IPL 10, Match 25, MI v DD: Mumbai Indians Predicted XI

After a scintillating win against Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians will be back to defend their fortress at the chase-friendly Wankhede Stadium. The Mumbai Indians have a lot of positives to carry forward as they take on a daring Delhi Daredevils side. Skipper Rohit Sharma will no doubt be relieved following his first score of double figures in this season of the IPL. Rohit finally found his touch with the bat with a responsible knock that saw his side home. His 29-ball 40 was exactly what the doctor had prescribed for the Hitman, who was aggregating a mere 9 runs up until the game against the Gujarat Lions.

Both openers struck some fine form as they blasted the KXIP bowlers all around the park. Jos Buttler’s blistering knock of 77 meant Amla’s century was in vain. Parthiv was impressive as well, as he attacked right from the word go.

The other source of confidence for the Mumbai Indians comes in the form of Kieron Pollard. The big West Indian faced considerable criticism following his poor run with the bat. However, Pollard shut his critics with a match-winning 70. Chasing a 143, not an intimidating total under any circumstances, Mumbai were staring down the barrel at 4/7.

A batsman who was considered capable of batting only in the last 4 overs of an innings, Kieron Pollard found himself at the crease in the 3rd over of the chase. The all-rounder pulled his side out from the jaws of a certain defeat, much to the surprise of Sanjay Manjrekar who had earlier written Pollard off.

Pollard was once again amongst the runs for the Mumbai Indians in their clash against the Gujarat Lions. He stitched a crucial 68-run partnership with his captain which helped Mumbai scale the target of 177 with 3 balls to spare.

Young Nitish Rana once again set up a Mumbai Indians win when he scored his second match-winning 50 on a two-paced Wankhede pitch to help his side get over the finish line. Rana finds himself at fifth position in the contenders for the Orange Cap, but is another half-century away from edging past David Warner.

Following their emphatic victory against the Kings XI Punjab, the Mumbai Indians shot up to the top of the standings. However, their net run rate seems to be a tad bit behind some of the other top teams. This reflects their victories by the skin of their teeth on four occasions. Prior to the KXIP thrashing, their biggest victory margin in terms of balls remaining is just 8 so far. The Mumbai Indians will hence look to register another thumping victory over the Delhi Daredevils to enhance their net run rate.

Here’s a look at CricTracker’s predicted XI for the Mumbai Indians as they take on the Delhi Daredevils:

Openers (Parthiv Patel, Jos Buttler)

Openers Parthiv Patel and Jos Buttler have provided Mumbai with a quick start to their chases. Their 81 run opening stand against the Kings XI was perhaps the best in recent IPL history. Although Parthiv, however, missed out on a couple of games, with scores of 3 and 0 against RCB and GL respectively, he came back strong with an 18-ball 38 against KXIP. Jos Buttler was the deciding factor in MI’s assertive win. An authoritative 77 off just 37 snatched the game away from the Kings XI.

In general, both openers are busy players at the crease. The pair is quick between the wickets and rotates strike constantly to keep the scoreboard ticking. They make good use of the Powerplay by picking the gaps and scoring boundaries at regular intervals. Parthiv and Buttler aren’t afraid of taking the aerial route as well.

Both Buttler and Parthiv have the potential to take the game away very quickly. Their figures in the IPL so far don’t do justice to their talent. Both Parthiv Patel and Jos Buttler will look to attack up front, and put on a big partnership for the Mumbai Indians like they did against the Kings XI Punjab.

Top order (Nitish Rana, Rohit Sharma)

The star for the Mumbai Indians in this season of the IPL has undoubtedly been Nitish Rana. The youngster from Delhi has already scored three fifties in winning causes for his team. Rana is one of the few players in the Mumbai Indians who has consistently been amongst the runs. He holds abundant talent and has shown great character and maturity on a stage as big as the IPL. When the bigger names in his side crumbled to opposition bowlers, Rana stood up for his side to set up a victory.

Nitish Rana will be joined by his skipper Rohit Sharma, who has finally ferreted out a hint of form. Rohit was struggling against the ace spinners of opposition teams. Troubled by the googlies, Rohit’s short-lived stay at the crease became a familiar sight. Nevertheless, much to the delight of the Mumbai Indians, their skipper guided them home with a mature innings against the Gujarat Lions.

Rohit Sharma’s was a much-needed comeback, which will keep him in the hunt for a place in India’s Champions Trophy squad.

With Rohit still a bit tentative in fear of failing yet again, the onus will be on the youngster Rana to take on the Daredevils quicks.

Middle order (Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya)

The Mumbai Indians can boast of the most damaging middle order in the IPL. Kieron Pollard and the Pandya brothers have what it takes to decimate any bowling attack.

So far in this tournament, the target has been set for the Mumbai Indians, which has forced this middle order to take calculated risks given the circumstances in the match. However, if Mumbai have an opportunity to bat first, this middle order could well go on to add a good 60 runs in the final 5 overs of the innings.

All three all-rounders are powerful strikers of the ball. Pollard perhaps played one of the best knocks in the IPL to steer the Mumbai Indians to victory against RCB. It was a show of big-hitting for sure, but more importantly, it proved that Pollard can play a responsible innings as well.

Hardik Pandya is yet to be dismissed in this edition of the IPL. Along with his valuable contributions in the final stages of the chase, he has made sure to remain at the crease till the very end of the game. Hardik now has experience under his belt. He is likely to play an important role for MI throughout the remainder of the season.

Uncapped Krunal Pandya, on the other hand, is a deceptively strong hitter. He can launch into the loose deliveries and dispatch them 20 rows into the stands. Krunal is also handy with his left-arm spin – he has 4 wickets against his name in IPL 2017.

Bowlers (Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell McClenaghan, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah)

The Mumbai Indians bowling attack currently have two of the best exponents of the yorker. Lasith Malinga and Jasprit Bumrah are tailor-made to bowl at the death. Their toe-crushers give nothing away. With the clever change-ups in pace, they tend to pick up wickets towards the innings as well.

Lasith Malinga is the undisputed king of the IPL in the bowling department. With 147 wickets to his name, Malinga remains the highest wicket-taker in IPL history. The Sri Lankan has been a tad bit expensive since he made his comeback to the Mumbai Indians side, especially as he had to face Hashim Amla’s wrath. Nevertheless, Malinga is sure to make a strong comeback with the ball.

Bumrah, on the other hand, has had a couple of poor games with the ball. He was taken for runs and had nothing to show for in the wickets column. The youngster will surely look to made amends to his figures against the Daredevils.

New Zealand’s Mitchell McClenaghan hasn’t quite looked like the ferocious bowler he was last year. Nevertheless, the Kiwi speedster found his touch with figures of 2-24 in his four overs in the previous game. He’ll look to contain the batsmen early on and force them to try something silly, which should result in wickets for the New Zealander.

The Turbanator has been spinning a web around batsmen for over 9 seasons now. Harbhajan Singh features at 3^rd spot in the list of all-time highest wicket-takers in the IPL. In the match against the Lions, Bhajji removed the dangerous Suresh Raina and ended with figures of 1-22 in his quota of four overs.

With an experienced bowling line-up and a set of batsmen in fine form, the Mumbai Indians look a well-balanced side. They will look to increase their four-match winning streak and ride on the momentum they have with them. Come Saturday, the Mumbai Indians will play to their strengths in search of an emphatic victory against the Delhi Daredevils.