IPL 2021: Match 13 - Delhi Capitals (DC) Predicted Playing XI Against Mumbai Indians (MI)

Delhi Capitals, under the leadership of a young skipper Rishabh Pant, is enjoying a decent run in the ongoing Indian Premier League. The team kick-started their campaign in IPL 2021 with a comfortable win against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by seven wickets courtesy of Prithvi Shaw and Shikhar Dhawan.

The team’s second match against Rajasthan Royals saw captain Rishabh Pant leading from the front as he played a sublime knock of 51 runs off 32 runs when other batters failed to perform. However, Pant’s efforts went in vain as David Miller and Chris Morris smashed 62 off 43 and 36 off 18, respectively, to take RR home by three wickets.

Taking their lessons from the loss, Delhi Capitals scripted an amazing comeback in the match against Punjab Kings as they successfully chased a target of 198 runs with ten balls to spare. With this, the franchise is placed at the second position on the points table and they will be looking forward to continuing their winning streak against Mumbai Indians too.

Here’s DC’s Predicted Playing XI for IPL 2021 Match 13

Openers (Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw)

Delhi Capitals boast of having an intimidating batting line-up in IPL 2021 owing to the blistering form of their opening pair, Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw. The two batters were the architect behind the team’s victory in the first game against Chennai Super Kings as they scored 85 and 72 runs respectively.

Though they failed to perform in the second match, both Dhawan and Shaw regained their form against Punjab Kings. Dhawan played the match-defining knock of 92 runs off 49 deliveries to help DC chase a whopping target of 196 runs. The 21-year-old, on the other hand, also played an impactful knock and his quickfire cameo of 32 runs off just 17 balls gave Delhi a dream start.

Middle Order (Steve Smith, Rishabh Pant (C and WK))

In the match against Punjab Kings, Delhi tried a different batting combination as they played former Australian captain instead of Ajinkya Rahane in the Playing XI. In the first two games, Rahane was given a chance but the batsman failed to perform and that resulted in his axing from the Playing XI.

However, Smith also failed to impress in his first match of IPL 2021 as he marched back to the pavilion after scoring 9 off 12. Despite the poor performance, Smith is likely to get a nod as the management is well aware of the capabilities of the Australian batter and will be looking forward to giving him another chance.

There has been a significant improvement in Rishabh Pant over the past few months as the batsman has now started to play maturely and he doesn’t lose his wicket while playing rash shots. Pant is in sublime form in IPL 2021 and is expected to essay his job well both as a captain and batsman.

All-Rounders (Marcus Stoinis, Lalit Yadav, Chris Woakes)

Marcus Stoinis, Latit Yadav, and Chris Woakes are expected to be the three all-rounders in the squad. Stoinis, who was experiencing a torrid run in IPL 2021, seemed to have regained his form as he played a match-defining cameo against Punjab Kings to help Delhi Capitals reach the finishing line. The all-rounder added 27 runs to the scoreboard in just 13 balls at a strike rate of 207.69.

Other than Stoinis, Woakes has been impressive in the three matches, especially with the new ball. The speedster has tried to maintain an economy rate of around 6 while bowling in the Powerplay. However, he is yet to show his potential with the willow. 

Delhi made a surprising call in the match against Rajasthan Royals as they included young Lalit Yadav in the team. Yadav failed to score big in his maiden IPL game as he scored just 20 balls off 24 balls. However, the youngster scored a six-ball 12 and also provides the franchise an extra bowling option. 

Bowlers (Ravi Ashwin, Lukman Meriwala, Avesh Khan, Kagiso Rabada)

Anrich Nortje was available for selection in the game against Punjab Kings but DC spring a surprise for the fans as they decided to not play the match-defining pace duo of Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje. Instead, they went with an Indian pace option in the form of Lukman Meriwala. In his three overs, Lukman conceded 32 runs at an economy rate of 10.7 while scalping the priced wicket of Mayank Agrawal, who was playing at 69 off 36.

Thus, DC is likely to play Meriwala against Mumbai Indians as that will provide them the liberty to add an overseas batsman in the line-up in the form of Steve Smith. Apart from Lukman, Kagiso Rabada and Avesh Khan will be the other two pacers while Ravi Ashwin is expected to be the lone spinner in the Playing XI.