We have a double header of action in the Indian Premier League on Sunday and it begins when the bottom two in the IPL 2024 table meet as the Mumbai Indians go up against the Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium.
I think it is fair to say that the season hasn’t really got started for either of these teams so far but Delhi do have a win on the board which will give them a little more confidence heading into battle with a strangely subdued Mumbai outfit.
Mumbai Indians
We are used to seeing the Mumbai Indians struggle at the start of a season and this certainly isn’t the first time that they have lost three on the bounce to open up a campaign, but it has felt a little different this time around. Often they offer something and have been on the wrong end of a key play here or there but it is hard to argue that is the case this season. They should have cruised their opening match but after throwing that one away they have regressed hugely since then.
They surrendered an IPL record score in the second match that they played and then in the third one their batting never got going and they paid the price accordingly. The good thing for Mumbai is that they have been in this position before but that middle order looks to be lacking some fireworks. They also need some bowlers to step up and be counted around Jasprit Bumrah else teams will start sitting on him and nullify him before filling their boots at the other end.
Delhi Capitals
The Delhi Capitals have probably made the start to the season that they were expected to with one win from their opening four matches but they certainly won’t have been happy with their latest outing where they put in one of the worst bowling displays in their history and it would be a huge surprise if there hasn’t been some repercussions to their bowling unit going into this one. The last thing a team needs that has been carted to all parts is a trip to the Wankhede.
You would imagine the onus will on their batters to come out and get the job done here so it is definitely in their favour that they look a lot better in that department since Prithvi Shaw came back into the side. It just extends their power batting long enough for them to be competitive in these matches. They still need to find someone who is going to help them at the death part of the innings but I guess all teams concede plenty here so they aren’t going to be out of place.
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Key Players
Despite being booed at the Wankhede last time out, Hardik Pandya almost rescued his team to a score that they could defend but ultimately he got out as the halfway point approached and that was that. Mumbai need their captain to deliver with bat and ball.
Rishabh Pant did his best to get the Delhi Capitals into a position to at least keep their net run rate respectable against the Kolkata Knight Riders but when he was out the innings subsided. It is definitely no bad thing that he looks to be finding form after so long out.
Betting
We didn’t see the sixes that I expected to see in the first match at the Wankhede Stadium earlier in the week but I think we can make up for that here. The sixes were pretty much done in the first two overs of the Trent Boult spell but there is nobody in this match that can make the new ball in the expert fashion that the Kiwi can. In fact, Delhi bring a weak looking bowling unit to Mumbai with them and that could offer up all sorts of carnage.
These two bowling units have already conceded 270 each in this competition so far so clearly when a batter gets going against them they can fill their boots. Mumbai look set to be boosted by the return of Suryakumar Yadav to add solid fireworks to their middle order which should further enhance the chances of sixes. This wasn’t the easiest wicket to bat on against the new ball in terms of swing but there was plenty of pace and bounce and these two sides can fill their boots The sixes line for this one is 17.5 and with Delhi averaging nine per match and Mumbai averaging 10 per match we should get this line covered.
Tips
Back Over 17.5 sixes for a 3/10 stake at 1.91 with Boylesports
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