> Delhi’s batting will be dominated by their Indian recruits. With Ajinkya Rahane scoring a crucial half-century during their run-chase against RCB, the team management will continue with him in the middle-order. Also, in bowling it will be interesting to see whether they prefer all-rounder Daniel Sams or pick an extra batsman in the form of Shimron Hetmyer.
> It is believed R Ashwin is carrying a hamstring injury and he will be assessed ahead of the game. If he eventually misses out then Delhi can consider playing Sandeep Lamichhane as a surprise factor ahead of Sams. In such a scenario either Tushar Deshpande or Harshal Patel can feature in the playing XI as the third seamer.
> In the second half of IPL 2020 Delhi’s batting has been heavily dependent on Shikhar Dhawan. Hence, Mumbai will attack him with the new ball and Boult will be their their best bet for the job. Here, Prithvi Shaw, who has lacked a bit of consistency this season, can play a crucial role. If he plays the counter-attacking game and put the Mumbai bowlers under pressure during powerplay then Dhawan can get the time to settle in.
Chatter from the camps:
“Our bowling line up is also as good as anyone in the tournament and I think we are the team that no one really wants to play because they know we play well and we can do some damage. We have won tight games and that makes a huge difference,” says Shane Bond, Mumbai Indians’ bowling coach.
“It’s an amazing feeling to be second on the table, and facing Mumbai Indians again, who have been really dominant throughout the tournament. We’ve got another opportunity to beat them, so I am sure that we will make the best use of it,” says Iyer.
Likely XIs
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (C), Quinton de Kock (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Nathan Coulter-Nile/James Pattinson, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah
Delhi Capitals: Shreyas Iyer (C), Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (WK), Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, R Ashwin, Daniel Sams, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje
Venue: Dubai International Stadium
Time: 19.30 IST I 18.00 Local