IPL 2019 – Match 3: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals – MI Predicted Playing XI

Three-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Mumbai Indians (MI), captained by Rohit Sharma, will be facing rechristened Delhi Capitals (DC) in their first outing of the IPL 2019. Going by the head-to-head records in the last five years, there isn’t much that differentiates both these renowned teams. They won five games each and have been involved in highly competitive games.

Mumbai failed to reach the playoffs in the last edition of the IPL. Thus, they will be looking to put their best foot forward in this tournament. Traditionally, they have always started slowly in the IPL. More often than not, this has subjected them to extreme pressure in the latter stages of the tournament where they had to win five or six games on a trot. They will be wanting to change this bad habit this year and start the tournament off on a positive note.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for Mumbai Indians (MI):

Openers (Quinton de Kock (wk), Rohit Sharma)

Quinton de Kock is in the middle of a purple patch at the moment. He has almost forgotten how not to score runs. The left-hander was brilliant in the home season for South Africa and thus set high standards for himself entering into the IPL. But he hasn’t fared really well in the tournament thus far. All the runs he accumulated recently were in his favourable and familiar conditions. Despite a few odds against him, he is sure to make it into the starting eleven.

Rohit Sharma said that he will open the batting for the Mumbai Indians throughout this season. He feels this is the best place for him to bat and he is quite right about it. With de Kock at the other end, he can take some time initially. He should look to bat through at least till the 16th or the 17th over.

Middle Order (Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan)

Rohit opening the innings for MI will mean that Suryakumar Yadav has to be slotted down the order. There is no way Quinton de Kock will bat at any other position except the top two. Therefore, Yadav is likely to come in at number three. He was great last season and adds a lot of stability to what is a highly aggressive batting line-up.

There have been several talks about Yuvraj Singh in the last few days. However, he isn’t the same kind of force that he earlier was and might be a burden in the middle-order. So, for the starters, Ishan Kishan could be picked ahead of him. The management backs the youngster quite a lot. He didn’t have a consistent season last year but will look to make it big this time. Yuvi might make it into the eleven at the latter stages of the tournament.

All Rounders (Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Hardik Pandya, Ben Cutting)

The MI side is flooded with all-rounders and the captain has got a lot of options to look at while bowling. The Pandya brothers are both well equipped with the bat as well as the ball. They are game changers in their own rights and are sure to make it into the eleven.

The management also shows a lot of trust in Kieron Pollard. The big man might not be bowling much nowadays. But he can change the game with the bat alone. Accompanying him will be Australian cricketer Ben Cutting. He will be the finisher in the side and adds a lot of depth to the batting lineup. Cutting can easily offer two to three overs if required.

Bowlers (Mayank Markande, Mitchell McClenaghan, Jasprit Bumrah)

The Mumbai Indians will not have the services of Lasith Malinga for the initial few games. Also, Adam Milne is ruled out. So, Mitchell McClenaghan is likely to be in. He has performed well for Mumbai over the years and will hope to put up a good show this season. Jasprit Bumrah will be there alongside him in the bowling department. Bumrah is an unbelievable T20 bowler.

He is extremely smart and uses his variations wisely. The pacer is expected to play a huge part in MI’s campaign this year. Mayank Markande, after a good start last year, slowly faded away. However, he has been one of the most consistent performers in the domestic circuit in the last year. He will be the first-choice spinner for the team.

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from the Indian Premier League (IPL), Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.