English
Socially, culturally or even otherwise, the rivalry between Mumbai and Delhi has existed for as long as the two cities have taken self-proclaimed bragging rights of being the trend-setters of modern India. Even in cricket, the two traditional power centres of the game have differed on what cricket is and how it should be played. And yet, for some reason, that rivalry has not figured so heavily in the IPL. It has been as much because of the absence of local players, organic approaches and ethos of their games as it has been because of Delhi Daredevils’ inability to match up to Mumbai Indians’ standard of cricket. Victory or defeat over each other has been merely with context of the tournament, sans any city rivalry.
This season, in Rohit Sharma and Gautam Gambhir, Mumbai and Delhi are the only two sides to be led by their local players. And both of them, mighty successful as captains in the tournament, bring in with them shades of the authentic nature of their local cricket. Gambhir gets Delhi’s aggression while Rohit carries along the never-say-die attitude of Mumbai cricket to his captaincy. And the teams that they have led to victory in the past have shown similar traits as well.
While for Rohit there is a side with a similar set of players and plans to work with, Gambhir has been offered a fresh challenge with a new bunch of players and support staff. For all the disparity that lies between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils so far, the rivalry promises to be cut down this season, with ‘promise’ being the keyword. Because when the two franchises got up after the end of business at the auction table earlier this year, both the parties would have been mightily satisfied with their work of having assembled a squad which ‘promised’ to be strong contenders for the title. Yet, in just a week of the season’s start, they meet each other as deflated units – the only two to have lost both their games so far, shedding their layered egos and sitting quietly at the bottom of the table. It isn’t an unfamiliar position for either of the teams. Yet while for Mumbai Indians, this can still be a space of cozy comfort, for Delhi Daredevils, it brings up worrying memories of the past.
Delhi Daredevils have looked rusty thus far. Yet neither of their losses speak for their far-from-best game. While they were undone by KL Rahul’s assault in the first match, they would’ve felt slightly unfortunate by the abrupt nature of their previous game, where rain break left them with a target of 71 in 6 overs on a sluggish pitch. On a player-by-player role, while Gambhir looked good in his only outing, none of the power-hitters, who remain the core of their explosive threat, have hit form.
Rahul Tewatia’s stingy bowling has been a massive plus and he could be the sole frontline spinner they might play in Saturday’s clash. Colin Munro’s issues against spin has been exposed early in the tournament and it would be interesting to see if they will continue persisting with the hard-hitting New Zealander. The conditions at Wankhede should be ideal for his batting but it could also be a time for Mumbai Indians to sneak in a few overs from their spinners up early. They could toy with the option of giving Jason Roy a game and also play one of the domestic pacers – Avesh Khan or Harshal Patel. Liam Plunkett’s inclusion can make their team a lot more dynamic as well.
For Mumbai Indians, it has been a case of so-near-yet-so-far till now. Against Chennai Super Kings, they lost a game they should have won and then against Sunrisers Hyderabad, they brought a game they should have lost much earlier to the last ball. While the first game shredded the reputation of their death-over specialists, the second one gave a more honest reflection of their abilities. And there lies the mirror for them. An in-form Jasprit Bumrah makes Mumbai Indians a different side altogether. His inconsistency thus far has reflected in the way matches have panned out for Mumbai. Nonetheless, even in defeats, Mumbai Indians played a couple of very close contests and should go in without any change, unless Hardik Pandya recovers for Saturday’s encounter.
What adds an interesting twist to the contest is the swap of Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils’ multiple-season coaches – TA Sekar and Ricky Ponting. How crucial will be their added word of advice in opposite dugouts?
What: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Daredevils, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
When: April 14, 2018, Saturday
What to expect: Mumbai isn’t known for April rains and the weather predictions side by that. Among the perks of having full 40 overs is that at least one team will get off the mark in the tournament
Team News:
Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya is recovering well and is expected to return for Saturday’s clash.
Likely XI: Evin Lewis, Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Mitchell McClenaghan, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah, Mustafizur Rahman
Delhi Daredevils: The visitors might drop Shahbaz Nadeem and play an extra pacer.
Likely XI: Gautam Gambhir, Colin Munro, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Glenn Maxwell, Vijay Shankar, Chris Morris, Rahul Tewatia, Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, Trent Boult
What they said:
“His (Ricky Ponting) only mantra is to win. He doesn’t believe in how you play and what you do. At the end of the day the result should be positive. He’s here to win the championship and he keeps telling us that everyday.” Shahbaz Nadeem, Delhi Daredevils’ spinner.
Squads:
Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma(c), Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Mustafizur Rahman, Suryakumar Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Ishan Kishan, Rahul Chahar, Evin Lewis, Saurabh Tiwary, Ben Cutting, Pradeep Sangwan, Jean-Paul Duminy, Tajinder Singh, Sharad Lumba, Siddhesh Lad, Aditya Tare, Mayank Markande, Akila Dananjaya, Anukul Roy, Mohsin Khan, MD Nidheesh, Mitchell McClenaghan
Delhi Daredevils: Shreyas Iyer, Chris Morris, Rishabh Pant, Glenn Maxwell, Gautam Gambhir(c), Jason Roy, Colin Munro, Mohammed Shami, Amit Mishra, Prithvi Shaw, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Harshal Patel, Avesh Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Daniel Christian, Jayant Yadav, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Trent Boult, Manjot Kalra, Abhishek Sharma, Sandeep Lamichhane, Naman Ojha, Sayan Ghosh, Liam Plunkett
