IPL 2020 Playoffs, Qualifier 1: Delhi eye capital gain on Mumbai Indians’ Rohit Sharma

IPL 2020: Rohit Sharma could be a little shaky coming back from injury, and Delhi Capitals sense an opportunity in the first play-off against Mumbai Indians.

A top two finish in the Indian Premier League points table allows the teams to enter the playoff with an air of confidence. It is also a mark of consistency and gives an extra opportunity to seal a final berth. Table-toppers Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals are in this position, and yet something seems amiss in both as they get ready for the first play-off (qualifier 1) in Dubai on Thursday.

IPL 2020: Shreyas Iyer and Rohit Sharma will be up against each other as Delhi Capitals face off Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 1 on Thursday (Twitter)

When the tournament got going, DC were a well-oiled machine who looked set to coast into the playoffs. Yet, after four straight losses, the Shreyas Iyer-led team had to wait till the last league game against Royal Challengers Bangalore to seal qualification, the win also ensuring a No. 2 finish.

Defending champions MI, true to reputation, were the first team to book a playoff berth, albeit with skipper Rohit Sharma absent. Down with a hamstring injury, Sharma missed four matches and came back for Tuesday’s last game - inconsequential for MI - against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

It was good news for the franchise, although Sharma’s decision to play has raised eyebrows as BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had advised the MI skipper and India opener not to rush his comeback considering the nature of the injury. Sharma was not included for India’s tour of Australia tour starting after the IPL final on Nov. 10 owing to the injury.

With their share of troubles, DC and MI would both be eager to win at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium and become the first team to enter the IPL 2020 final.

Rohit the target?

In Tuesday’s inconsequential game, which SRH won by 10 wickets to qualify, Sharma scored only four runs off seven deliveries. That means Sharma could be a little shaky coming back from injury, and DC sense an opportunity.

“Rohit is a very good player, and if he hasn’t played many matches (after the injury) may be his touch is not the same as before. We can definitely take advantage of it,” Shikhar Dhawan, DC top-scorer with 525 runs, and who was Sharma’s India opening partner for a long time, said on Wednesday.

“I am sure he has recovered well, we will understand it better during the game. Whenever a player returns from injury, he faces a different kind of pressure. Of course, we are going to take advantage of that.”

Pant no-show

While targetting MI batting’s mainstay can be an effective strategy, DC face their share of batting problems. Dhawan’s form - first to hit two back-to-back tons this season, he also scored his fourth fifty of IPL 2020 against RCB - has so far covered up for the rest of the DC batting failures. Against MI’s formidable bowling though their inconsistent batting could be badly exposed.

The problem lies mainly with two youngsters - opener Prithvi Shaw and ‘keeper Rishabh Pant. Shaw hasn’t got beyond 10 in his last six innings while Pant’s highest score in 11 matches is 38. DC’s foreign imports Shimron Hetmyer (138 runs) and Marcus Stoinis (249) too have not been consistent. There are also suggestions skipper Shreyas Iyer should move up to No.3.

“My only advise to them is to stay calm and back their abilities. Nothing good ever comes out of desperate energy,” said Dhawan, who has also impressed with his fitness this season.

Battle of pacers

What could work in DC’s favour is the performance of their South African fast bowlers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje. They have shared 44 wickets and Rabada leads the IPL chart with 25 scalps, two ahead of MI spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.

Nortje has also impressed with speed - his fastest delivery of this IPL was clocked at 156.22 kph - while Rabada has used his experience to keep a tight leash on batsmen, mixing pace with accuracy.

MI pacers are equally formidable. Bumrah (23 wickets) and Trent Boult (20 wickets) come into the match after being rested for the SRH tie, and DC batsmen are unlikely to get much breathing space. Four-time champions MI have defeated DC - they are yet to win IPL - twice this season, which will give them the psychological advantage as well.

“You have got Pollard, Rohit, Pandya brothers now, Suryakumar... guys who know how to win; they know the intensity of the finals, pressures of the finals. They have played well and have had success in those finals. So, if you take that into the final (play-offs) against the team which hasn’t had success and are nervous, then it goes in your advantage,” said Shane Bond, the MI bowling coach.

“We are the team that nobody really wants to play because they know if we play well, we can do some damage.”