Captain: Rishabh Pant
Coaching Staff: Ricky Ponting (coach), Shane Watson (assistant coach), Pravin Amre (assistant coach), Ajit Agarkar (assistant coach), James Hopes (fast-bowling coach)
Owner: GMR Sports Pvt. Ltd & JSW Sports Pvt Ltd
Best Performance: Runners-up in 2020
2021 Performance: Third in the league phase. Lost to KKR in the Eliminator.
SQUAD
Rishabh Pant (c), Prithvi Shaw, Axar Patel, Anrich Nortje, David Warner, Mitch Marsh, Shardul Thakur, Mustafizur Rahman, Kuldeep Yadav, Ashwin Hebbar, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, KS Bharat, Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Chetan Sakariya, Lalit Yadav, Ripal Patel, Yash Dhull, Rovman Powell, Pravin Dubey, Lungi Ngidi, Tim Seifert, Vicky Ostwal
Players’ availability
David Warner is unavailable for the first two games and Mitchell Marsh for the first three. Lungi Ngidi and Mustafizur Rahman will also miss the first match. Anrich Nortje has made good recovery from his hip injury and has joined the squad, but he is still likely to sit out the first few matches.
Batting
In David Warner and Prithvi Shaw at the top, Delhi probably have the scariest opening pair in this IPL. In fact, with Mitchell Marsh and Rishabh Pant to follow at No. 3 and 4, it’s as solid a top-four as it can get. But beyond the top-four, their batting is a concern. Sarfaraz Khan is in the form of his life in domestic cricket, but can he replicate that form in the IPL? Rovman Powell will have a lot of responsibility as a finisher and his form will probably have a huge impact on their season.
Also, in the initial few matches, they will have to make do with an incomplete squad. Tim Siefert can replace Warner, but they don’t have any overseas options to fill in for Marsh. And their Indian options — Mandeep Singh, KS Bharat and Yash Dhull — though talented and promising, don’t instill confidence. But you never know.
Bowling
Delhi have a problem, at least in the first few matches. Delhi’s most important bowler Anrich Nortje is going to miss the start of the tournament and they will be hoping for his quick return. But they have Mustafizur Rahman and Lungi Ngidi who can fill the spot, depending on what they need. Rahman is an effective death-overs bowler while Ngidi has more pace. But both of them will also be unavailable for the first couple of matches. In their absence, Chetan Sakariya, Khaleel Ahmed and Kamlesh Nagarkoti will have to step up. Shardul Thakur’s hitting abilities makes him an automatic choice.
Capitals have taken a punt on Kuldeep Yadav and will hope for the bowler to rediscover his wicket-taking knack. Axar Patel will lead their spin attack, which seems thin on paper.
Potential Playing XI
1. David Warner, 2. Prithvi Shaw, 3. Mitchell Marsh, 4. Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), 5. Sarfaraz Khan, 6. Rovman Powell, 7. Shardul Thakur, 8. Axar Patel, 9. Anrich Nortje, 10. Kuldeep Yadav, 11. Chetan Sakariya.
Mumbai Indians Preview: Most bases covered but top-quality spinner absent
Mumbai Indians don’t look as threatening as they used to be till last year, thanks to the mega auction. But they are still very strong, both in batting and bowling departments.
Mumbai Indians (MI)
Captain: Rohit Sharma
Coaching Staff: Mahela Jayawardene (head coach), Zaheer Khan (director of cricket operations), Shane Bond (bowling coach), Robin Singh (batting coach), James Pamment (fielding coach).
Owner: Indiawin Sports Pvt. Ltd
Best Performance: Winners 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020
2021 Performance: Finished fifth. Missed playoffs spot on net run rate.
SQUAD
Rohit Sharma (c), Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Kieron Pollard, Ishan Kishan, Dewald Brevis, Basil Thampi, Murugan Ashwin, Jaydev Unadkat, Mayank Markande, N Tilak Varma, Sanjay Yadav, Jofra Archer, Daniel Sams, Tymal Mills, Tim David, Riley Meredith, Mohammad Arshad Khan, Anmolpreet Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Rahul Buddhi, Hrithik Shokeen, Arjun Tendulkar, Aryan Juyal, Fabian Allen.
Players’ availability
Except Jofra Archer, all the players are available.
Batting
Although they have lost a lot of muscle after the mega auction, Mumbai still have a competitive batting line-up. Ishan Kishan, 2022 auction’s most expensive player, and Rohit Sharma form a strong opening pair. Kishan is also flexible in terms of batting position and can bat at No. 3 or 4 in case they want to use someone like Anmolpreet Singh at the top and strengthen their middle order. Suryakumar Yadav is likely to bat at No. 3 or 4, depending on the team’s combination. Kieron Pollard will have 6ft 5in Tim David’s company for the finishing job.
If Kishan opens the innings and Suryakumar bats at No. 3, who will be their No. 4? Among Indian options, Tilak Varma is their best bet. The 19-year-old left-hander from Hyderabad is a middle order batter and strikes at 143.77 in domestic T20s. Though Anmolpreet can also be tried in the middle order. Among overseas players, they have ‘Baby AB’ Brewis Dewald, the Player of the Tournament in the recent Under-19 World Cup, who finished with an average of 84.33 and strike rate of 90.19. But they will have to give up on an overseas bowler to include Dewald.
Mumbai also lack local Indian options on the bench in case a first-choice batter gets injured or hits bad form.
Bowling
With Jasprit Bumrah and Tymal Mills, they have death overs covered. But they will feel the absence of Trent Boult, who used to set it up for them in the Powerplay. Their new-ball options are not that great. Bumrah usually bowls one over in the powerplay and Tymal Mills may also do the same. The new-ball responsibilities are likely to fall on the shoulders of Jaydev Unadkat and Daniel Sams. Basil Thampi, an experienced domestic pacer, is another option that can be explored.
They also lack a top-quality spinner. Rahul Chahar did a good job for them but now he is gone. Murugan Ashwin and Mayank Markande are their two wrist-spin options and one of them will have to step up and help Mumbai in the middle overs. Their importance will increase as the tournament moves ahead with the over-use of the pitches likely to make them spin friendly.
Potential Playing XI
1. Ishan Kishan (wk), 2. Rohit Sharma (c), 3. Suryakumar Yadav, 4. Tilak Varma/Anmolpreet Singh, 5. Kieron Pollard, 6. Tim David, 7. Daniel Sams/Fabian Allen, 8. Tymal Mills, 9. Jaydev Unadkat, 10. M Ashwin, 11. Jasprit Bumrah.
