Winless Capitals, Mumbai meet in a bid to get on the board
Both teams have struggled with player availability and are yet to figure out their best combinations
Hemant Brar
10-Apr-2023
Rohit Sharma has called on Mumbai's senior players to step up, 'starting with me' • BCCI
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
Mumbai Indians
With Arshad Khan conceding 14 runs per over across two games, Mumbai could consider leaving him out for Sandeep Warrier. For their Impact Player, they can use Tilak Varma and Kumar Kartikeya.
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
- The last time Rohit hit a half-century in the IPL was 24 innings ago. During this period, he has scored 470 runs at an average of 19.58 and a strike rate of 120.20.
- Axar Patel has kept Rohit quiet in T20 cricket, conceding only 41 runs off 49 balls, with two dismissals.
- Since the start of 2022, five batters have hit 100 or more sixes in T20s. Four of them - Tim David (124), Rilee Rossouw (123), Rovman Powell (101) and Suryakumar Yadav (101) - will be in action on Tuesday. The fifth player on that list is Rahmanullah Gurbaz (101).
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.
Hemant Brar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo