Match Preview – Capitals vs Mumbai, Indian Premier League 2023, 16th Match

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Big picture – who will break the duck first?

The fortunes of Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians have mirrored each other so far in IPL 2023. Both teams are yet to open their accounts – Capitals have lost three out of three and Mumbai two out of two. Through a combination of injuries and personal reasons, both have struggled with player availability. They have neither figured out their best XIs (or XIIs) nor have readymade solutions in sight.

Capitals’ biggest worry is probably their opening pair. David Warner has scored two half-centuries in three games but his runs have come at a pedestrian strike rate of 117.03. Prithvi Shaw, on the other hand, has lasted just 17 balls in three outings. If Shaw gets going, he could not only mask Warner’s struggles but also set a platform for the middle order.

Mumbai’s primary headache is their bowling attack. In Jasprit Bumrah’s absence, they were heavily dependent on Jofra Archer. But he too experienced discomfort in his right elbow and missed their previous game, against Chennai Super Kings. That has robbed their bowling unit of invaluable experience.

After Capitals’ latest defeat, their head coach Ricky Ponting called for “soul-searching”. Mumbai captain Rohit Sharma said, “The senior guys need to step up, starting with me.” The silver lining is at least one of them will open their account on Tuesday.

Team news – question mark over Archer’s fitness

There has been no official update about the extent of Archer’s discomfort. Given it’s the right elbow, which had kept him out in the past as well, Mumbai are unlikely to rush him back.

For Capitals, Khaleel Ahmed has a niggle and may not be available for this game. They will also be without Mitchell Marsh, who has gone back to Australia for his wedding and had also missed their last game.

Impact Player strategy

Delhi Capitals
If Khaleel is not fully fit, Capitals could bring in Chetan Sakariya. If they bat first, Shaw features in the first XI. In the second innings, Mukesh Kumar could come in as Impact Player and replace him. Vice-versa if they bowl first.

Probable bat-first XI: 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Prithvi Shaw, 3 Manish Pandey, 4 Rilee Rossouw, 5 Rovman Powell, 6 Lalit Yadav, 7 Axar Patel, 8 Abishek Porel (wk), 9 Chetan Sakariya, 10 Kuldeep Yadav, 11 Anrich Nortje

Probable bowl-first XI: 1 David Warner (capt), 2 Manish Pandey, 3 Rilee Rossouw, 4 Lalit Yadav, 5 Rovman Powell, 6 Axar Patel, 7 Abishek Porel (wk), 8 Chetan Sakariya, 9 Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Anrich Nortje, 11 Mukesh Kumar

Probable bat-first XI: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Cameron Green, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Tilak Varma, 6 Tristan Stubbs, 7 Tim David, 8 Hrithik Shokeen, 9 Piyush Chawla, 10 Jason Behrendorff, 11 Sandeep Warrier

Probable bowl-first XI: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Ishan Kishan (wk), 3 Cameron Green, 4 Suryakumar Yadav, 5 Tristan Stubbs, 6 Tim David, 7 Piyush Chawla, 8 Hrithik Shokeen, 9 Kumar Kartikeya, 10 Jason Behrendorff, 11 Sandeep Warrier

Stats that matter – Rohit’s struggles

Pitch and conditions – win the toss and bowl

Since the start of 2019, the Arun Jaitley Stadium has hosted 31 T20s. Out of them, chasing teams have won 23, lost six and tied two. When Capitals played Gujarat Titans here last week, there was ample help for fast bowlers. It’s not easy to say whether Capitals or Mumbai will have the upper hand if the same happens again.

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