IPL 2017: Mumbai Indians v Delhi Daredevils, Game 25– Match Result Predictions

Mumbai Indians have looked the best all-round team in the tournament so far and it has been evident from their power packed performances in the last 5 matches. After losing the opening encounter to RPS, Mumbai came back in style winning their next 5 matches on a bounce. It has been an exceptional performance by Mumbai so far and 3 more wins will guarantee them a place in the playoffs.

The opening combination of Jos Buttler and Parthiv Patel looked in ominous touch yesterday against Kings XI Punjab and dismissed the listless Punjab bowlers to different nooks and corners of the ground. Buttler especially played some destructive shots to stamp his authority on the tournament. Youngster Nitish Rana has been the find of the tournament so far and is currently the holder of the orange cap.

The southpaw has struck some exceptional blows in the tournament so far and smashed as many as 7 sixes during his innings 62 of 34 deliveries. The Pandya brothers have also proved to be assets for Mumbai and their all-round abilities have given them the ideal balance which they were craving for. Krunal has been very miserly with his slow left-arm spin while Hardik has been a superstar in the tournament so far with the bat in hand.

The only concern for Rohit Sharma and Co will be the form of sling Malinga who conceded 51 and 58 runs in the previous two matches. On the other hand, Delhi Daredevils has had a topsy-turvy season thus far and has managed to win only 2 out of the 5 matches they had played so far. After losing the first match against RCB, DD came back pretty strongly in the next two matches but their performances again took a downward slide as they lost their last two matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders.

The young brigade including the likes of Sanju Samson and Rishabh Pant who has played some delightful innings in the competition so far will look to carry on their good form and book their place in the national team in the near future. Chris Morris has also been a good all-round option for DD and has given them some crucial runs and wickets so far. So with nearly 24 hours to go for the 25^th match of the competition to commence let us have a look at the match predictions for the 2^nd match of tomorrow’s double header.

Here is what Crictracker predicts for the game:                   

Scenario 1: MI will win the toss

Toss Prediction: MI choose to bowl

First innings prediction: 175-180

2nd innings Prediction: MI will win by 6 wickets (with 4 balls to spare)

Scenario 2: DD will win the toss

Toss Prediction: DD choose to bowl

First innings Prediction: 200-210

2nd innings Prediction: MI will win by 27 runs

Head to Head Record

Overall: Total Matches –18, MI Won – 9, DD Won – 9

In Mumbai: Total Matches- 5, MI Won- 5, DD

Their head to head record suggests that both teams have had some fierce battles in the past and we might be in for yet another mouth-watering contest in the prospect. Both teams have won 9 out of the 18 encounters being played between the two sides but given Mumbai India’s sublime record in the tournament so far, it will be a huge ask for DD top overhaul the two-time champions at the jampacked Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Team Combination

Mumbai Indians

After winning 5 matches on a trot, MI is unlikely to tinker with their playing XI but they have some serious worries in the bowling department with both foreign pacers Micthell McCleneghan and Lasith Malinga going for plenty in the last couple of matches. The MI team management might be tempted to include the veteran pacer Mitchell Johnson in place of either McCleneghan or Malinga. Other than that the XI remains the same.

Predicted XI: Jos Buttler, Parthiv Patel, Nitish Rana, Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Hardik Pandya, Harbhajan Singh, Lasith Malinga, Mitchell Johnson, Jasprit Bumrah

Delhi Daredevils

The DD camp will surely look to get their act right after losing two matches on a bounce. Their youngsters have shown maturity in both bowling and the batting departments but some their senior pros have not been able to produce the match-winning performances.

Jayant Yadav who played his first match the other day is expected to make way for left-arm tweaker Shahbaz Nadeem who has bowled pretty well in the tournament so far.

Predicted XI: Sam Billings, Rishabh Pant, Sanju Samson, Shreyas Iyer, Corey Anderson, Aditya Tare, Chris Morris, Shahbaz Nadeem, Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan, Pat Cummins

Despite the head to head record being even stevens, it will be a huge ask for Delhi Daredevils to overhaul Mumbai Indians in front of their home crowd.

Do let us know your predictions in the comment section below.

Note: This is purely a random call taken by the author