Follow UsThe five years between 2013 and 2018 marked the lowest period for Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils). It was also the time that saw the rise of Mumbai Indians. During these five IPL seasons, Mumbai won three trophies while Delhi obtained the wooden spoon on equal number of occasions.
Yet, Delhi kept finding a way to beat Mumbai. Their win percentage against Mumbai was 50%, the highest against any opponent in those five years. In 2018, they knocked out Mumbai beating them twice in the season.
The latter came back against their unlikely arch-nemesis. Beating Delhi four out of four times was the highlight of Mumbai’s fifth IPL trophy in 2020. Meanwhile, Delhi have turned their fortunes around as well.
Over the years, the two franchises have built an intriguing rivalry that has slipped under the radar. Having swung both ways already, it will be interesting to see which side it moves now. After the mega-auction, none of the 10 teams boasts an invincible look. Thus, the door is open to take the edge in this rivalry. And of course, beginning the tournament on a positive note will remain the key objective for both teams.
The absentees
Unfortunately, the most notable aspect of this game surrounds the unavailable players. But that is what the first week of this IPL season is about. Every side is missing some key players and Delhi and Mumbai are no exception.
Mumbai will miss Suryakumar Yadav who is still at the National Cricket Academy. The right-hander has been Mumbai’s highest run-scorer ever since he joined the franchise in 2018. Moreover, he is their all-phase batter: scoring irrespective of the situation and the attribute of the bowler, whether pace or spin. Replacing him will be tricky for Mumbai and can lead to various changes in the balance of the XI.
The problems are aplenty for Delhi as well. They will bizarrely miss five of the seven overseas players they secured after the auction. Both Tim Seifert and Rovman Powell, the only two overseas recruits available for selection will play, are expected to play. Delhi have enough Indian players to field a competitive XI but the absenteeism still takes a lot of sheen off their line-up. In fact, that is what tilts the odds in Mumbai’s favor.
Anrich Nortje will be the biggest loss since no other pacer in the Delhi squad can consistently bowl over 145 kph.
Onus on the captains to turn it with the bat
It has been a while since the Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma justified his potential with the bat. The last time he averaged above 30 in an IPL season was in 2016. His best strike-rate in a season during this period lingers at 133.
A decent season from Rohit the batter is long due. Mumbai would appreciate it to come now having lost a major part of their core. They don’t have the luxury of three all-rounders in the XI anymore.
Rishabh Pant, the Delhi skipper, has also been far from his best version as a batter. In the last two seasons, scoring at just 122 and hitting a boundary every 6.8 balls, something that is below the standards he has set for himself.
To Delhi’s benefit, the southpaw is coming from his strongest season at the international level. However, most of Pant’s best knocks came in Test cricket. It may not guarantee success in shorter formats but it's red-ball cricket that sets up a batter for bigger things in white-ball cricket. Delhi will hope the same happens for Pant.
The contest
Another factor that deems Mumbai favorites is the one-sided rivalry between Pant and Jasprit Bumrah. Out six times to Bumrah in IPL in 12 face-offs, Pant averages only 7.8 against Mumbai’s lead pacer. This makes it one of the most one-sided rivalries in IPL.
The role of both the players makes it a key battle. They will face each other during the slog overs. If Bumrah extends his dominance over Pant, it will be a striking blow to Delhi. If Pant can overcome him, it will help Delhi neutralize a key weapon of their opponent’s attack.
Probable XIs
Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw, Tim Seifert, Sarfaraz Khan, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Rovman Powell, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Anmolpreet Singh/Dewald Brevis, Tilak Varma, Kieron Pollard, Tim David, Fabian Allen/ Sanjay Yadav, Murugan Ashwin, Jaydev Unadkat, Tymal Mills, Jasprit Bumrah
Venue: Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai
Date & Time: Mar 27, 03:30 PM IST