Mumbai primed for Capital glory

The team to beat in the league stage, four-time winner Mumbai lost a bit of its momentum after a 10-wicket defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Tuesday. Chasing its maiden title, Delhi roared back to form by thrashing Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by six wickets to grab the second spot, after four successive losses.

The biggest positive for MI has been the return of skipper Rohit Sharma, who missed four games to recover from a hamstring injury. The opener, though, perished cheaply against SRH and needs to come good on the big day. The defending champion boasts an explosive batting line-up coupled with an equally lethal bowling attack.

But, the batters had an off day against Hyderabad. Its bowlers too were taken to the task – a wake-up call before the crucial game. The Mumbai top-order has been firing on all cylinders, with young Ishan Kishan (428 runs) being a revelation. Quinton de Kock (443) would be keen to continue his sublime form while opening with captain Rohit.

And so would Suryakumar Yadav (410), who has played some scintillating knocks. Known for their six-hitting prowess, Hardik Pandya (241), Kieron Pollard (259) and Krunal Pandya (95) have pummelled bowling attacks to submission. The trio could prove to be the difference on the matchday.

Mumbai rested key bowlers Jasprit Bumrah (23 wickets) and Trent Boult (20) against SRH. Both have been lethal up front and at the death. Spinners Rahul Chahar (15) and Krunal (5) will need to forget the hammering they received from David Warner and Wriddhiman Saha while taking on DC.

For Delhi, Ajinkya Rahane (111 runs) is back among the runs after scoring a match-winning 60 against RCB. Shikhar Dhawan (525) has been in blazing form, with two hundreds and three fifties, but will need support from others in an important game.

A major cause of concern is the form of two youngsters – opener Prithvi Shaw (228) and Rishabh Pant (282) – who haven’t lived up to their potential. So has been the case of DC’s overseas players – Shimron Hetmyer (138) and Marcus Stoinis (249). Skipper Shreyas Iyer (421) is expected to once again play the anchor’s role.

On the bowling front, the South African pace duo of Kagiso Rabada (25 wickets) and Anrich Nortje (19) has been exceptional. Spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel have done well to suffocate opposition teams in the powerplay and middle overs.