IPL 2020 Qualifier 1, MI vs DC Preview: Mumbai, Delhi set eyes on final

Mumbai Indians are all set to take on Delhi Capitals at the Dubai International Stadium on Thursday as the playoff phase of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 commences. While MI finished atop the IPL 2020 standings with 18 points, DC came second with 16 points to their name. 

The match promises to be a cracking contest given the fact that both MI and DC boast some of the biggest names in world cricket. While MI head into the match on the back of a 10-wicket defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad, DC will be looking to continue their winning run after defeating Royal Challengers Bangalore in their previous encounter.

MI rested the likes of Hardik Pandya, Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah in their previous match and the troika is all set to make their return in the playing XI. Rohit Sharma is also expected to start for the Mumbai Indians.

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For DC, it would be interesting to see whether they continue with Ajinkya Rahane at number 3 after he smashed a match-winning half-century against RCB. In that case, Shimron Hetmyer is likely to warm the bench. 

MI vs DC, Head-to-head stats:

Talking about head-to-head stats between MI and DC, Mumbai Indians have won 14 of the 26 matches played between the two sides while DC have been victorious in 12 occasions. However, MI have mostly succeeded while batting first while it is the opposite for DC.

Given the sluggish track and dew factor coming into play in Dubai, the team winning the toss is likely to field first. 

MI vs DC, IPL 2020 Qualifier 1: Squads

Delhi Capitals Squad: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Marcus Stoinis, Daniel Sams, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Harshal Patel, Shimron Hetmyer, Mohit Sharma, Alex Carey, Avesh Khan, Praveen Dubey, Sandeep Lamichhane, Keemo Paul, Tushar Deshpande, Lalit Yadav

Mumbai Indians Squad: Rohit Sharma(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, James Pattinson, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Dhawal Kulkarni, Saurabh Tiwary, Aditya Tare, Mitchell McClenaghan, Chris Lynn, Jayant Yadav, Anmolpreet Singh, Anukul Roy, Mohsin Khan, Sherfane Rutherford, Digvijay Deshmukh, Prince Balwant Rai, Nathan Coulter-Nile