Daijiworld Media Network
Sharjah, Apr 27 : They are up against Delhi, who have also not hit their straps despite Duminy squeezing out a win against Kolkata. However, with Quinton de Kock and Murali Vijay showing signs of gelling well at the top, Delhi look a better outfit. A hearty welcome to the first game of the double-header today.
Left languishing at the bottom of the table, Mumbai will be desperate to break their duck in this season's Indian T20 League. With Pollard and Michael Hussey failing continuously, are Mumbai ready to make tough calls?
Mumbai have won the toss and have opted to bat
Teams:
Delhi (Playing XI): Murali Vijay, Quinton de Kock, Kevin Pietersen(c), Dinesh Karthik(w), Jean-Paul Duminy, Kedar Jadhav, Wayne Parnell, Laxmi Shukla, Mohammed Shami, Jaydev Unadkat, Shahbaz Nadeem
Mumbai (Playing XI): Michael Hussey, Aditya Tare, Rohit Sharma(c), Corey Anderson, Ambati Rayudu, Kieron Pollard, Chidhambaram Gautam(w), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Pragyan Ojha, Lasith Malinga
Pietersen: 'I am feeling really good and we need to get a win here. We have had a couple of good sessions with the bowlers and have discussed cricket for the past two days. I was 50-50 with the toss, no issues with bowling. We have one change, Manoj Tiwary misses out and the exciting Kedar Jadhav replaces him.'
Rohit: 'We have to get everything right. We need to get the act together. If we bat first we need to put up a good total and if we bowl we need to restrict them. We have a few plans, lets see if it works out today. We are going to bat first. It looks like a good track and we need to put some runs on the board. Hopefully, we can bat well and put up some runs on the board. We are playing the same team.'
Match Preview:
Stuck at the bottom of the heap, defending champions Mumbai will be desperate to open their account in the Indian T20 League on Sunday as they lock horns with Delhi, who are also struggling to get going in the ongoing seventh edition of the cash-rich event.
While Mumbai are placed last with three defeats in as many games in the eight-team league, Delhi only a shade better at seventh with one win and three losses ahead of their next match at the Dubai International Stadium.
Mumbai:
As far as Mumbai are concerned, Rohit Sharma led from the front with a fine half-century in their last match, and they will hope for a similar outing from their captain. They have the ever-dependable Mike Hussey at the top of the order, although he has not been at his best so far. Equally threatening will be New Zealand's batting sensation Corey Anderson although he too is yet to fire. Kieron Pollard has not set the stage ablaze with his power hitting but if he clicks, he can change the game in a matter of overs, which is what Mumbai will be hoping for.
In the bowling department, experienced pros Zaheer Khan and Harbhajan Singh will need to bring in all their experience to effect a turnaround. And they also have the mercurial Lasith Malinga who has the ability to run through any batting line-up on his day. Pragyan Ojha is Harbhajan's spin partner and Anderson and Pollard complete the bowling attack.
Delhi:
Delhi skipper Kevin Pietersen, who failed in his first attempt after missing the side's first three matches, will be eager to put up a better show against the defending champions. The Delhi outfit will take confidence from the fact that its openers Murali Vijay and Quinton de Cock performed well in their last game against Hyderabad, helping the team close in on the chase of a competitive total before falling apart. The middle-order, including Pietersen and JP Duminy, will have to shoulder more responsibility against the Rohit Sharma-led side. The former England star Pietersen will be key to Delhi's chances, with support coming in from Dinesh Karthik, Duminy and Manoj Tiwary.
Delhi will have to improve their bowling as they could manage just one wicket against Hyderabad while giving away 184 runs. Mohammad Shami, Wayne Parnell and Jaydev Unadkat all leaked runs with Aaron Finch and David Warner going great guns. Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem was the only one who came up with an economical performance against Hyderabad and Delhi will be hoping that he comes up with similar effort while they will expect the rest to come to the party.