Mumbai Indians (MI) get back to their territory in a must-win clash against Delhi Capitals (DC) on 21st May at Wankhede. This match is more than a final for both teams, given that MI have 14 points from 12 matches & DC have 13 points from 12 matches. It’s a do or die scenario for Hardik Pandya & Axar Patel as both haven’t been able to capitalize on the winning momentum.
DC got brutally hammered against GT on 18th May at their backyard, Delhi. The way Shubman Gill & Sai Sudharsan tormented DC’s bowling lineup raised a lot of eyebrows over DC’s bowling attack. KL Rahul’s blistering ton (*112 runs) went into vain as the absence of Mitchell Starc (*opted out) hurt the team immensely in the bowling attack.
Previous encounter
DC had suffered a heart-wrenching defeat against MI on 13th April. MI won the game by 12 runs and defended a 206-run target. It was a collective effort from MI’s bowling unit; Karn Sharma (*3 wickets for 36 runs), Mitchell Santner (*2 wickets for 43 runs). In the 19th over of that match, there were 3 run outs inflicted by MI which changed the complexion of match. The rivalry has been quite intriguing, with MI winning 20 matches out of 36 and DC winning 16.
Pitch & Weather Report
The weather in Mumbai has been intermittent and a rain threat also has been issued. BCCI has added an extra 120 minutes for rain intervention which might help both the teams. The average score at Wankhede has been 170 but shorter squarer boundaries can make the game quite fascinating.
MI though at Wankhede have an ascendancy with winning 7 matches out of 10 ahead. Since 2022, MI have the wood over DC with winning three out of the four matches.
Predicted Playing XII:
Mumbai Indians (MI): Ryan Rickelton (wk), Rohit Sharma, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah and Karn Sharma.
Impact Player: Karn Sharma
Delhi Capitals (DC): Faf du Plessis, KL Rahul, Abishek Porel (wk), Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (c), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mustafizur Rahman,
Impact player: Dushmantha Chameera
Match Prediction
It’s a do or die game for MI after a nerve wrecking game defeat against GT. There was a lot of drama in that game and co-incidentally MI I resuming their campaign at Wankhede, Mumbai only. Hardik Pandya will have to take a call on whether to make Deepak Chahar bowl in death overs. Deepak Chahar wasn’t able to defend 15 runs in the final over.
DC on the other hand would be hoping that KL Rahul leads the batting department. The batter has been in top notch form who has changed the gears smartly. KL Rahul has a whooping average of 74.23 against Mumbai and has scored 965 runs across 19 games. Faf du Plessis so far hasn’t been able to dictate the terms. Faf has scored 173 runs in 7 innings and the struggling knock of 5 runs against GT didn’t help the team much.
Mumbai hold a slight edge over DC to win the encounter. Suryankumar Yadav has been in exhilarating form with 510 runs and his ability to play funky & stylish shots makes him the dangerous asset. It’s somewhat clear that chasing would be a suitable option and MI’s deep batting line up gives them a chance to put a mammoth target as well as chase down it.
Also Read: LSG vs SRH: Rishabh Pant’s Unexpected Downfall In IPL 2025