MI vs DC – The IPL is making quite a mark in the United Arab Emirates. While it was held off due to the pandemic, the tournament finally resumed on the 19th of September. The 46th match of the fourteenth edition of the tournament shall be held on the 02nd of October, 2021 between the Mumbai Indians and the Delhi Capitals at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. There shall be no in-person attendance in the stadiums and the match will begin at 03:30 pm of the Indian Standard Time. It shall be broadcasted live on the Star Sports network and the Hotstar app. Let us have a look at the further details of the match.
The Two Teams
The two teams are known for playing well and the Mumbai Indians are the reigning champions. The Delhi Capitals have also had a good run in the tournament so far. The two teams are currently occupying very different positions in the IPL rankings table. The Delhi Capitals is currently placed second in the table while the Mumbai Indians are placed sixth on the table. The Delhi Capitals have won a total of 8 out of 11 matches it has played and lost 3. It has 16 points in its kitty. On the other hand, the Mumbai Indians have 10 points after having won 5 and lost 6 out of 11 matches it has played so far.
The Delhi Capitals however has not won their last match against the Kolkata Knight Riders. Their wickets kept tumbling at one end while batting first in the match and they could put up a total of 127/9 on board. Steve Smith, Rishabh Pant and Shikhar Dhawan batted well. While bowling Lalit Yadav and Kagiso Rabada went for a lot runs which diminished their chances of winning greatly. On the other hand, the Mumbai Indians seem quite confident after having won the last match against the Punjab Kings. Bowling first, their bowlers put up a great display of their skills. Among the batsmen, Saurabh Tiwary, Hardik Pandya and Kieron Pollard were in good shape and helped achieve the target of 136 runs. This win came after a streak of losses for the reigning champions of the tournament.
MI vs DC Squad News
Both the teams have very capable players. The Delhi Capitals have a lot of players in form. Rishabh Pant seems to be in good shape in the team. Prithvi Shaw should be back for this match and he will be a great addition to the team. Apart from them, the team has multiple other good batsmen in Steve Smith, Shikhar Dhawan. In the bowling department, one should watch out for Avesh Khan, who has been in good form and has picked up three wickets in the last match. Kagiso Rabada should also be watched out for. Among the players of the Mumbai Indians, Saurabh Tiwary, Hardik Pandya, and Kiern Pollard seemed to be in good form after having scored well in the last match. Bumrah and Pollard have also been playing well among the bowlers. Krunal Pandya and Rahul Chahar have also been making their impact felt in the course of the tournament.
Predicted Playing XI
Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw/ Steve Smith, Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (c/w), Lalit Yadav/Amit Mishra, Ravichandran Ashwin, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan, Kagiso Rabada
Mumbai Indians: Trent Boult, Quinton De Kock (w), Nathan Coulter-Nile/ Jayant Yadav, Rahul Chahar, Rohit Sharma (c), Suryakumar Yadav, Saurabh Tiwary Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya
MI vs DC Pitch Report
The pitch at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium is generally known for being on the slower side. This is despite the fact that most T20 pitches are made in a way to ensure that batsmen can hit the ball as hard as possible. However, this time it might be slightly easier to bat on. The spinner would quite crucial on this pitch. The average score on this pitch would be 160. The team batting second has a greater percentage of winning on this ground. Therefore, it is natural for the team to choose bowling after having won the toss. The Delhi Capitals have beaten the Mumbai Indians in the last match they had played against each other.
Conclusion
The match is crucial for both teams. While this would be the last attempt for the Mumbai Indians to try for the playoffs, the Delhi Capitals would be looking to cement their spot in the first four. Overall, the game promises to showcase good cricket and further uphold the standard of the Indian Premier League.
