Can MI Secure Their Playoff Spot Against DC in IPL 2025?

Mumbai, May 20 (NationPress) Given their initial performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, few would have predicted that the Mumbai Indians would find themselves in a critical showdown against the Delhi Capitals for the last playoff position at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday.

The Delhi Capitals started strong with four consecutive victories, whereas the Mumbai Indians struggled, winning just one of their first five matches, leading to their contrasting positions on the points table.

Now, both teams are set to compete for the fourth and final playoff spot alongside the Gujarat Titans, Punjab Kings, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the knockout stages of IPL 2025.

Following a dismal start, the Mumbai Indians made a remarkable resurgence, once climbing to the top of the table with a six-match unbeaten streak. However, the Delhi Capitals have faltered, dropping three games, with a no-result against Sunrisers Hyderabad further complicating their situation.

Currently, Mumbai Indians sit in fourth place with 14 points from 12 matches, while the Delhi Capitals have 13 points from an equal number of games. Both teams have one match left against the Punjab Kings, but a victory for MI on Wednesday would secure their playoff berth, while DC would need to win both remaining matches to advance.

With Jasprit Bumrah returning from injury and Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma hitting form, the Mumbai Indians appear to have pieced together a strong lineup. Their bowlers, led by Trent Boult with 18 wickets, along with Bumrah and Hardik Pandya, who have claimed 13 wickets each, are key contributors. Emerging talents like Ashwani Kumar and Vignesh Puthur also add depth to the squad.

On the batting side, Suryakumar Yadav has been in exceptional form, while Rickleton, Rohit Sharma, and Tilak Varma have provided crucial contributions, although their momentum was halted by the Gujarat Titans just before the IPL 2025 break.

Meanwhile, Delhi Capitals' success has been largely due to the stellar performances of KL Rahul, who has notched a century and three half-centuries. Key contributions have also come from Abhishek Porel, Tristan Stubbs, and Faf du Plessis. Nonetheless, they have yet to find a consistent match-winner, losing steam before the IPL 2025 break due to concerns surrounding the India-Pakistan conflict.

After a recent match, Delhi Capitals faced defeat against Gujarat Titans, while Mumbai Indians will be returning to the field after a two-week gap.

The team that maintains composure on Wednesday will continue its journey.

When: Wednesday, May 21 at 7:30 PM IST

Where: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Where to watch: Star Sports Network (TV) and JioHotstar (live streaming)

Squads:

Mumbai Indians: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Rohit Sharma, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Karn Sharma, Reece Topley, Raj Bawa, Robin Minz, Ashwani Kumar, Satyanarayana Raju, Mitchell Santner, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Krishnan Shrijith, Raghu Sharma, Arjun Tendulkar, Bevon Jacobs

Delhi Capitals: Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel (wk), Sameer Rizvi, KL Rahul, Axar Patel (c), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Kuldeep Yadav, T. Natarajan, Mustafizur Rahman, Dushmantha Chameera, Sediqullah Atal, Karun Nair, Tripurana Vijay, Madhav Tiwari, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Darshan Nalkande, Donovan Ferreira, Manvanth Kumar L.