New Delhi, April 12 (NationPress) Due to inconsistent performances in the last three-year IPL cycle, the Delhi Capitals (DC) were not seen as formidable title challengers. However, a significant restructuring before and during the mega-auction has transformed DC into the most well-rounded team in IPL 2025.

Furthermore, the team led by Axar Patel boasts the remarkable achievement of being unbeaten in the tournament. As they return to their original home ground, the Arun Jaitley Stadium, DC aims to continue their winning streak against the Mumbai Indians (MI) this Sunday evening.

The synergy between seasoned players and promising youngsters has proven advantageous for DC. While both Axar and Kuldeep Yadav have exhibited strong performances, the emergence of young leg-spin all-rounder Vipraj Nigam has been a significant boost for the franchise.

Additionally, Mitchell Starc has made valuable contributions, and KL Rahul has stood out as their top batsman, achieving consecutive fifties both as an opener and middle-order player, receiving excellent support from Tristan Stubbs.

Despite a commendable batting and bowling run rate of 9.9 and 8.8 respectively, DC still needs to address certain weaknesses, as indicated by statistics from Cricket-21. Their first-choice top-order, consisting of Jake Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis, and Abishek Porel, has only managed a single half-century, resulting in a power-play run rate of 8.3, which is the second-lowest in IPL 2025.

In their recent six-wicket victory over RCB, Starc and Axar conceded 30 and 16 runs respectively in their one over during the power-play, elevating DC's economy rate to 9.7 in that phase. If DC can rectify these issues against MI, they will undoubtedly solidify their status as the team to beat in the tournament.

On the other hand, MI has remained true to their pattern of slow starts, as evidenced by their four losses in five matches thus far. However, with the competition's mid-way phase approaching, the Hardik Pandya-led side understands the critical importance of each game if they wish to secure a playoff berth.

Despite welcoming back Jasprit Bumrah in their home game against RCB, it didn’t turn out to be the solution MI was hoping for. The team’s issues primarily stem from their power-play performances, which head coach Mahela Jayawardene acknowledged after their narrow 12-run defeat to RCB.

MI’s batting power-play run rate stands at 9.1, but the most concerning statistic is that they have lost 10 wickets in the first six overs, matching the Chennai Super Kings and only trailing the Sunrisers Hyderabad (12). Rohit Sharma is currently struggling with form, and aside from Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Varma, the batting positions remain unsettled.

In terms of bowling, MI faces challenges during the power-play as well. Their economy rate is 10.36, making them the third-most expensive bowling unit in the first six overs this season. Additionally, they have secured only six wickets during this phase, which is the second lowest in the league.

Fans hope that with Bumrah's successful return to competitive cricket, where he exhibited signs of his usual sharpness, MI will be able to make early breakthroughs to halt DC's relentless winning streak, especially with the pitch conditions remaining uncertain for both teams.

Squads

Delhi Capitals: Axar Patel (c), Faf du Plessis, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel, Mitchell Starc, Vipraj Nigam, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Ashutosh Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Sameer Rizvi, Karun Nair, T. Natarajan, Darshan Nalkande, Dushmantha Chameera, Donovan Ferreira, Ajay Mandal, Manvanth Kumar, Tripurana Vijay, and Madhav Tiwari.

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

The match starts at 7:30 pm on Star Sports (TV) and JioHotstar (mobile).