Delhi Capitals’ chance to regain their mojo and seal playoffs spot against the Mumbai Indians juggernaut

The Delhi Capitals and the Mumbai Indians were two of the three most consistent teams in the Dream11 IPL 2020. Having raced off the blocks, the Capitals were ahead of their competition, but three consecutive losses have enabled the Mumbai Indians to steal a march on their opponents for tonight in the race for the top 2 positions. However, given their excellent form prior to the past week, a win tonight will guarantee them a place in the playoffs while the Mumbai Indians are already there.

The Delhi Capitals’ campaign has suddenly fallen off a cliff. Ever since the injury to Rishabh Pant, the Capitals have had to tinker with their combination, bringing in Ajinkya Rahane and resting Shimron Hetmyer and they have not yet returned to the consistent eleven that bulldozed through teams. Kagiso Rabada went wicketless for the first time this season, conceding an unprecedented 54 runs. An 88-run loss has dealt a huge blow to their Net Run Rate as well. If they are to lose to the Mumbai Indians, they may well be facing the prospect of elimination when they play the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their final league game.

The Mumbai Indians have had no such issues. Even an injury to their captain Rohit Sharma has not slowed down the Mumbai juggernaut. Ishan Kishan has taken to opening like fish to water, while Suryakumar Yadav has produced innings of quality expected of him. With Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya to follow, Mumbai look a team never out of a contest. Their bowling does not lack any firepower. In Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, and James Pattinson, they have a quality pace bowling lineup who have delivered time and again. A tightly knit group, having only used 13 members of their squad, Mumbai have consistently picked the players who have delivered without much room for experimentation, and that has paid dividends.

The previous time these two teams met, half-centuries from Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar Yadav helped Mumbai chase down a target of 162 in Abu Dhabi. The Capitals will be hoping to not only settle the scores for the season but gain crucial 2 points and seal their playoffs spot heading into the final league game. A win won’t come easy against a confident Mumbai team, and the Capitals will need to quickly regain their mojo heading into the final week of league games in the Dream11 IPL 2020.