MI and DC clash at Wankhede with qualification on the line

Only God's eye-view could have captured this twist-laden race for the last spot of the last four of the season. With three teams - Gujarat Titans, Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru - having already qualified, the denouement for the final playoffs berth will have some unforeseen and dramatic situations.

First up, it is Mumbai versus Delhi. There is an element of romanticism to a Mumbai-Delhi face-off and it will be very hard to imagine a more-exciting match-up for such a high-stakes game. The IPL may not have exhaustively and extensively chronicled this rivalry but the history between these two cities is compelling, long-standing and storied.

Secondly, the contest won't be limited to just on-field action - an external factor looms: rain. With an 85 percent chance of precipitation, there is uncertainty over whether the match will even take place, bringing the DLS system into the equation. Mumbai have already ended on the wrong side of the weather once (versus GT), when rain stopped minutes before the cutoff time ending their advantage on the DLS count.

Finally the scenario after this match is quite intriguing. Both play Punjab Kings in their final round fixtures and both matches are to be played in Jaipur. From a scheduling perspective, Mumbai may enjoy a slight advantage - they play the penultimate league game on May 26, two days after which the Delhi Capitals would have wrapped up their campaign.

That could be considered an advantage should one view it that way but the ideal scenario for the five-time champions is to defeat the Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede and end all mathematical possibilities. Such a result would place them in an unassailable position in the league standings, turning the remaining seven league matches of the league into dead rubbers.

"I think we were always in contention for playoffs after we had that run. For us it's good to start the tournament and play cricket, the guys have been waiting for this, training has been pretty good and just take one game at a time and see what we need to do. It's in our control, it's a great position to be in," Mahela Jayawardene said ahead of the match.

The must-win scenario for Delhi comes at the wrong time. With Mitchell Starc missing from the line-up they are lacking in bowling firepower, as evidenced in their 10-wicket capitulation to Gujarat Titans on Sunday night. Their batting has neither been explosive nor consistent, a fact seen in the gap between their top two scorers.

While their No 1 batter KL Rahul has 493 runs, their second best, Abhishek Porel, has managed almost 200 less (295). After a bright start to the season with four wins on the bounce, they have managed only two in the next eight. A promising season now teeters on the brink of despair.

Munaf Patel agreed that the team will miss the expertise of Starc. "It (Starc's absence) will matter because he is our main fast bowler who bowls at 145 kmph, swings the ball and that too at the Wankhede wicket where both swing and bounce is available. It matters 100 per cent, but when there is no option, you have to think of other alternatives, you cannot get stuck thinking 'oh he is not there now, what will happen?'. You have to move ahead with whatever you have and ensure they perform," the DC bowling coach said.

When: Wednesday, May 21, 7:30 PM IST

Where: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

What to expect: With the rain threat looming, it is difficult to predict how the match will pan out. On paper, the home team start as favourites but their applecart can be upset by the rain and DLS calculations. The team winning the toss is likely to choose to field.

Head to head: MI have an edge over the visitors in their face-offs, having won 20 of the 36 games (lost the other 16) played between them. At the venue, MI are 7-3 ahead and since 2022, they have won three out of the four matches played between the teams.

Team Watch:

Mumbai Indians

Injuries/Unavailability: For now, all MI players are available and there is no information of an injury to anyone.

Tactics & Matchups: Both Suryakumar Yadav and Rohit Sharma, who have scored 510 and 300 runs respectively in the IPL so far, have the wood over most of the Capitals' bowlers striking against everyone barring Axar Patel above 110. The two batters strike below 100 against the left-arm spinner.

Probable XII: Ryan Rickelton (wk), Rohit Sharma, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya (c), Naman Dhir, Corbin Bosch, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah and Karn Sharma.

Delhi Capitals

Injuries/Unavailability: No information of any injury to any player. The team of course misses Mitchell Starc, who has chosen not to return, post the resumption

Tactics & Matchups: KL Rahul has an average of 74.23 against MI and has scored 965 runs against them across 19 games, the highest average by a player against any opponent with more than 500 runs. Rahul also has a terrific record against Deepak Chahar, having never been dismissed by him in the IPL and has scored 158 runs striking at 159.59

Probable XII: Faf du Plessis, KL Rahul, Abishek Porel (wk), Sameer Rizvi, Axar Patel (c), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan, Mustafizur Rahman, Dushmantha Chameera

Did you know?

• It was the reverse fixture that kickstarted MI's surge, three run-outs to finish the game in Delhi capped off the first of their six straight wins, before they lost a rain-affected thriller vs GT. That game brought an end to DC's four-match winning streak, and though they won two of their next three (one in a Super Over), things went downhill thereafter.

• KL Rahul enjoys a healthy average of over 63 at the Wankhede, scoring 634 runs in 12 innings at a strike rate of 147.78 with two centuries and five fifties.

• Delhi Capitals have had the most unstable opening batting pairs this season, having fielded seven different combinations, most by any side this season, averaging a lowly 19.83, again worst by any team.

• Kuldeep Yadav, 12 wickets in 12 games, has gone wicketless in the last four DC games

What they said

"For us, every game was a must-win from that situation. The boys reacted pretty well. The last game, obviously, we gave ourselves a great opportunity. We fought really well after the mistakes we had done. So cricket-wise, I'm not worried. The brand of cricket that we're playing, reacting to situations. This is what we've all built the team for, for an IPL", MI coach Mahela Jayawardeneon the must-win situation for the team

"Actually, there is pressure in all the games. There is more pressure on the individual players. There is pressure on the senior players in particular. If we lose, we will be out. There is no other option (but to win). Obviously, there is pressure", DC bowling coach Munaf Patelon pressure on the players before a must win game