NEW DELHI: An out-of-form Rohit Sharma will look to rediscover his touch and prove his relevance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as he faces the Delhi Capitals’ potent spin trio when Mumbai Indians return to action here on Sunday.
While Rohit continues to fight for rhythm, MI will hope Jasprit Bumrah can unsettle KL Rahul, Delhi’s most dependable batter so far, in a clash that could significantly alter both teams’ momentum this season.
Delhi, one of the standout teams in the opening phase of the tournament, will enter the fixture as favourites. They are chasing their fifth win on the trot, while Mumbai, led by a lone-fighting Hardik Pandya, are desperate to avoid a fifth defeat in six games, a scenario that could push them further into crisis after a dismal last season.
In tough times, fans expect their icons to step up, and Rohit must deliver with the bat. So far, he has scored just 38 runs in four matches.
However, the challenge ahead is stiff. Delhi boasts the tournament’s best-performing spin unit, headed by skipper Axar Patel, along with the clinical Kuldeep Yadav and promising rookie Vipraj Nigam.
Kuldeep, described by former Australian captain Michael Clarke as the “best bowler in the tournament so far”, has taken eight wickets from four matches with an economy of under six runs per over. Vipraj, emerging as a well-rounded all-rounder, has picked up five wickets with a slightly expensive economy rate, while Axar remains wicketless but could come into play against Rohit’s known vulnerability to left-arm and wrist spin.
If Axar opens the bowling or hands the new ball to Kuldeep or Vipraj, it promises to be a contest worth watching.
Rohit, however, has fared better against Mitchell Starc in the past, and fans will be keen to see how the Australian pacer responds this time.
For Mumbai, the inconsistent form of Rohit, Tilak Varma and vice-captain Suryakumar Yadav has been a major concern. While Tilak and Surya have shown flashes of brilliance, they are yet to take command of any match.
On the other hand, Bumrah — who returned to the field after a three-month break — has looked sharp. His battle with KL Rahul, a technician with a wide range of shots, will be a major highlight.
Facing bowlers like Shardul Thakur, Prince Yadav, Mukesh Choudhary or Bhuvneshwar Kumar is a different challenge altogether compared to decoding Bumrah, widely regarded as the world’s best fast bowler across formats.
Jake Fraser-McGurk has yet to find his footing, but DC have not had to chase big totals in two of their four games, masking the top-order woes for now.
This will be Delhi Capitals’ first home match of the season, having played two games at Visakhapatnam — considered a “second home” due to co-owner GMR’s business interests in the region.
The Feroz Shah Kotla pitch has evolved over the past few seasons to favour batters, but it remains unclear whether head coach Hemang Badani and Director of Cricket Venugopal Rao have asked for a tackier surface that assists bowlers and keeps scoring in check.
Teams (from):
Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (C), Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Trent Boult, Naman Dhir, Robin Minz, Karn Sharma, Ryan Rickelton, Deepak Chahar, Allah Ghazanfar, Will Jacks, Ashwani Kumar, Mitchell Santner, Reece Topley, Krishnan Shrijith, Raj Angad Bawa, Satyanarayana Raju, Bevon Jacobs, Arjun Tendulkar, Lizaad Williams, Vignesh Puthur.
Delhi Capitals: Axar Patel (C), Faf du Plessis, Karun Nair, Sameer Rizvi, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Ashutosh Sharma, KL Rahul, Abishek Porel, Donovan Ferreira, Tristan Stubbs, Madhav Tiwari, Tripurana Vijay, Manvanth Kumar, Vipraj Nigam, Ajay Mandal, Darshan Nalkande, Mukesh Kumar, Mohit Sharma, T Natarajan, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, Kuldeep Yadav.
Match starts at 7:30 pm.