IPL 2018, Match 55, DD vs MI - Delhi Daredevils Predicted XI

The stage is all set for the final league game of the Delhi Daredevils and the Mumbai Indians. The match will be played at the iconic Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi. While the match will be inconsequential for the hosts, the other teams in the tournament will be keeping a close eye on them. Also, for the Mumbai Indians, the match will be a must win game. If they lose the game, they will miss out on securing their berth for the playoffs.

And if they win the game, and then have the net run rate working in their favor, they will seal their spot in the business end of the tournament. The defending champions will certainly be the side under the pressure in the marquee clash of the two Indian metro cities. For the Delhi Daredevils, the match will be all about playing with free spirits. They have nothing to lose as they have already crashed out of the race of the playoffs.

They will want to play the party spoilers for the Mumbai Indians. In their previous game, they did the same for the Chennai Super Kings. CSK hoped to confirm their top two slot in the season but the double Ds ended up humbling them with quite a significant margin. It will be interesting to see how the Daredevils set their playing eleven for the match to upset the defending champions.

Here is the Delhi Daredevils Predicted XI for the match:

Openers (Prithvi Shaw, Gautam Gambhir)

Young opening batsman Prithvi Shaw has been a revelation for the Delhi Daredevils this season. Shaw has been in a good form in the season. However, he has failed in his last couple of outings. The youngster would want to wrap things up on a high in the season.

Shaw has often found lack of support from the other end. In the previous game, Shreyas Iyer opened with him but the move did not work well for the Daredevils. It will not be surprising to see if the Delhi Daredevils bring back Gautam Gambhir in the playing eleven for the final game of the season. Who knows, the match could actually be a farewell game for the veteran superstar.

Middle-Order (Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Glenn Maxwell)

The middle order has been the most successful department for the Daredevils in the season. Skipper Shreyas Iyer has been in a good run and has led the team from the front. He has scored well and has set the examples for the other players to follow. He will hope to win the match for his side as a consolation win.

Rishabh Pant has been the most successful batsman for the Delhi Daredevils side in the season. Pant is one of the top contenders for the Orange Cap at the moment. It is unfortunate that the youngster will not get to play in the playoffs this season. Even in last game, he had got off to a decent start in the match.

The Daredevils have religiously showed faith in the Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell. Many felt that they will let the benched players get a match since they were out of the race of the playoffs. But the management of the DD camp felt Maxwell needed to strike form. In all likelihood, Maxwell will get another go in the final match of the season.

All-rounders (Vijay Shankar)

In the all-rounders slot, the Delhi Daredevils are likely to stick with the services of Vijay Shankar. Vijay Shankar had made a very tame start in the season. But the Tamil Nadu all-rounder started picking up form in the recent times. He will also be hoping to finish things on a high on the personal front.

Spinners (Sandeep Lamichhane, Amit Mishra)

The Daredevils fielded two leg spinners in the previous game. It was an unusual call from the DD camp. But the move certainly worked. Amit Mishra is a veteran in the trade and has a very impressive record in the IPL whilst playing at the Kotla, in New Delhi.

Young Nepalese spinner Sandeep Lamichhane entered the record books by becoming the first cricketer from his country to play in the IPL. After a very impressive debut against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, he backed it up with a very decent show in the game against the Super Kings. Lamichhane deserves another chance in the tournament.

Pace bowlers (Trent Boult, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami)

Trent Boult has been the most successful bowler for the Delhi Daredevils. In the previous game, he kept things tight for his side with the ball in the powerplay. Later, in the death overs, he was good with the old ball as well. Boult has shown that he can use his experience to best use.

Harshal Patel was a total surprise package in the previous game. Patel, who is primarily a fast bowler, came up with figures of 1/23 in the previous game against the Super Kings. Earlier in the game, he had stunned everyone with his unbeaten 16-ball 36 with four sixes to his name.

Also, the Daredevils can give an opportunity to the veteran pacer Mohammed Shami again. Shami has been warming the bench for quite some time in the season. But with Avesh Khan disappointing in the last two outings, it will not be unfair to go back to Shami for the final game.

For the latest cricket news, follow CricTracker.