Mumbai and Delhi hoping not to fluff opening lines again
MUMBAI : The Mumbai Indiansdelhi Capitals clash on Sunday will witness a first for seven years, for one of the teams. Neither Mumbai nor Delhi have won their opening IPL game since 2012 and it would be interesting to see which side manages to overcome its opening blues at the Wankhede Stadium.
However, apart from their struggle to get over the line in the first match, there is little to compare in terms of stature. Mumbai Indians have won three titles while Delhi Capitals — Delhi Daredevils till last year—have not even qualified for the playoffs since 2012.
SLOW STARTER
Mumbai Indians though will be aware that reputation alone can’t win a team the title. The Rohitsharma-led outfit looked good to lift the title last year but didn’t succeed in a late dash for a spot in the play-offs. And the defeat that ended their hopes came against Delhi Daredevils.
Though Mumbai Indians have been slow starters, what hurt them the most last year was an inability to win close games. With six of their eight defeats having come in the last over, they will have to improve their finishing skills and nerves under pressure.
BUMRAH IN FOCUS
Mumbai have suffered a couple of setbacks in the pace department with the seasoned Lasith Malinga deciding to skip the first six games and Kiwi quickie Adam Milne pulling out of the tournament due to a heel injury. Australian pacer Jason Behrendorff too is unavailable due to national commitments.
Their bowling plans as usual would revolve around spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who has been in focus due to the workload management debate considering his importance to the Indian team in the World Cup that follows IPL.
Bumrah is likely to be paired with Kiwi pacer Mitchell Mcclenaghan while Krunal Pandya and Mayank Markande would most
probably be their two spinners. It will be interesting to see how the team uses all-rounder Hardik Pandya, returning from injury and under observation over workload. With skipper Rohit Sharma announcing he will open in all matches, it will be a tussle among Suryakumar Yadav, Quinton de Kock and Evin Lewis for the other opener’s spot. All eyes will also be on Yuvraj Singh, playing for MI for the first time.
For Delhi Capitals, it’s all about starting afresh. Led by young Mumbaikar Shreyas Iyer — he took charge last year after Gautam Gambhir stepped down — they beat eventual champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and knocked out Mumbai Indians to finish on a high.
Delhi have plenty of firepower at the top with Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw and Colin Munro all capable of tearing apart any attack. Young wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant can be used in any position and will be eager to cement his World Cup spot through strong performances.