IPL 2022: Strongest Mumbai Indians (MI) Playing XI against Delhi Capitals (DC)

Five-time champions Mumbai Indians will be facing Rishabh Pant’s Delhi Capitals when they kick-start their campaign for the Indian Premier League this season on a bright Sunday afternoon at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. While MI did not make it to the playoffs last season, Delhi was out in their eliminator game against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Mumbai will be facing a tough time as one of their finest players- Suryakumar Yadav– won’t be available for the opening game. In Mumbai’s last two encounters with Delhi during the 2021 edition, the latter has won both games. In this article, let us take a look at the predicted playing XI of the MI side for the match against the Delhi Capitals.

The Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians will face Delhi Capitals in their league opener

Openers: Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan

Rohit Sharma, who has led his side to IPL title five times, has already announced that he would be opening the game alongside Ishan Kishan. He has been the opener for his team for quite long now, and he is known for giving the perfect start to his team.

Kishan was the biggest buy for MI this season as they roped him for INR 15.25 CR. The team’s wicketkeeper-batter has good bonding with his captain, and has proved to be a great opener for his franchise, as well as the Indian team. The Rohit-Ishan duo will be the perfect opening pair for the team.

Middle Order: Tilak Varma, Tim David, Kieron Pollard

Tilak Varma, the Indian U19 sensation, is a top order batter with a unique style. With a strike rate of 140+ in the T20 format, he can be a replacement for Suryakumar Yadav for the first game.

Tim David, the Singapore cricketer, has fancied IPL and will be seen in the Mumbai Indians camp this year. He was purchased for INR 8.25 CR by the franchise . The 26-year-old power hitter would make the middle order even stronger if he plays his original game.

Kieron Pollard needs no introduction. He has been a match-winner for MI since day one, and as a result, was retained by the franchise before the auction. He has been MI’s go-to person whenever the team is in a sinking mode. Being the anchor of the team, he’ll be the most important player in the middle order.

All-rounders: Sanjay Yadav, Daniel Sams 

Sanjay Yadav, the left-arm spin-bowling all-rounder, will be a good fit for MI in their opening game. He’s handy with the bat and ball as he holds a good average in his first-class career. He can be economical as well. Daniel Sams, the Australian representative, has 87 wickets to his name in the 74 T20 games that he has played. He recently represented Sydney Thunders in the Big Bash League and scored a 98*(44).

Bowlers: Tymal Mills, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah, Jaydev Unadkat

Tymal Mills has the ability to fill the shoes for Trent Boult, who is no longer with MI. The Boult-Bumrah duo created destruction on field for MI and Mills has similar potential to do the same but at a slower pace.

Mayank Markande performed well when he was with MI during the 2018 IPL. He hasn’t played much in the IPL, but his figures in the FC and List A matches speak for himself. He has been a great performer in the domestic games and will be someone to look out for in this edition of IPL.

Jasprit Bumrah needs no introduction. He has been one of the best bowlers of Mumbai Indians and the bowling attack is incomplete without him, be it for Team India, or for the Mumbai Indians. Jaydev Unadkat has played 10 international games for India in the T20I leg and has 14 career wickets to his name. He has been a terrific bowler in domestic matches, and also proved his worth when he played for the Rising Pune Supergiants during the 2015-16 IPL.