IPL 2022, MI v DC: 3 player battles to watch out for

The penultimate match in the league phase of IPL 2022 sees the Mumbai Indians (MI) take on the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. This has shaped into the most eagerly awaited clash of the tournament, with the playoff hopes of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) also resting on it.

The scenario is pretty simple ahead of the contest - a DC win will take them through to the playoffs, while MI can do RCB a huge favor by averting that and sending Faf du Plessis' men through instead.

MI remain in the abyss of the points table with just six points. They will be eyeing a huge win should they have to usurp the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and avoid the wooden spoon. DC, on the other hand, have everything at stake and will be itching to back up their two consecutive wins with another one tonight.

3 player battles to watch out for between MI and DC

Both teams kickstarted their IPL 2022 campaign against each other at the Brabourne Stadium in late March. The Capitals came out on top on that occasion, thanks to a stunning unbeaten 75-run partnership between Lalit Yadav and Axar Patel that saw them chase down 178 with eight deliveries to spare.

A number of key player matchups could well shape how tonight's tussle heads and in turn write the fate of both DC and RCB's playoff hopes. On that note, we look at three such player battles to watch out for in tonight's IPL 2022 clash.

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#1 Jasprit Bumrah versus Rishabh Pant

MI's bowling lynchpin against DC's skipper. And, of course, two of India's most lethal weapons doing the rounds. The Jasprit Bumrah-Rishabh Pant matchup is one that is bound to have everyone on the edge of their seats tonight.

Bumrah has turned a lackadaisical campaign around over the last few games, breathing fire like only he can. Pant, on the other hand, has looked in good nick all tournament, although he has failed to convert many a promising start into a big score.

The Capitals skipper, however, fancies the Mumbai Indians as three half-centuries and a strike rate of 142.91 indicate. Standing in his way, though, will be a certain Jasprit Bumrah with a spring in his step, notwithstanding the fact that he has been dismissed by the latter on six occasions in the IPL. Ought to be a treat, this battle!

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#2 Rohit Sharma versus Khaleel Ahmed

Rohit Sharma hasn't scored a half-century yet in IPL 2022, having come agonizingly close in the last game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) with 48. But that isn't to say that the India and MI skipper has looked out of sorts - for large swathes of his campaign, he has looked threatening at the start before falling against the run of play.

Up against him tonight is a certain Khaleel Ahmed, who has had a fabulous campaign for DC with 16 scalps from nine matches. And, of course, it has been well-documented over time that left-arm swing tends to be Rohit Sharma's Achilles heel.

Make no mistake, this is a battle that could shape the narrative tonight for good. How Rohit manages to counter Khaleel's pace, bounce and inward angle, with movement expected at the Wankhede Stadium, ought to be an edge-of-the-seat tussle.

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#3 Tim David versus Anrich Nortje

This has the makings of a potential blockbuster matchup. Tim David has blown opposition bowling units out of the water in recent fixtures, and his strike rate thus far in IPL 2022 reads a mind-boggling 202.66.

DC, however, have an X-factor of their own in the form of Protea bolter Anrich Nortje. His economy rate this season is well on the higher side, but having returned to full fitness, Nortje is clocking speeds in excess of 145 kph at will.

Nortje is expected to have a fair say in how DC round off the death overs with ball in hand. While he's never bowled to David in the past, his sheer velocity against the latter's belligerence with the bat sets things up for a spectacle. Of course, this battle could well apply the finishing touches to the contest, inevitably dictating whether the Capitals proceed to the playoffs or not.