IPL 2017 | Preview Match 25: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Daredevils
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Mumbai Indians will look to consolidate their position at the top of the points table when they take on Delhi Daredevils at the Wankhede Stadium tonight. Meanwhile, Delhi will be looking to return to winning ways following a defeat at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad in their previous game.
Having won five out of six games in IPL-10 so far, Mumbai will have to guard against complacency when they take on Delhi despite starting as firm favorites.
Head to head:
Both sides have won 9 games each.
Last Meeting:
Mumbai crushed Delhi by 80 runs.
Fan Predictions:
As part of the preview, we bring to you fan predictions for the talking points of the ame. The predictions are sourced from the newest fantasy game on the block – Nostragamus. If you want to make your predictions and win prizes, click here.
Who will win?
 © NostragamusThese 2 teams have played each other 18 times, winning 9 each. Delhi’s biggest victory came against Pune, when in-form batsman, Sanju Samson, hit his maiden IPL century to secure an immense 97 run victory for the Delhi side. That was a false dawn, as Delhi then went on to lose consecutive games against KKR & SRH. Mumbai, on the other hand, look ominous, with their last win coming against Punjab, when they impressively chased down a target of 199 in just 15.3 overs. Looking at their batting, this looks like an easy victory for Mumbai.
Fan verdict : Mumbai to win their 6th game of the season – 68%
Who will hit more boundaries?
Options : Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana
In 5 games, Sanju Samson has smashed 29 boundaries while Nitish Rana has blasted 30 in his 6. Nitish Rana is accruing praise from all quarters, with Monty Panesar the latest to join the line of admirers, as he temporarily donned the orange cap after his swashbuckling 62* in the run-fest that was the match against Punjab. Sanju Samson has a shot at the orange cap, too, having scored 215 in 5 innings, and currently trailing McCullum at the top by 43 runs having played 1 game less. Both have strike rates of 140+, and both are key to securing a victory for their respective sides. But an in-form team matter more, and one can back Rana to continue the fireworks in this game.
Fan verdict : Nitish Rana to hit more boundaries – 62%
Predicted Playing XI:
Mumbai Indians: It’s hard to foresee the need for any changes with the kind of form they are in and the hosts are expected to play the same side: Parthiv Patel (wk), Jos Buttler, Nitish Rana, Rohit Sharma (C), Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell McClenaghan, Lasith Malinga, Jasprit Bumrah.
Delhi Daredevils: Delhi lost a close game to Sunrisers on Wednesday but that does not call for changes as they’ve put together a decent showing so far, and are in the top four of the table: Sanju Samson, Sam Billings, Karun Nair, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Angelo Mathews, Chris Morris, Jayant Yadav, Pat Cummins, Amit Mishra, Zaheer Khan (C).
Key Players:
Nitish Rana (MI):Â With 255 runs at an average of 51, Rana is surely turning most heads in IPL 2017 and will be looking to enhance his reputation tonight.
Shreyas Iyer (DD):Â Iyer scored an unbeaten 50 in the game against Sunrisers and his contribution will be decisive once again against Mumbai.
Time: 8 PM
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.
TV Listings: Sony Six HD, Sony Six, Set Max, Sony ESPN
