IPL 2021: Delhi Capitals v Mumbai Indians – Preview, Prediction, Probable Playing XIs and Value Bets.
Match Details
Delhi Capitals v Mumbai Indians
M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Tuesday, April 20th, 2021
16:00 SA Time
Betting Preview
The 13th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) sees the finalists of the last edition, Delhi Capitals (DC) and Mumbai Indians (MI) battle it out. The rivalry between these two teams is less talked about but is very competitive. Before last season DC were one of the few teams who had a 50-50 record against MI. But MI defeated them in all four matches in 2021 including the finals. MI might head into the match as favourites but DC have a very good team and are the form on their side.
Delhi Capitals have played three matches this season, winning two of them. It’s the domineering way they’ve won that is most impressive. In both the wins, DC have mowed down big targets on the back of outstanding knocks from the openers, Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw. In their third match, while chasing 196, the duo got DC off to a flying start with 59 in 5.3 overs. Dhawan played one of his best T20 knocks and toyed with the PBKS bowlers. He put on an exhibition of fine batting in his knock of 92 off 49. Marcus Stoinis finishing the chase with a quick 13-ball-27 is a great sign for DC. However, they need to find a better playing XI combination.
The defending champions Mumbai Indians, after losing the first match, have made a terrific comeback with two wins on the trot. Mumbai Indians have defended sub-150 totals courtesy of some outstanding bowling from their bowling attack. Trent Boult’s death bowling improvement is a great plus for MI. Jasprit Bumrah is as reliable as ever with an economy of 5.66 in the season. While Rahul Chahar has stepped his game up, picking up seven scalps so far. Pollard played a crucial innings of 35* off 22 in the match against SRH. His return to form should give MI a boost. However, Mumbai still have lots of work to do regarding their middle overs and death overs batting.
Injury and Availability News
Delhi Capitals have brought in Shams Mulani as a temporary Covid replacement for Axar Patel. Anrich Nortje will be available for the selection since he has completed the quarantine.
Probable Playing XI
Delhi Capitals
Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Steve Smith, Rishabh Pant (c/wk), Marcus Stoinis, Lalit Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan, Amit Mishra.
Mumbai Indians
Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Adam Milne, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah.
Pitch and Conditions
The M. A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai has offered great help for the spinners over the years. It’s not any different this IPL season too as batters have struggled to score once the ball has gotten soft. The average first innings score at the Chepauk is 166 in IPL 2021.
Key Players to Watch Out For
Shikhar Dhawan: The southpaw from Delhi has been DC’s best batsman since the last IPL. Dhawan, while giving solidity at the top of the order, has scored runs at a very brisk rate. In IPL 2020, Dhawan was the second highest run-scorer with 618 runs at a strike rate of 144.73. This year, he has gotten even better, scoring 188 runs in 3 innings so far at a strike rate of 163.
Marcus Stoinis: The Australian all-rounder had made quite an impact for Delhi Capitals in IPL 2020. Marcus Stoinis had scored 352 runs with an impressive strike rate of 148 while playing the role of a finisher for DC. He had also won them few games with his powerful late hitting and handy wickets. Stoinis seems to have gotten back in form with 27* off 13 against PBKS and could be key in tackling MI’s Bumrah and Boult.
Rohit Sharma: The Mumbai Indians skipper hasn’t had a great time in IPL since 2017. Rohit Sharma has averaged below 30 and has struck around 125 between 2017 to 2020. But even then he has played some crucial knocks for MI like his 68-run innings in 2020 final against DC. Sharma has looked good in this year’s IPL, scoring 94 runs in 3 innings at a strike rate of 130.55. He will look to go big against DC’s pace heavy attack.
Rahul Chahar: The leg spinner has been in terrific form since 2020. Rahul Chahar is one of the traditional leggies who rely on spinning the ball rather than bowling googlies predominantly. Chahar has done a great job in MI’s two wins so far, picking up 4/27 and 3/19 against KKR and SRH, respectively. It will be interesting to see how he goes about his work against DC, who have 2 left-handed batters in Dhawan and Pant with the possible addition of Shimron Hetmyer.
What Bets To Take
Delhi Capitals
Shikhar Dhawan to be DC’s top batsman at 3.25.
Kagiso Rabada to be DC’s top bowler at 2.90.
Mumbai Indians
Quinton de Kock to be MI’s top batsman at 3.25.
Jasprit Bumrah to be MI’s top bowler at 3.00.
Prediction: Mumbai Indians to win at 1.68.