Delhi and Mumbai will be missing a few players in the opening encounter. Mumbai will be without Suryakumar Yadav. The batter was at the National Cricket Academy (NCA) after suffering a hairline thumb fracture during the limited-overs series against West Indies last month. He only joined the MI squad on Saturday.
Delhi are likely to be without their pace spearhead Anrich Nortje for a few games as he is suffering from hip and back issues. Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman and South African pace bowler Lungi Ngidi will also miss DC’s opening game. In another setback, David Warner will only be available for the franchise after April 5 as per Cricket Australia’s (CA) decision.
With Shikhar Dhawan having moved to the Punjab Kings (PBKS), Delhi will need a new opening partner for Prithvi Shaw. They could either go for Tim Seifert or U19 sensation Yash Dhull. The in-form Sarfaraz Khan could also get a game while there could be a tussle between Kuldeep Yadav and Lalit Yadav for one of the spots.
DC’s Predicted XI: Prithvi Shaw, Tim Seifert, KS Bharat, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Rovman Powell, Sarfaraz Khan, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Kuldeep Yadav, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Chetan Sakariya
MI will open with skipper Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan, the latter being bought back at the auction for a whopping Rs 15.25 crore. The young wicket-keeper batter will be under pressure to prove his worth. There has been a lot of talk surrounding Tilak Varma so he remains to be seen how he responds to the expectations.
MI’s Predicted XI: Rohit Sharma (c), Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Anmolpreet Singh, Kieron Pollard, Tim David, Daniel Sams, Sanjay Yadav, Mayank Markande, Jasprit Bumrah, Tymal Mills
Top fantasy picks for DC vs MI clash: Prithvi Shaw, Axar Patel, Shardul Thakur, Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Kieron Pollard
--Renin Wilben Albert