The Delhi Capitals team at the Ekana Stadium. (IPLT20.com)
The Delhi Capitals (DC) would head into their fourth match this season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) against the 5-time champions, Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Firoz Shah Kotla Cricket Ground on 11 April. Both the teams are longing for a match winning performance as they presently sit comfortably at the bottom of the table.
Team Preview: Delhi Capitals
The Delhi Capitals have had an uneventful season this far. With Rishab Pant being ruled out of the series due to his accident, David Warner's captaincy was expected to work just like butter on bread, however luck has been down bad for the Delhi men as they have now suffered three consecutive losses.
So far they have not achieved success and have experienced a collective failure despite their efforts. The team is facing difficulties in identifying players who can lead them to their initial victory in the tournament. With the bowlers not performing well and the batters being dismissed easily, it has resulted in a string of failures for the team that made it to the 2020 IPL finals.
They are in a state of perplexity and trying to find solutions. Delhi's batting performance has been a significant issue, as key players such as Prithvi Shaw and Mitchell Marsh have not yet shown their full potential. The team's captain, David Warner, has been carrying the burden of the batting almost single-handedly, and Sarfaraz Khan has been unable to replicate his impressive domestic form in the IPL.
In the upcoming match, Delhi Capitals will require a combined batting effort to overcome their difficulties, as they are relying on the advantage of playing on their home ground to achieve this.
Team Preview: Mumbai Indians
Much like DC, the Mumbai men have failed to make their mark yet with two for two losses. A team once known for their blazing performance, has now failed to register a single win and has been performing dispassionately.
MI had a disappointing 2022 season and were expecting a better start to the new edition, but unfortunately, the trend of poor performances continued. In their first match against RCB, MI suffered an eight-wicket loss, as Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli delivered an impressive performance and in their second match against CSK, they were defeated by 7 wickets.
The team's top-order has significantly let them down, with Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, and Suryakumar Yadav failing to establish a strong score at the board. Additionally, the team's bowling seems sub-par at best, with and players such as Jofra Archer and Jason Behrendorff not performing upto their mark.
MI's batting line-up in the current season is showing similar issues as last year, and the absence of Jasprit Bumrah in the bowling line-up has only worsened the situation. Although Tilak Varma appears to be a promising player, similar to last year, Rohit Sharma and the team will need to find solutions to their batting problems. A collective effort from the entire team will be necessary for MI to make a noteworthy comeback this season.
Match Details
Date & Time: 11 April, 7:30 pm IST
Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Live Streaming: Jio Cinema & Star Sports Network
PITCH REPORT: Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium pitch usually offers a slower pitch in limited-overs cricket. Despite this, the playing field has relatively small boundaries and a fast outfield. As a result, the team that bats first will aim to reach a score of approximately 170 runs to create a challenging target for the opposition. Furthermore, the sluggish nature of the pitch could potentially favor spin bowlers. It would be preferred for teams batting second due to the dew.
Predicted Playing XIs
Delhi Capitals: David Warner (c), Prithvi Shaw, Rilee Rossouw, Sarfaraz Khan, Abishek Porel (wk), Rovman Powell, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Anrich Nortje, Mukesh Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed/Chetan Sakariya.
Impact Player Probables: Manish Pandey, Lalit Yadav, Mukesh Kumar/Chetan Sakariya, Praveen Dubey, Aman Hakim Khan
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera, Tim David, Hrithik Shokeen, Arshad Khan, Jofra Archer, Jason Behrendorff, Kumar Kartikeya/Piyush Chawla
Impact Player Probables: Ramandeep Singh, Vishnu Vinod, Shams Mulani, Sandeep Warrier, Arjun Tendulkar.
Cricket Exchange Fantasy Tips
Wicket-Keeper: Ishaan Kishan
Batters: Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, David Warner
All-Rounders: Cameron Green, Hrithik Shokeen, Axar Patel
Bowlers: Jofra Archer, Piyush Chawla, Anrich Nortje, Kuldeep Yadav
Captain: David Warner
Vice-Captain: Tilak Varma
Prediction
Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians have played against one another in 32 matches till now with Delhi emerging victorious on 15 occasions whereas Mumbai registering a win 17 times. While both the teams have a disappointing bowling line-up, there is still meagre hope for Mumbai Indians to pull up their game and the top order to cumulate a decent score at the board.
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