It is eight matches into IPL 2019 for both Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians, and for a change their fortunes have been a lot better than last season. At around the same stage in 2018, the Capitals (then known as Daredevils) had lost six of their first eight games and were reduced to the bottom half of the points table. Mumbai Indians weren’t any better, having similar numbers to the Delhi-based franchise. But 2019 has been a fresh narrative for these two teams, both of whom have five wins from eight games and have been making the right noises ahead of the business end of the tournament.
Meanwhile, both teams have a bit of a concern as far as their top-order batting is concerned in the last few games. While Shikhar Dhawan’s unbeaten 97 against Kolkata Knight Riders came as a welcome return to form for the left-handed opener, his partner Prithvi Shaw is yet to cross fifty in five innings since his 99 against the Knight Riders at home. Skipper Shreyas Iyer has been getting good starts but he has converted only one of those into a half-century, while Colin Ingram has also not been consistent to his and the team’s liking. But the biggest focus will be on Rishabh Pant and how he reacts to the World Cup snub. The swashbuckling left-hander hasn’t been finishing games for his team despite being in the best position to do so and he’ll be eager to make a statement or two.
Quinton de Kock’s form augurs well for the Mumbai Indians, with the South African consistently providing good starts at the top of the order. But the team will expect more from their skipper, who is yet to register a half-century this season despite promising knocks in most of his innings. Mumbai Indians have been more reliant on the lower order to get the job done, with Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya essaying crucial roles. They will be hoping that the top four can score the bulk of the runs and set up the innings nicely for Mumbai Indians, who has not often been the case for them this season.
The return of Lasith Malinga has helped Mumbai Indians make up for the injury to Alzarri Joseph, who hurt his right arm on the field in last Saturday’s match against Rajasthan Royals. They will be concerned with Jason Behrendorff’s performances as the pacer has gone in excess of 10 in his last two matches. The Capitals have been well served by Kagiso Rabada and Chris Morris in their last three games, which they won on the bounce, and they will be hoping that they continue in the same vein at home, where there only win so far came in the Super Over against the Knight Riders.
