MUMBAI VS. DELHI: INDIAN T20 LEAGUE 2021, MATCH 46 | PREDICTION, PLAYING 11 AND FANTASY CRICKET TIPS
Mumbai take on Delhi in Match 46 of the Indian T20 League 2021 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Defending champions Mumbai find themselves in unfamiliar territory after the tournament resumed in the UAE. Mumbai lost their first three games of the second leg and are now in a do-or-die situation. However, the win against Punjab would have given them the much-needed confidence. Their first win of the second leg lifted them to 5th in the points table.
Delhi, in stark contrast, is comfortably sitting at 2nd position in the points table and just needs 1 win out of its remaining 3 games to qualify for the play-offs. They won the previous group game against the defending champions by a comfortable margin of 6 wickets.
Match Details
- Game: Mumbai vs. Delhi, Match 46
- Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium
- Date & Time: Oct. 2, 2021, at 3:30 PM IST/2 PM Local
Probable Playing XI:
Mumbai
Quinton De Kock (WK), Rohit Sharma (C), Surya Kumar Yadav, Saurabh Tiwary, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Rahul Chahar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult
Delhi
Steve Smith, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (C, WK), Shimron Hetmyer, Lalit Yadav, Axar Patel, Ravi Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Avesh Khan, Anrich Nortje
Weather Report
It is expected to be very dry and baking-hot 36C on Saturday afternoon in Sharjah.
Pitch Report
The pitch at Sharjah is the most sluggish among the three venues. Teams need to make the most of the powerplay overs because the pitch gets slower and slower as the game progresses. There is equal assistance for both spinners and pacers. However, Sharjah is the smallest among all the venues, so spinners need to be mindful of the ground dimensions. The average first innings score this season here has been 136.
Toss
Teams chasing won 7 of the 12 matches played at Sharjah in 2020. Sharjah was one of the high-scoring venues last season, so teams, in general, have preferred chasing. The trend has continued given the smaller dimensions of the ground. Any score around 150 should be a competitive total at this venue.
Top Fantasy Picks
Wicketkeeper
- Rishabh Pant amassed 311 runs in 11 outings compared to Quinton de Kock scoring 278 in 10 matches. Going by the recent form, Pant should get the nod. De Kock has been quite inconsistent since the tournament resumed.
Batters
- Rohit Sharma is continuing on from where he left in England. Mr. Consistent looks in sublime touch despite Mumbai struggling this season. Moreover, he loves batting against Delhi. The Mumbai skipper has racked up 862 runs in 30 matches against Delhi at a strike rate of 136.
- Shreyas Iyer is back to his usual run-scoring form after recovering from a shoulder injury that kept him out of the first leg. He batted steadily and scored 47* and 43 against Hyderabad and Rajasthan, respectively. He missed out in the last game and will look to make up for it.
All-rounder
- Kieron Pollard played a key role in Mumbai’s victory in the last match against Team Punjab. He not only picked up the important wickets of KL Rahul and Chris Gayle but also scored some crucial runs to take his team over the finishing line.
Bowlers
- Jasprit Bumrah has picked up 11 wickets in his last four games. And Delhi seem to be his favourite opponent. The last time these two teams met in the UAE, the Mumbai spearhead knocked out Delhi in Qualifier 1 almost single-handedly by taking 4/14.
- Anrich Nortje has troubled the best batters in the UAE leg so far. His ferocious pace and pinpoint accuracy are proving difficult to deal with. In three matches, he has taken 5 wickets at an impressive economy rate of just 4. His last three spells read 2/12, 2/18, and 1/15.
HOWZAT DREAM TEAM
- Wicketkeeper: R Pant
- Batters: R Sharma, S Iyer, S Dhawan, S Tiwary
- All-rounders: A Patel, K Pollard
- Bowlers: A Nortje, J Bumrah, R Chahar, R Ashwin
- Captain: S Iyer/J Bumrah
- Vice Captain: R Sharma/A Nortje
NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own fantasy 11, and play all the fantasy cricket matches from the Indian T20 League. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.
Get fantasy cricket tips on your favorite fantasy sports app and select your own team, Howzat!
