### Key match stats DC vs MI
**Venue Stats – Brabourne Stadium**

Average first innings score: 180
Average first innings winning score: 194
Average powerplay score: 52
All-time win % batting 1st vs batting 2nd: 55% / 45%

**Team form DC vs MI**

DC – n/a
MI – n/a
Recent meetings: IPL 2021, DC won by 4 wickets, DC won by 6 wickets


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### DC vs MI preview

Mumbai Indians are well known for their slow starts to IPL tournaments a fact that severly hampered them last year as just at the point that they seemed to be gaining momentum, the league was suspended as the Delta variant impacted India and MI never found form again once the IPL restarted in the UAE later that year. 

Delhi Captials meanwhile can probably lay claim to having been the most consistant team over the last couple of years but have been pipped to the post in the knockout stages of the tournament as they continue to wait for a first title. Will it be third time lucky for them in 2022? 

The Capitals dominated Mumbai Indians in both fixtures last season to overcome the disappointment of having lost the 2020 final to them (not to mention the other 3 games they played against MI that year) and it'd be fair to say that both teams will want to draw first blood in a fixture that could well take place again during the playoffs. 

Both teams have question marks over the make-up and perhaps more importantly the balance of their sides after the recent mega auction but at the same time between them MI and DC boast some of the biggest domestic and international stars in the competition so this should be a match worth watching. 

The venue of Brabourne Stadium is a bit of an unknown. Previous IPL matches here have resulted in some very high scoring indeed as you can see from the average scores/winning scores above (180/194) but the last time it was used to host franchise cricket was back in 2015 and of course the curators of this pitch must factor in the amount of cricket that will need to be played here over the coming weeks. 

For Mumbai Indians of course these neutral venues are perhaps not so neutral at all. The last time it was their official home venue was back in 2010 when they won 6 out of their 7 fixtures here. I'm sure they'd love to put up similar numbers this time around! 

### DC vs MI head to head stats
**MI bowling vs DC batting**

The big battle up front is always going to be the Delhi top order vs Jasprit Bumrah. You'd probably say that it's about even stevens between Bumrah and Warner so far, a couple of wickets for the former but the later has managed to accumulate and most days, you'd say that is enough against arguably the best out and out fast bowler in world cricket. 


![Screen Shot 2022-03-25 at 14.35.29.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/talesfrmthecrypt/23w2cbpmFpA6P6UvhMffE5RsLPkT6zCFADBH1HUTREok7dUUooJuFn3FWUAUHUZPNFW2f.png)


Of course next year, MI will be able to partner Bumrah with Jofra Archer and then we really could see some fireworks. Warner is fast approaching bunny status in his battle with Archer across all formats including T20 cricket were the Englishman has dismissed him 6 times in 7 overs. That battle though will have to wait for another day. 

Warner's opening partner, Prithvi Shaw is likely to play the role of the aggressor in the early stages and his 2021 powerplay stats were very impressive. If he does have a weakness then it's likely to be the ball angled across him by the left-armer and in that respect Mumbai have 3 options to choose from in Sams, Mills and Unadkat as they look to strike early. 


![Screen Shot 2022-03-25 at 14.40.05.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/talesfrmthecrypt/23w2H32G6GVMX6h3RsoF2MGFTvtFHc5JtLguN2eFupYw1sihqLaae671LVmDqzq99VfVg.png)


As detailed in my previous blog looking at the relative strengths of each bowling attacks, one of MI's weaker points appears to be their spin options with Markande and Ashwin needing to move from back up to first team player. 

The key match up there could well be between captain Rishabh Pant and whomever Mumbai choose to be their premier spinner. Pant has only a small sample size against both but has still managed to take 44 runs from 24 balls and is yet to be dismissed. If we look at Pant's overall record vs wrist spin in his T20 career we can see that this isn't a fluke and he'll be relishing the chance to expose this potential weakness in the opposition attack. 


![Screen Shot 2022-03-25 at 14.42.43.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/talesfrmthecrypt/23xKhx3ggUfjMEH7sWUEf3tTYRA4ZLDc1mmjgTUYy51AfVKLeR6DixKrLFFHbK8gTADnf.png)


If they can take down the spinner or indeed any of the MI bowlers then DC might also fancy their chances against some of the back up options in Kieron Pollard and Tim David. Several of the DC line-up have a good record vs Pollard in T20 cricket but fellow West Indian Rovman Powell leads the way with 44 runs scored from just 18 deliveries when he's come head to head against his national captain. 

**DC bowling vs MI batting**

Similar to MI, DC have undergone a significant overall of what was a successful bowling unit. However, one man that has remained and developed into very much the leader of the attack, is South African quick Nortje. Meanwhile for MI, Ishan Kishan looks set to get promoted up to his favoured opening role now that Quinton de Kock has moved on. 

In their previous encounters, Ishan Kishan has certainly enjoyed the extra pace on the ball that Nortje provides as their head to head stats show but at the same Nortje had the best economy rate in the powerplay of any bowler in last year's IPL so this match-up will definitely be one to savour. 


![Screen Shot 2022-03-25 at 14.46.50.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/talesfrmthecrypt/23uQg84cyHg1mYVAj6o3ZBf2xbSok2F2oEZnAf2C1CV2cykJvp3qee4g3Bn6KjWAVQvoR.png)


Young left-armer Cheetan Sakariya is likely to share the new ball with Nortje and while he had a break through season for a struggling Rajasthan team in 2021, it was notable that his impact in the powerplay was limited. 

The other potential option for DC in the powerplay could be to use Axar Patel which given his head to head against the right handers in Mumbai's top order would be a match-up that they'd love to exploit. Certainly if Ishan Kishan goes early on then I'd expect to see Axar drafted in almost immediately! 


![Screen Shot 2022-03-25 at 14.51.42.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/talesfrmthecrypt/23uFKAZNHrf2Gm559KnJXA5gJrL7C37BQa12PjvSA63C9joiAEanFM7aCf75MMQpCRwze.png)


Mumbai teams are never short of some brute strength in their middle order and this year's team is no different. The middle order will be marshalled by long time servant Kieron Pollard while Tim David who has shot to prominence over the past 12 months will hope to take his good form into the IPL and justify his hefty price tag. 

Much like Mumbai, the imapct that Delhi's new front line spinner Kuldeep Yadav can have might be crucial not only for this match but as the season progresses. Having burst onto the season as a youngster Kuldeep is now coming out of the cricketing wilderness at least as far as the IPL is concerned having spent the last couple of seasons carrying drinks at KRR. I would expect this strong MI batting line-up to look to put him under immediate pressure. 


![Screen Shot 2022-03-25 at 14.58.10.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/talesfrmthecrypt/23tvCfHWBzziDpxNfEj6r7gvSwYKyaZ5WzoXUqAaqctd2NEeA4VsUDg4xyCoUNiG3H5JF.png)


Another big signing for Delhi was Shardul Thakar, the man with the golden arm. He'll be a key bowler through the middle and late stages for DC this year but his record against this current MI batting line-up is pretty poor! 

*All stats used in this blog are from my own database. Images are my own with the exception of player profiles and background images from the below sources and used under a creative commons license or otherwise royalty free*

https://www.iplt20.com/
https://pixabay.com/images/search/cricket%20stadium/
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en