MI v DC Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2020 match
Match 27 of IPL 2020 sees second-placed Mumbai Indians take on leaders Delhi Capitals in a top-of-the-table clash that could prove to be a cracker at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
That these two teams are ahead of a chasing bunch at the top of the table at this stage of the tournament would come as no surprise to anybody. Coming into the tournament as favourites, MI and KKR have done enough to justify that tag in the tournament so far.
The Capitals, under the able leadership of 25-year-old Shreyas Iyer, have lit up IPL 2020 with some impressive performances. Although they lost to the Sunrisers Hyderabad, and were taken to the limit by the Kings XI Punjab, DC have won the rest of their games without breaking too much of a sweat.
With 5 wins in 6 games and a net run rate of +1.267, Iyer’s team would have been runaway leaders in this year’s IPL, but here we are, with the Mumbai Indians hot on their heels.
Four wins in six games. An opening day defeat to the Chennai Super Kings, and a heartbreaking Super Over loss at the hands of the Royal Challengers Bangalore. And yet, the second-best team in the tournament with relative ease.
A standout feature in the ascent of both these teams to the top of the table has to be the fact that neither of them seem too dependent on any individual. Where Rohit Sharma is MI’s only representative in the top 10 of the Orange Cap list, Shreyas Iyer just misses out. The two captains are ranked 10th and 11th, respectively.
As for the Purple Cap list, Kagiso Rabada is the runaway leader but is ably supported in DC’s bowling unit by the likes of Anrich Nortje and Ravichandran Ashwin among others.
MI’s three main pace bowlers all find themselves in the top 5 of this list, and that just goes to show how much of an impact Jasprit Bumrah, James Pattinson and Trent Boult have had for the Mumbai outfit. One knows they’ve done well when the absence of the great Lasith Malinga is barely noticed.
With arguably the two most balanced teams fighting it out in Abu Dhabi, this MI v DC fixture promises to be a cracker of a contest, especially with plenty at stake in terms of position at the top of the table.
IPL 2020: MI v DC Match Prediction
Although both teams boast of a strong batting unit, we are yet to see a player stand out from either side. Rohit Sharma and Shreyas Iyer are the only batsmen to cross the 200-run mark for their respective teams, and that goes to show how teams need contributions from across the batting order to succeed.
While the entire DC lineup has impressed in the tournament up to this point, the way Marcus Stoinis has performed deserves a special mention. A couple of late blitzes from the powerful Aussie all-rounder, both against his former teams, ensured he took the team to a competitive total, and a win in the end.
The only DC batsman that has truly failed to be counted this term would be Shikhar Dhawan. So much so that it would be fair to say that he is due a big innings anytime now. And when he is on song, the world knows the kind of damage the left-handed opener can do.
With the MI batsmen seemingly taking turns to score the big runs, it will be interesting to see which one of their top-order players put their hand up and score big today. Whether it is Suryakumar Yadav with his 79 against the Rajasthan Royals, or Ishan Kishan’s 99 versus RCB, there always seems to be one MI batsman who decides to take responsibility for his team on any given day.
We can go on about the batting for days together, but at the end of the day, statistics suggest that it is the bowlers that could really make the difference in this match-up. In particular, the pace bowlers.
Mumbai’s fast-bowling trio account for 30 wickets, and Delhi’s fiery South African pair have scalped 23 wickets between them so far. With both bowling units seemingly in the form of their lives, it could well come down to which set of batters can play out the bowlers better.
And, given the way Kagiso Rabada has been bowling in the past few weeks, it would take a brave man to bet against the Delhi Capitals in this game.
Prediction: DC to win today’s match.