The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) sailed successfully in United Arab Emirates (UAE) and indeed provided us with a book full of thrillers. The most awaited phase of the tournament- Playoffs are set to commence from Thursday.
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The qualifier 1 of playoffs will see a clash of Mumbai Indians (MI) and Delhi Capitals (DC) in Dubai. MI finished the tournament at the first spot while DC clinched the second one.
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Team CompositionMI will again re-feature in its complete balanced sides as Rohit Sharma has recovered from his injury who was seen playing the last league match. DC, on the other hand, will hit the grounds with young guns who excel in their respective fields.
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Current formMI smooth flow received a blow in the last league match, where, in the absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult they were defeated by Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 10 wickets. The case is the opposite for DC, as they won their last league match following some losses. Both the teams are in decent touch.
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Head-to-headMI and DC have clashed on 26 occasions with each other. MI have won 14 times while DC have won the rest of the 12 matches.
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Weather and pitch reportThe playoffs are unlikely to see a change in the temperature which is expected to hover around 31 degrees. However, a pleasant breeze that was seen in the latest league matches would be of respite to the players.The pitch in Dubai has shown different colours all throughout the tournament. However, any score around 180 with a couple of decent spells will make the match quite competitive.
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Probable 11MI: Quinton de Kock(w), Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav, Krunal Pandya, Kieron Pollard(c), Hardik Pandya, James Pattinson, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit BumrahDC: Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Marcus Stoinis, Daniel Sams, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje
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Dream 11 PredictionBatsmen: Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma (vc), Shreyas Iyer (c), Suryakumar Yadav- Dhawan and Sharma can get the required momentum in the start while Iyer can consolidate in the middle. Yadav can play according to the situation.Wicketkeeper: Rishabh Pant- The wicketkeeper-batsman is can smash the big hit with the bat.Allrounders: Krunal Pandya, Marcus Stoinis- The allrounders can perform reasonably well both with the bat and the ball.Bowlers: Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravi Ashwin- The wristy spinner Ashwin can deceive the batsman while the pace battery comprising Rabada, Chahar and Bumrah can restrict the opposition to a low total.
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Players to watch out forKrunal Pandya: The versatile allrounder for MI has proven on a few occasions this season. In the crucial match against DC, the team will look forward to a big performance from him either with the bat or the ball.Rishabh Pant: The wicketkeeper-batsman for DC has been unable to put a big show with the bat after he came back from his injury. Fans will be awaiting his contribution in the big match.
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