A top two result on the Indian Premier League points table allows teams to enter the playoff with an air of confidence. It is also a mark of consistency and provides an additional opportunity to seal a final bunk. The table leaders Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals are in this position and yet something seems to be wrong with both as they prepare for the first play-off (qualifier 1) in Dubai on Thursday.
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When the tournament began, DC was a well-oiled machine that seemed ready to make the playoffs. However, after four consecutive defeats, the team led by Shreyas Iyer had to wait until the final league match against Royal Challengers Bangalore to seal the ranking, and the victory also secured a second place finish.
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The defending champion MI, true to its reputation, was the first team to book a playoff spot, albeit with skipper Rohit Sharma absent. With a hamstring injury, Sharma missed four games and returned for the last game on Tuesday, inconsequential to MI, against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
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It was good news for the franchise, although Sharma’s decision to play has caused astonishment, as BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had advised the IM captain and the India starter not to rush his return considering the nature of the game. injury. Sharma was not included for the India tour of Australia that began after the IPL final on November 10 due to injury.
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With their share of problems, DC and MI would be eager to win at Dubai International Cricket Stadium and become the first team to enter the 2020 IPL final.
Rohit the target?
In Tuesday’s inconsequential game, which SRH won by 10 wickets to qualify, Sharma scored just four runs from seven deliveries. That means Sharma could be a bit shaky coming back from injury, and DC feels an opportunity.
“Rohit is a very good player, and if he hasn’t played many games (after injury) his touch may not be the same as before. We can definitely take advantage of it, ”Shikhar Dhawan, DC’s leading scorer with 525 runs and who was Sharma’s first partner in India for a long time, said Wednesday.
“I am sure he has recovered well, we will understand him better during the game. Whenever a player returns from injury, they face a different kind of pressure. Of course, we are going to take advantage of that. ”
Pant no show
While targeting IM’s hitting pillar can be an effective strategy, DC faces its share of hitting problems. Dhawan’s form, the first to hit two straight tonnes this season, also scored his 2020 IPL fourth fifty against RCB, so far he has covered the rest of DC’s hitting misses. Against the formidable bowling of IM, although his inconsistent hitting could be very exposed.
The problem lies mainly with two young men: starter Prithvi Shaw and goalkeeper Rishabh Pant. Shaw hasn’t gone above 10 in his last six innings, while Pant’s highest score in 11 games is 38. DC foreigners Shimron Hetmyer (138 runs) and Marcus Stoinis (249) haven’t been consistent either. There are also suggestions that the Shreyas Iyer pattern should rise to number 3.
“My only advice to them is to stay calm and support their skills. Nothing good comes out of desperate energy, ”said Dhawan, who has also impressed with his fitness this season.
Pacemaker Battle
What could work in DC’s favor is the performance of its South African fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje. They have shared 44 wickets and Rabada leads the IPL list with 25 scalps, two ahead of Jasprit Bumrah, IM leader.
Nortje has also impressed with the speed: his fastest delivery from this IPL was recorded at 156.22 km / h, while Rabada has used his experience to keep a tight grip on the hitters, mixing pace with precision.
MI pacemakers are just as formidable. Bumrah (23 wickets) and Trent Boult (20 wickets) enter the game having rested for SRH’s tie, and DC hitters are unlikely to have much room to breathe. The four-time champion IM has beaten DC (they have yet to win the IPL) twice this season, which will also give them the psychological advantage.
“You have Pollard, Rohit, Pandya brothers now, Suryakumar… guys who know how to win; They know the intensity of the finals, the pressures of the finals. They have played well and have been successful in those finals. So if he takes that into the final (play-offs) against the team that has not been successful and is nervous, then he is going to his advantage, ”said Shane Bond, MI’s bowling coach.
“We are the team that nobody really wants to play for because they know that if we play well, we can do some damage.”
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