Mumbai Indians will keep their fingers crossed for the return of Suryakumar Yadav against Delhi Capitals at home as they continue their desperate bid to get off the mark in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The No. 1 batter in International Cricket Council T20I rankings, Suryakumar Yadav is likely to play his first game of the season after returning to training on Friday.
Suryakumar Yadav missed the start of the season due to an ankle injury, suffered during India’s white-ball tour of South Africa in 2023, and a subsequent sports hernia surgery. Suryakumar Yadav was cleared from the National Cricket earlier this week after a long rehabilitation process. If declared fit to play today (Sunday), he will face a difficult but urgent task of igniting Mumbai’s campaign, which is yet to get going.
Previous match performances for MI and DC.
The five-time champions are the only team without a win this season. They find themselves at the bottom of the table after three losses in as many matches. Another loss would make their road to playoffs even more arduous.
Like MI, the Capitals have also lost three matches but at least have opened their account with a win against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). But they are coming from a demoralizing 106-run defeat against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Head to Head: MI 18 – 15 DC.
Mumbai also have a better record against the Delhi side in recent times, leading them by 6:3 since 2020. Last year, Mumbai Indians had won the only match between them. There is not much to choose between the two sides in Head-to-head. DC and MI have locked horns in 33 IPL matches. MI are ahead with 18 wins compared to DC’s 15.
Pitch and conditions
Last year, the Wankhede was a high-scoring ground, but this match will see the same strip used as in the match against Royals. That pitch was not used in IPL 2023, and it proved to be a tricky one to bat on. There was seam movement early on and the ball also held in the pitch as the match wore on. So expect batters to work hard for their runs.
Wankhede has always been a batting paradise where a lot of huge totals are scored and also chased quite easily at times. The short boundaries all around also make sure that we get to see a lot of boundaries being scored throughout the 40 overs. In 110 IPL games at this venue, teams batting first have won 50 times, while chasing teams have won 60 times. With both the batting line-ups filled with big power hitters, we might yet again see a run-fest at the iconic Wankhede stadium.
Clash of the Basement Boys MI vs DC
With three successive losses, MI are languishing at the bottom while the Capitals slipped to the ninth spot in the points table after crashing to an embarrassing loss in their last match. The first game of Sunday’s double-header might be between the two bottom-placed teams, but it promises to be a blockbuster clash. Desperation, sometimes, brings the best out of a team. No other teams are craving to taste the sweetness of a victory more than MI and DC.
Suryakumar Yadav in focus at Wankhede
Not just the Mumbai fans but the national selectors will also keep a close eye on Suryakumar Yadav’s likely comeback. Since the T20 World Cup begins in a mere five days after IPL, his form and fitness are crucial for both the IPL and international Teams in Blue. But right away, SKY has the task cut out for himself to lift MI from a precarious position.
Suryakumar Yadav sweated it out in the nets in his first practice session in the last three months, spent in rehabilitation at the NCA. He looked in good shape during the exercise round and in the extended batting session. Suryakumar Yadav’s return will add much-needed firepower to the MI batting order, which has looked disjointed in the first three games.
Openers Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan have failed to capitalize on good starts as has Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir. Embattled captain Hardik Pandya has not been able to deliver with either bat, ball or as a leader.
Sunday’s double-header will be kicked off by a bottom-of-the-table clash as Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals look to turn their fortunes around. Mumbai are still without a win, while Capitals have won just one of their four games. And both teams are coming into the game on the back of comprehensive defeats.
One major boost for the hosts will be the potential return of the world’s No. 1 T20I batter Suryakumar Yadav, who trained with the squad for the first time on Friday after missing the start of the season. Suryakumar Yadav will add much-needed firepower to Mumbai’s batting should he be cleared to play – and it’s a department they need some confidence in after being restricted to just 125 in their last match against Rajasthan Royals.
Jasprit Bumrah vs Rishabh Pant a battle to watch out for .
Delhi Capitals, meanwhile, suffered a 106-run defeat at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders, a performance that left their head coach Ricky Ponting “almost embarrassed”. But their one big positive was Rishabh Pant scoring his second consecutive half-century.
IPL 2024 has marked Pant’s return to professional cricket after a life-threatening car accident in December 2022. After a slow start to the season, Pant blazed quick fifties against Chennai Super Kings and KKR, and seems to be batting with a great degree of freedom. Apart from David Warner, Pant is the one big batting threat Mumbai will be vary of.
But they have on their side an in-form Jasprit Bumrah. Bumrah, who has been the standout bowler for Mumbai this season after missing IPL 2023 with injury, has dismissed Pant six times in 13 games in the IPL, getting him out more often than any other bowler. Pant has also struggled to score quickly off Bumrah, striking at 111.62 against him.
With Akash Madhwal in their attack as well, Mumbai can be flexible in their use of Bumrah, and can save him up for this crucial match-up. How this battle pans out could go a long way in deciding the outcome of the game.
Jasprit Bumrah, though with just three wickets in MI’s three matches, has got rid of Pant six times in their 16 face-offs in the IPL. Despite not getting many wickets, the pace spearhead has been Mumbai’s most effective bowler. With Pant being the best batter for DC this season, it will be interesting to see how he handles Bumrah at the Wankhede pitch today.
Capitals in need of a rejig
Meanwhile, the Capitals must forget the forgetful outing against KKR to move forward in the tournament. Barring Khaleel Ahmed, no other DC bowler has impressed so far. Against KKR, the DC bowling attack gifted countless freebies to allow the Knight Riders to score a massive 272/7 in 20 overs.
Comeback man Rishabh Pant is coming on the back of two half-centuries but he needs support from the top-order. He will also require some smart moves as the leader to get the best out of his men.
The collective top-order failure in chase of 273 had cost DC the match. In spite of the Pant-Tristan Stubbs 102-run stand, with both getting half-centuries, DC couldn’t last their full quota of 20 overs. They will be under pressure to get their act together in all departments of the game.
Team news and impact player strategy
If Suryakumar Yadav is available, Naman Dhir will likely make way for him. How Mumbai use the impact player will be interesting to see. In their last match, they brought in Dewald Brevis as the impact player as early as the end of the first over, and he was out for a golden duck. Brevis and Romario Shepherd are likely candidates for the role if Mumbai bowl first – or if they bat and suffer early losses – while a sixth bowler could come in if they bat first.
Delhi Capitals could have Kuldeep Yadav back in the mix, after he missed their last two games. Kuldeep started the season well, but was then advised rest due to a groin niggle. Capitals will take a final call on his availability after a fitness test either on the eve of the game, or on matchday. Mitchell Marsh also picked up an injury during Capitals’ last game and that could set his compatriot Jake Fraser-McGurk up for an IPL debut.
In the spotlight – Akash Madhwal and Khaleel Ahmed
For their first two games, Mumbai Indians opted for the extra spin option in Shams Mulani, but brought in Akash Madhwal for their first home game of the season. Madhwal, who made his debut in the back half of the 2023 season, had impressed for Mumbai in Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, even registering record figures of 5 for 5 in the Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants.
In his first match this year, he accounted for Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson and R Ashwin as he gave away just 20 runs in his four overs. He was a rare positive on an otherwise forgettable day for Mumbai, who will hope he can continue to deliver. The last time he played a day game at the Wankhede, he took four wickets to slow Sunrisers down after a 140-run opening stand.
Capitals would have undoubtedly taken notes from the Royals’ powerplay performance with the ball in the last match at the Wankhede, and have, in Khaleel Ahmed, a left-arm seamer who they know can cause significant damage at the top. Khaleel went for runs against KKR, but has generally been threatening with the new ball, as he displayed in his first spell against CSK. He averages 19.5 with the ball against Mumbai, an impressive record that he will look to better.
Stats that matter
- Since the start of IPL 2022, Mumbai Indians have a 45.8%-win percentage with Suryakumar Yadav in their side. The number drops to 22.2% without him.
- Rohit Sharma has struggled to score against Axar Patel, scoring just 51 runs off 61 deliveries against the left-arm spinner. Axar has also got him out twice in nine innings.
- Akash Madhwal has a bowling average of 11.1 at the Wankhede stadium, with 10 wickets in four matches at the ground.
Team Watch:
Mumbai Indians
Injury/Availability: Mumbai Indians have full strength for the game with Suryakumar Yadav back in the mix.
Tactics & Matchups: It is obvious that Suryakumar Yadav will be available for the game which means Naman Dhir could come as an Impact player. MI might use Jasprit Bumrah for at least two overs in the power play so that they can attack opener David Warner, their highest scorer of the season so far.
Probable XI: Hardik Pandya (c), Rohit Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Jasprit Bumrah, Piyush Chawla, Gerald Coetzee, Tim David, Ishan Kishan (wk.), Akash Madhwal, Kwena Maphaka, Suryakumar Yadav.
Impact Substitute: Naman Dhir.
Delhi Capitals
Injury/Availability: Kuldeep Yadav continues to be doubtful. He needs to clear fitness test.
Tactics & Matchups: Delhi Capitals may leave out Mitchell Marsh and include compatriot Jake Fraser McGurk, who has the fastest List A hundred. They are handicapped by the by the absence of Kuldeep Yadav and may use Axar Patel for full quota of four overs, which they did not in their last game, against Kolkata Knight Riders
Probable XI: Prithvi Shaw, David Warner, Rishabh Pant (c & wk.), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel, Sumit Kumar, Rasikh Dar Salam, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed and Jake Fraser McGurk.
Impact Substitute: Abhishek Porel
Fantasy Player XI : David Warner, Tilak Varma, Rohit Sharma, Tim David, Jasprit Bumrah, Akash Madhwal, Gerald Coetzee, Rishabh Pant(wk.), Tristan Stubbs, Suryakumar Yadav, Khaleel Ahmed.
MI vs DC Match Prediction.
The teams are at the bottom of the points table and will obviously be looking to go up on the ladder. It will be a keen contest with the Wankhede pitch assisting the batsmen. It being an afternoon game, the dew will not be a factor which means toss will not be that much crucial.