The Mumbai Indians (MI) and the Delhi Capitals (DC) will square off in a key match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, which might determine which side earns the final available playoff position. Since they are the only teams left in the running for the playoffs, MI and DC will be motivated to win.
On Wednesday, May 21, the game is set to take place in Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. Given the Capitals’ recent performance (a 10-wicket loss to the Gujarat Titans), MI will have the home advantage and be the favorite to win.
The qualifiers’ situation will become clearer based on the result of this forthcoming encounter. If MI wins, they will automatically get the fourth berth; if DC wins, they will still be in the running, needing to win their last game and praying that MI loses their fourteenth to earn a spot. Even though they still have one game left, DC will be eliminated from the tournament if they lose to MI.
Here are three player clashes to look out for in MI vs. DC, a big match that is coming up:
1. Tristan Stubbs vs Jasprit Bumrah
Tristan Stubbs, who has been DC’s anchor, has been playing well lately. Stubbs has amassed 280 runs in 11 innings across 12 games, going undefeated six times while sustaining a strike rate of 154.69 and an average of 56 without hitting a fifty.
He will take on Jasprit Bumrah, one of the top death bowlers, after putting on a tremendous show in the last overs. Stubbs has scored nine runs off of fourteen deliveries in the four previous meetings between the DC batter and the MI pacer.
Stubbs’ dismissal by Bumrah would break DC’s momentum and tip the scales in MI’s favor.
2. Suryakumar Yadav vs Kuldeep Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav of MI has scored 510 runs in 12 games, making him the team’s top scorer. He is now the fourth-leading run scorer of the season and has been a reliable player throughout the competition.
However, with a total of 12, Kuldeep Yadav is the Capitals’ second-leading wicket-taker this season. Even though he hasn’t played at his best, he will try his hardest as the team captained by Axar Patel attempts to guarantee a postseason berth.
Kuldeep has dismissed Suryakumar Yadav once in four innings during their prior meetings, giving up 39 runs in 27 deliveries.
3. KL Rahul vs Trent Boult
KL Rahul is batting at every position this season and is in outstanding form. He started the tournament as a middle-order hitter, starting at number four in the lineup, but following Jake Fraser-McGurk’s withdrawal, he was promoted to the top order as an opener.
KL Rahul is in cracking form and his just scoring runs in each position from which he has batted this season. Starting the tournament in the middle order as a No. 4, he took on the top order opener role after Jake Fraser-McGurk was forced to miss the tournament.
Rahul was unbeaten with 112* in his first game of the year as an opener against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the previous game. Yet, his side couldn’t keep that 199-run total, since Shubman Gill and company came out on top.
On the other hand, the Indian batter twice has been dismissed by the New Zealander and it would be interesting to see how the duel turns up for this time.
