DC Predicted XI vs MI, IPL 2022: 27-year-old India star set for return; Delhi set to take field with 2 overseas players | Cricket

Delhi Capitals will begin their campaign in the Indian Premier League later today against Mumbai Indians. The Rishabh Pant-led side had reached the playoffs of the previous edition of the tournament; with a revamped squad now, the DC will kickstart the edition against five-time IPL champions. Rohit Sharma’s MI endured a tough season last year, as they finished fifth in the group stage. 

Also read: IPL 2022: Shastri gives verdict on Jadeja’s captaincy in CSK’s opener vs KKR

The Capitals, however, will miss their leading overseas stars in the opening few games of the tournament including David Warner and Mitchell Marsh (both on national duty), as well as South Africa’s Lungi Ngidi and Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman, who are currently in quarantine.

As the Capitals prepare for the clash against Mumbai Indians, let’s take a look at the predicted XI for the side:

Prithvi Shaw The youngster had a prolific outing in the 2021 edition of IPL, scoring 479 runs in 15 matches for the Capitals. Moreover, he scored at a strike rate of 159.13 and was one of the four players retained by the franchise. However, Shaw has remained inconsistent in his outings for the Capitals so far, and his reckless approach has been one of the reasons behind his absence in the international setup at the moment. As he returns to DC in the IPL, Shaw will be eyeing more consistency with the bat.

Tim Seifert In the absence of David Warner, New Zealand’s Tim Seifert is likely to take over the opening role for the Capitals. Seifert may currently be playing in the lower-middle order for New Zealand, but he has been one of the side’s openers a few years ago and produced some memorable performances for the side in the role.

KS Bharat The wicketkeeper-batter may not be donning the gloves, but he is likely to be a no.3 for Delhi Capitals in the game against Mumbai Indians. Bharat has played in a similar position for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the previous edition and made handy contributions throughout the second half of the season.

Rishabh Pant (wk) Pant is set to continue at no.4 spot for the Capitals this season. The hard-hitting batter has been one of the top performers for DC over the years, and this year he faces an added challenge of leading a side built from scratch.  

Rovman Powell The Windies batter earned praise from DC head coach Ricky Ponting on Saturday, who was mightily impressed with Powell’s performances in the practice games. The West Indies star was also called the ‘x-factor’ by Pant and the DC will be hoping for Powell to ably replace Marcus Stoinis with the bat. 

Lalit Yadav In Mitchell Marsh’s absence, Lalit Yadav is likely to play against Mumbai Indians. Lalit was one of the select few players who was bought back by Delhi Capitals in the IPL mega auction. The 25-year-old can also contribute with his off-spin, providing DC with an extra bowling option.

Shardul Thakur An IPL winner in the previous edition, Shardul Thakur is set to take the no.8 spot in the Delhi Capitals XI. At CSK, Shardul was used largely during the middle overs and it will be interesting to see how Pant will be utilizing the 30-year-old.

Axar Patel One of the leading spinners in the Indian team at the moment, Axar Patel was retained by the Capitals. Patel took 15 wickets in 12 matches for DC in the previous edition, bowling at an economy rate of merely 6.65.

Khaleel Ahmed This year, Delhi Capitals invested heavily in left-arm pacers and Khaleel Ahmed is one of them. The senior Indian pacer appeared for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the previous few seasons and Ahmed is likely to lead the pace attack in the game against MI.

Chetan Sakariya Sakariya enjoyed a stellar debut season in the IPL with Rajasthan Royals and will be aiming for a similar start with the Capitals. Sakariya took 12 wickets in as many games for the RR last season.

Kuldeep Yadav The left-arm spinner will be aiming for a change in fortunes as he is likely to take the field in the opening game against Mumbai Indians. Kuldeep has had a rough past few months, and even as he received an international call-up for the limited-overs series against Sri Lanka, he played in only one T20I.