New Delhi, April 27: Heading for a tensed finish again? Will the two star-studed sides compete hard against each other again, as in the past?
Will the seasoned pros dominate the procceddings,as Delhi Capitals take on Mumbai Indians in the 43rd match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday afternoon?
Well, winning the toss, five-time champions MI had no hesitation in electing to bowl first against Delhi Capitals.
As per their place in the Points Table, MI are at ninth place in the points table, while DC are at sixth position. The last time these two teams met in IPL 2024, MI won by 29 runs in the afternoon game at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai earlier this month.
After winning the toss, captain Hardik Pandya said fast-bowler Gerald Coetzee is out due to a stomach bug and left-arm pacer Luke Wood comes into the playing eleven. “The ground is small. It's better to bat second on a smaller ground. Every game is a new game, we make sure we are not out. We keep fighting and keep coming hard in each game.”
“The mood is fine, happy chats, all is well. You should not really focus on what has happened in the past. Anyone can beat anyone. Our goal is to play our brand of cricket and put our best foot forward,” he said.
DC skipper Rishabh Pant said he was looking to bat first, and added opener Prithvi Shaw is out due to an injury, with wicketkeeper-batter Kumar Kushagra coming into the playing eleven. DC have also got South Africa fast-bowler Lizaad Williams into the playing eleven in place of fellow countryman Anrich Nortje.
“I think it will get slower in the second innings. It has been amazing, we're getting the kind of wickets we want. As a team we have to play well and we have been. This is something we talked about - how to control the innings. Bowling with the new ball and bowling at the death is difficult, one over here or there is making all the difference,” he said.
The pitch for Saturday’s match has no grass and looks barren, with it expected to aid spinner. The square boundaries are at 59m and 64m respectively, with straight boundaries measured at 73m and one side of behind the wicket standing at just 54m.
Playing XIs
Mumbai Indians XI: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma, Nehal Wadhera, Hardik Pandya (captain), Tim David, Mohammad Nabi, Piyush Chawla, Luke Wood, Jasprit Bumrah and Nuwan Thushara
MI Substitutes: Suryakumar Yadav, Naman Dhir, Shams Mulani, Dewald Brevis and Kumar Kartikeya.
Delhi Capitals XI: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Kumar Kushagra, Shai Hope, Rishabh Pant (captain & wicketkeeper), Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Lizaad Williams, Mukesh Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed
DC Substitutes: Rasikh Dar Salam, Praveen Dubey, Vicky Ostwal, Ricky Bhui and Sumit Kumar. (With IANS support)
