IPL 2020: Qualifier 1, MI vs DC – DC Predicted Playing XI

Delhi Capitals (DC), from the blues, found themselves in all sorts of trouble, losing four matches on the trot in the dying stages of the league stages. However, Shreyas Iyer and Co beat Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Abu Dhabi to make the playoffs of the 2020 Indian Premier League (IPL).

Moreover, that they finished second would now give them two cracks at the final. In the Qualifier 1, DC would be facing Mumbai Indians (MI) on Thursday, November 5 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

In their previous two meetings, it was Mumbai, who eased past the Capitals without much fuss. Hence, in order to make the final, they need to be at their best. Going into the all-important game, it remains to be seen in DC make any changes to their winning combo.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for the Delhi Capitals for MI vs DC game:

Openers (Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw)

Shikhar Dhawan went into a mini-slump after becoming the first batsman to notch back-to-back centuries in the IPL. But he would be relieved that he found his touch with a half-century against the Challengers.

Having scored 525 runs at an average of 47.72, he will be looking to be at his very best. Prithvi Shaw’s campaign hasn’t gone anywhere after he impressed with a couple of half-centuries early on.

With a number of single-digit scores under his belt, he isn’t in the best of rhythm. Shaw can’t afford any poor effort as it’s time for the crunch games. He has 228 runs at an average of 19.

Middle-order (Shreyas Iyer (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Ajinkya Rahane)

In the middle-order, Shreyas Iyer has been the standout performer thus far. But apart from the 88* he notched against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Sharjah, he hasn’t been at his fluent best, though he has 421 runs to show for his efforts.

Nevertheless, he remains a vital cog in DC’s setup. Ajinkya Rahane would be a relieved man after he scored a half-century, batting at three against the Challengers.

DC might again send him at three in the crucial encounter. Rishabh Pant hasn’t made a half-century and his strike-rate of 112.35 isn’t the prettiest either. He needs to put his best foot forward.

All-rounders (Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Daniel Sams)

In the all-rounder’s category, Marcus Stoinis has performed the best thus far. But he hasn’t quite been at his best from the last few games. He started with a couple of match-winning half-centuries but now has to get his form back.

Even with the ball in hand, he hasn’t been trusted much by his captain. Axar Patel didn’t play a couple of games in the league and it raised a few eyebrows.

It’s because, he has bowled at an economy rate of 6.27, the best among the Capitals’ bowlers, though he only has eight wickets. Daniel Sams hasn’t done much until now and has gone wicketless in his two outings.

Bowlers (Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje)

In the bowling department, Kagiso Rabada has been their standout performer. Having picked 25 wickets, Rabada is the Purple Cap holder. Albeit he went wicketless in two games, the young pacer got back amongst the wickets last time around.

DC will be hoping for another thunderous show from Kagiso. Anrich Nortje has 19 wickets and he has bowled at over 150 kph on a consistent basis. He will be expected to crank up the pace.

Ravi Ashwin has 10 wickets and has managed to perform reasonably. The tweaker has bowled at an economy rate of 7.52. He might also be needed with the bat in hand.