Delhi warms up to a top-of-the-table clash

The Bangalore leg was a huge success and one can only hope that the Delhi leg turns out to be even better. So what better way to kick things off than seeing the top two teams fight it out at the Arun Jaitley Stadium? 

Just like RCB did on Feb 24 (Saturday), Delhi Capitals fans will be hoping that the home side kick start their maiden home game with a win. It won’t be easy, of course. For they will be up against Mumbai Indians, a side that comprehensively defeated RCB without their skipper and lead pacer in their previous encounter. 

DC themselves have been in fine form, having won three of their four games so far. It could have been four in four if not for Sajana’s heist in the tournament opener between these two sides. 

The head-to-head record is massively tilted in Mumbai’s favor, having won three of the four DC - MI encounters. With this being a match that could potentially decide which team goes straight to the final post the league matches, expect the sides to go hard at each other to clinch an all-important win against the other. 

Things to watch out for 

Powerplay battle (DC batters vs MI bowlers)

So far, Delhi’s top-order has fired on all cylinders in the second season of the WPL. Their openers have been prolific in the powerplay, averaging around 60 against the new ball. In fact, they’ve lost just three wickets in four games when the field restrictions were on. The pair have put scores of 57, 45, and 51 in their last three powerplays, respectively. 

On the other hand, Mumbai’s bowlers have been the best unit in this phase, taking seven wickets so far. Shabnim Ismail is expected to be fit, making this a fiery contest between her and Delhi’s opening duo. In this season’s wins, their bowling unit has racked up numbers of 26/1, 41/3, and 34/3, respectively in the powerplay. 

The uncertainty around the surface on offer in Delhi will force both teams to look for an early advantage by winning this powerplay battle.

Can Marizanne Kapp nullify the Mumbai threat?

Meg Lanning’s dependence on her pacers notwithstanding, they are yet to repay the trust shown in them. Delhi’s pacers have bowled more than 10 overs in each of the four games and have conceded more than 8 RPO in three of them. 

The last time these two sides met, Delhi ended up feeding 16 overs of pace to their opponents, a tactic they might want to reconsider, given how good they have been against pacers this season. 

MI have the best balls/dismissal and run-rate against the faster lot across all teams and have seemed very much at ease while negotiating it. 

Having been rested in their previous game against Gujarat Giants, Marizanne Kapp (average: 12, ER 6) will be key to Delhi’s plans if they are to make some inroads against Mumbai. But it won’t be easy for Kapp, who will go up against the rampant Yastika Bhatia. 

Delhi Capitals to continue their rampage against spinners?

Mumbai spinners are yet to hit the ground running as far as WPL 2024 is concerned. Hayley Matthews and Saika Ishaque have looked good in patches without ever really threatening the opposition. Amelia Kerr has been the lone bright spot, carrying her excellent form from the Women’s Super Smash. 

DC have been a cut above the rest while playing spin, scoring at over 9 RPO against the slower bowlers, and have ended up losing a wicket only every 32 balls. This when all the other teams have scored at 7.4 RPO and lost a wicket every 17 balls. 

Even in the reverse fixture, MI’s spinners conceded 95 runs in their 10 overs, allowing DC to post a competitive 171/5 despite being 26/1 at the end of the powerplay. 

Historically, Delhi has tended to assist spinners more than other Indian venues. Should that be the case, Mumbai fans will be hoping that their spinners come good against the home side. 

Ground details

Not a lot of recorded WT20s have happened at the Arun Jaitley stadium in Delhi. And of the six such fixtures, teams batting second have gone on to win five times. However, the toss-winning captain has opted to bat first on three occasions. It’ll be interesting to see what the two skippers would want to do on game day.

Further, there’s not a lot separating pacers and spinners when it comes to WT20s in Delhi. While pacers have gone at 6.2 RPO and taken a wicket every 26 balls, spinners have corresponding numbers of 5.5 and 29, respectively. 

Tactical insights

Amelia Kerr has an excellent record against both Meg Lanning and Shafali Verma, with the former averaging only 18 and striking at 127, and the latter averaging 11 and striking at 110. MI’s lone in-form spinner, she will be expected to break the opening partnership, should it come to it. 

Harmanpreet Kaur might have a great record in the WPL, but the same cannot be said about her number against Jess Jonnasen. The slow left-arm spinner has dismissed Harman six times and has not allowed the mercurial batter to strike at higher than 110. Jonnasen herself seems to be in great form, having picked up six wickets in the two games she’s played.

Hayley Matthews and Marizanne Kapp both seem to have taken a liking to bowling to each other. Both of them have dismissed each other six times, and Matthews at least has a respectable average of 25 to show for her efforts. Kapp, meanwhile, averages a paltry 10 against her counterpart, and will want to better it in the upcoming match. 

Playing XIs

Delhi Capitals: Meg Lanning (C), Shafali Verma, Alice Capsey, Jemimah Rodrigues, Marizanne Kapp, Annabel Sutherland, Arundhati Reddy, Minnu Mani, Taniya Bhatia (WK), Radha Yadav, Shikha Pandey

Mumbai Indians: Hayley Matthews, Yastika Bhatia (WK), Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Amelia Kerr, Pooja Vastrakar, Amanjot Kaur, S Sajana, Shabnim Ismail/Issy Wong, Keerthana Balakrishnan, Saika Ishaque