Mumbai Indians have hit the ground running with three victories on a trot after a disappointing start to the season, but they are still in the second last position of the IPL standings. The Mumbai Indians have a chance to rocket up to fourth position in the points table, if they defeat Delhi Daredevils on Tuesday at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
But Delhi Daredevils, who lie on fifth position, would be a confident unit as they defeated Mumbai Indians in their last encounter by 37 runs at Ferozeshah Kotla, Delhi.
With the IPL moving into the business end of the league, expect a high voltage game between the two sides.
Both the teams comprise world class players and here is a look at some players, who could prove to be the difference between the two sides.
Delhi Daredevils (DD)
JP Duminy – The South African has been the standout performer for DD with 276 runs in the competition. Coming in at number three, the batsman has been at his fluent best scoring runs at will all round the park. With his gear changing ability, he has batted as per the situation demands. But it is not only his batting skills, which has been amazing, but also his bowling heroics as he has taken eight wickets with his gentle off-breaks. He has one of the best bowling strike rate in the competition with 6.71.
Shreyas Iyer – The Indian has taken the IPL 2015 by storm with his batting exploits at the top of the order for DD with 290 runs. Opening the innings, he has made full use of the fielding restrictions with 24 fours and 17 sixes. His strike rate of 134.88 reflects the aggression with which he bats in the middle. When on song, he can tear apart any bowling attack and has showed it in the competition with three half centuries in nine matches.
Mumbai Indians (MI)
Rohit Sharma - With a highest score of 98 runs in the IPL, the MI skipper has been impressive amassing 297 runs. The elegant Indian batsman possesses all shots in the book to provide a huge threat to his opponents. He seems to have that extra bit of time while batting, which makes him a dangerous batsmen. The MI skipper is best suited if he comes as an opener as he gets more time to bat in the middle, but has decided to bat in the middle order.
Lendl Simmons – The West Indian has been terrific after MI regular opener Aaron Finch was ruled out of the tournament. Opening the innings alongside Parthiv Patel, Simmons has already scored 239 runs at a healthy average of 38.83. He is a strong player on both sides of the wicket and scores at a decent strike rate as well. If Simmons provides a good start to MI, players such as Kieron Pollard and Ambati Rayudu can take advantage of it in the slog overs.