Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw are in red-hot form at the top of Delhi Capitals’ batting order. So is Mumbai Indians’ new-ball duo of Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah, arguably the best pace combination in the Indian Premier League.
Their face-off could well be the decisive factor when the two teams take each other on in a repeat of the last year’s final on Tuesday.
Both the teams have hardly wasted any time to get off the blocks, notching up two wins each in three games so far. And the Capitals’ openers -- with strong ties with Mumbai -- will hope to continue with their Sunday night's heroics against Punjab Kings.
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While Dhawan has opened the Mumbai Indians’ innings during his early years of IPL, Shaw is a product of Mumbai’s stable of batsmanship. The duo will realise that facing perhaps the most well-oiled unit will be its biggest challenge so far this season.
If the duo can weather the Boult and Bumrah storm early on and let captain Rishabh Pant go after the spin twins Rahul Chahar and Krunal Pandya, the Capitals will have a brighter chance of avenging the loss in last year’s final.
If the Capitals include Anrich Nortje in their playing XI, it will also be a direct clash between the two fearsome pace combinations. After all, the Kagiso Rabada and Nortje combine tallied a whopping 52 wickets in IPL 2020, same as Boult and Bumrah’s joint figure.
Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, will be hoping to solve the third pacer’s riddle that’s posed a bit of a problem for the defending champion.
Neither Marco Jansen nor Adam Milne, both of whom have been handed MI debuts, has looked effective so far. It may force Hardik Pandya to bowl on Tuesday for the first time this season.
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