May 21: MI vs DC Match Prediction: Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians will be eyeing to qualify for the playoffs. Mumbai team will face Delhi Capitals on Wednesday. If Mumbai team manages to win this match, then it will reach the playoffs with 16 points because Delhi will be able to get a maximum of 15 points after this. So far Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Punjab Kings have qualified for the playoffs. There is a match between Mumbai and Delhi for the fourth place.
With the defeat against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday, Lucknow Supergiants’ hopes of making it to the playoffs also ended. Now there is a competition between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals for the only available playoff place. When both the teams face each other here on Wednesday, both will be eyeing to strengthen their claim by winning this match.
Mumbai made a great comeback
Mumbai made a strong comeback after a very poor start and is now included in the top four. Delhi had a very good start but the team has been able to register only one win in its last six matches. Both Mumbai Indians (14 points) and Delhi Capitals (13 points) have a chance to make it to the playoffs but the hosts will enter the Wankhede Stadium as strong contenders. Delhi Capitals need to win both their remaining matches to advance. Both teams have to play their last matches against Punjab Kings. Mumbai Indians’ form and depth are in their favor.
The team, however, had to face defeat in a close match against Gujarat Titans about two weeks ago. Mumbai had to suffer this defeat after six consecutive wins. With a win, Mumbai’s team will reach the playoffs, but in case of defeat, their fate will depend on the result of the match between Delhi and Punjab on May 24. The team playing under the guidance of Mahela Jayawardene, however, would like to put an end to the ifs and buts by defeating Delhi.
Mumbai awaits Tilak’s form
All eyes will be on Mumbai superstar Rohit Sharma as this will be his first match after announcing his retirement from Test cricket. The experienced batsman will be eager to put all his strength and lead his team to victory. Mumbai will also want to take full advantage of their current combination in which Ryan Rickelton and Corbin Bosch are in key roles. Both of them will leave to join the South African national team before the playoffs. Suryakumar Yadav will want to continue his excellent form with the bat but Mumbai will hope that Tilak Verma regains his rhythm. The left-handed batsman has failed to make an impact in the current season and has failed to reach double figures thrice in the last five matches. This break would have given bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult the necessary rest and a chance to recover from fatigue.
Rahul will have to take additional responsibility
Delhi missed their top fast bowler Mitchell Starc (14 wickets) in the last match against Gujarat, who did not return when the IPL resumed. In the absence of Starc, Delhi lost the last match against Gujarat by 10 wickets. Delhi’s team is heavily dependent on the performance of Lokesh Rahul (493 runs), who scored a brilliant century against Gujarat. In this match, the weaknesses of Delhi Capitals’ bowling were exposed but Mustafizur Rahman, who replaced Starc, bowled brilliantly. Delhi started the IPL by winning five out of six matches but its performance in the second half has been very poor. Kuldeep Yadav (12 wickets) has controlled from one end but this season has been quite disappointing for captain Akshar who has so far taken only five wickets apart from scoring 263 runs.
MI vs DC: The probable playing-11
Mumbai Indians: Ryan Rickleton (wicketkeeper), Rohit Sharma, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Verma, Hardik Pandya (captain), Naman Dheer, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jaspreet Bumrah.
Delhi Capitals: Faf du Plessis, KL Rahul, Abhishek Porel (wicketkeeper), Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (captain), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraaj Nigam, Kuldeep Yadav, T. Natarajan, Mustafizur Rahman.
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