It is remarkable how Mumbai Indians have finally managed to turn a corner with their starts. In each of the last three seasons of the Indian Premier League, Rohit Sharma’s side have looked bereft of ideas and struggled with their team combinations in the first leg of the tournament.

They have not let that happen this season, and in some style.

In addition to some of the household names in their setup, the Pandya brothers and Nitish Rana’s consistent performances have only bolstered the side’s firepower further. They have been under the cosh and severely tested at various points during each of their wins.

Against Royal Challengers Bangalore, they were reduced to 7/4, only for Kieron Pollard to display a never-seen-before maturity and steel to guide his team home. In their previous game, they were left with the task of chasing down a daunting 199. A Jos Buttler blitzkrieg ensured that the two-time champions romped home with 27 balls to spare.

Despite possessing a side brimming with quality, Zaheer Khan’s Delhi Daredevils have struggled for form. It is their bowling that needs some tinkering, and in Kagiso Rabada, they have one of the world’s best. The South African, though, has failed to get a game.

For Delhi, it is their performance in the middle overs that will decide their fate in the contest. Spinners Harbhajan Singh and Krunal Pandya have been tidy and have consistently managed to tie batsmen down. Coping with Mumbai’s batting depth may just prove to be a handful for Delhi at the Wankhede Stadium, where the home side have been on an unbeaten run.

Time: 8 pm

Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

TV: Sony Max, Sony Six, Sony ESPN and their HD channels

Results in 2016:

Played: 2

Delhi won: 1

Mumbai won: 1

Mumbai Indians

  • Just like previous seasons, Harbhajan Singh has been miserly with giving away runs. His economy rate this season has been an impressive 5.94.
  • Mumbai Indians have dominated against Daredevils at the Wankhede. In five previous meetings, they have won four times.   
  • Skipper Rohit Sharma is only 77 runs short of reaching 4,000 runs in the IPL.
  • Mumbai have won each of the three games they have played at home this season.
  • All of Mumbai’s wins have come when they have chased.

Rohit Sharma pinned Mumbai’s success down to them focusing on one opponent at a time, “The good thing we’ve done is focusing on one particular opposition and we are going to do that again,” he said.

Delhi Daredevils

  • Skipper Zaheer Khan needs just one wicket to join the 100 wickets club.
  • All of Delhi’s defeats have come in the final overs of the game, underlining their inability to finish off games. 
  • While Mumbai have Nitish Rana, Delhi’s Sanju Samson is also in the running for the purple cap.

Zaheer was upbeat about his team’s progress despite their string of defeats. He took the blame for his horror show against Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he leaked 17 runs, “I felt 180 would have been ideal to chase, but the last over I bowled is going to haunt me a bit. Unfortunate to not finish on the winning side, but I’m happy with the way the team is shaping up,” the 38-year-old said.

Squad: Rohit Sharma (captain), Kieron Pollard, Lasith Malinga, Harbhajan Singh, Ambati Rayudu, Jasprit Bumrah, Shreyas Gopal, Lendl Simmons, Vinay Kumar, Parthiv Patel, Mitchell McClenaghan, Nitish Rana, Siddhesh Lad, Jagadeesha Suchith, Hardik Pandya, Jos Buttler, Tim Southee, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Deepak Punia, Saurabh Tiwary, Nicholas Pooran, Mitchell Johnson, Karn Sharma, Asela Gunaratne, Krishnappa Gowtham, Kulwant Khejroliya.