The league stage of the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL) has reached a phase where it is akin to Indian films with their double-meaning dialogues.
As the tournament approaches its business end, the result of each match comes with multiple possibilities. And that’s the case with the opening game of a blockbuster weekend between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals.
The build-up
Until a week ago, many would have anticipated this clash to be the decider for which team tops the table at the end of the league stage. The match could still end up being that, but there’s more riding on the result, especially for the Capitals.
Shreyas Iyer’s boys have lost their last three games and have put themselves in a slight spot of bother. The Capitals need to win at least one of their two remaining games, and victory on Saturday could be enough to seal a playoff spot – contingent on the results of the remaining matches.
Mumbai, on the other hand, is the only team assured of a playoff spot before the match. A win on Saturday will assure the Indians of a place in the top two, something that may turn out to be critical considering the format of the playoffs.
The key men
It could well be the battle between the Mumbai players in each team that becomes a decisive factor. Suryakumar Yadav’s scintillating batting has ensured that the Indians have missed neither the local flavour nor the batting of Rohit Sharma, who has missed the last few games because of injury.
For Delhi, it is up to Yadav’s teammates in the domestic setup to take a cue and come good with the willow – Iyer along with Ajinkya Rahane or Prithvi Shaw, depending on selection.
Squads:
Delhi Capitals: Shreyas Iyer (c), Kagiso Rabada, Marcus Stoinis, Sandeep Lamichhane, Ishant Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Shimron Hetmyer, Alex Carey, Mohit Sharma, Prithvi Shaw, Lalit Yadav, Avesh Khan, Axar Patel, Tushar Deshpande, Rishabh Pant, Harshal Patel, Keemo Paul, Amit Mishra, Anrich Nortje, Daniel Sams
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Digvijay Deshmukh, Aditya Tare (wk), Saurabh Tiwary, Jasprit Bumrah, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Rahul Chahar, Chris Lynn, Hardik Pandya, Sherfane Rutherford, Anmolpreet Singh, Mohsin Khan, Mitchell McClenaghan, Prince Balwant Rai, Anukul Roy, Ishan Kishan, Dhawal Kulkarni, Trent Boult, Jayant Yadav, Suryakumar Yadav, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Pattinson
Match: DC vs MI, 51st Match, IPL 2020
Date: October 31, 2020
Time: 03:30 PM
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