The IPL 2023 season has been full of surprises, and one of them is the unexpected performance of two of the strongest teams in the league, Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians. Both teams are currently at the bottom of the points table and are yet to register a win in the new season. As the teams gear up for their first clash of the season on April 11, cricket fans are eagerly waiting to see which team will break their losing streak and make a comeback.
Delhi Capitals are winless after their first three matches, and the absence of their captain, Rishabh Pant, has left the team in a shaky position. The team’s batting has looked a shadow of its former self, and their aggressive opener, Prithvi Shaw, has struggled against pace so far. David Warner, who was named as the stand-in captain, has managed to hit two fifties in three outings, but his strike rate has been a major cause for concern. The team will be hoping that their top-order batters, including Shaw, Warner, and Manish Pandey, come good in the upcoming match.
On the other hand, Mumbai Indians have had a poor start to the new season, succumbing to back-to-back defeats. The team’s top-order, including captain Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, and Cameron Green, has been far from impressive. Their bowling unit lacks firepower in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah, and Piyush Chawla has not been able to lead the spin-bowling attack, which lacks options. Mumbai will be hoping to have their lead pacer Jofra Archer fit for the big-ticket contest after he missed the match in Guwahati due to precautionary measures.
Both teams have injury concerns to deal with. Khaleel Ahmed pulled up with a hamstring injury in Delhi’s defeat in Guwahati to Rajasthan Royals, and it remains to be seen if he will be fit for the upcoming match. Mumbai Indians are sweating over the availability of Jofra Archer, who missed their last match against Chennai Super Kings. Despite the injury concerns, both teams will be hoping to put their best foot forward in the upcoming match.
The head-to-head record between Mumbai and Delhi is dominated by Mumbai, who have won 17 of the 32 matches they have played against each other in the IPL. However, in the last season, both teams won a match each against each other. In their first meeting in Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, Delhi chased down a 178-run target with the help of Axar Patel’s blitz in the end overs. In their second meeting, Mumbai successfully chased down a 160-run total after Jasprit Bumrah’s heroics with the ball.
The Delhi pitch for their first match of the season against Gujarat Titans offered pace and bounce to the fast bowlers. Mohammed Shami and Alzarri Joseph shared 5 wickets between them while Anrich Nortje also picked up a couple.
Expect another good pitch for the fast bowlers as Delhi will be hoping to make use of their strength.
Delhi Capitals: David Warner, Prithvi Shaw, Rilee Rossouw, Abhishek Porel, Axar Patel, Lalit Yadav, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Cameron Green, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Tim David, Arshad Khan, Hrithik Shokeen, Piyush Chawla, Jofra Archer, Kumar Kartikeya
The upcoming match between Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, which is expected to offer pace and bounce to the fast bowlers. Both teams have talented fast bowlers in their line-ups, and it will be interesting to see which team makes better use of their strengths. As the two teams battle it out to break their losing streak and make a comeback in the tournament, cricket fans are eagerly waiting to see which team emerges victorious.
