Mumbai Indians are all set to play the first Qualifier of Dream11 IPL 2020 against Delhi Capitals at the Dubai International Stadium.

While MI are coming off a loss against SRH, they missed out on a few key players in the match. As for DC, they managed to cross the line against RCB to qualify for the playoffs.

Both teams have lost two matches and won one at this ground. However, it was MI who registered a victory in their previous encounter here.

Here, we take you through some of the talking points ahead of the MI vs DC clash in the first Qualifiers.

Flashback

In the first encounter between both teams at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, DC opted to bat first. Riding on Shikhar Dhawan's unbeaten 69 runs from 52 deliveries, DC posted a total of 162/4 on board. MI despite losing Rohit early, put themselves in a good position as Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar Yadav scored half-centuries to steer them to a comfortable win.

In the reverse fixture held in Dubai, MI elected to bowl first. What followed was a spectacular spell of bowling from Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah as they picked six wickets between themselves. DC were restricted to 110/9 in their 20 overs. As for MI, Ishan Kishan's blistering knock of 72* (47) steered them to another easy win with more than five overs to spare.

Team Form

MI have been in some fantastic form throughout the season. The fact that they have secured eight wins and also taken two games to the Super Over is a sublime proof of their dominance this season. They lost to SRH by ten wickets but it was in the absence of their prime bowlers, Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah.

As for DC, they will be relaxed after putting an end to their four-match losing streak with a win against RCB. They have failed to cross the hurdle against MI on two occasions this season so far. Both teams have faced each other on 26 occasions with MI emerging victorious 14 times.

Rohit's return bolsters MI batting lineup

Skipper Rohit Sharma is back in cricketing action which will strengthen the batting order for MI. His opening partner Quinton de Kock seems to have carried on from where he left in 2019 with an aggregate of 443 runs in the tournament so far. The duo of Suryakumar Yadav and Ishan Kishan have been turning things around with the bat for the men in Blue and Gold with some spectacular knocks. The opposition will be wary of the threat that is imposed by the strong top four.

Shikhar Dhawan is currently the second highest run-scorer in IPL. With an average of 44.08, the opener has scored two centuries and three fifties this season. On the other hand, Prithvi Shaw hasn't been having a great run so far. Ajinkya Rahane's fifty after a fair bit of failures helped him redeem the confidence of the management. Delhi captain Shreyas Iyer too hasn't been amongst the runs in the latter part of the tournament.

Finishing Power

Kieron Pollard has created a knack of constantly finishing games for MI. In this season, the big man from Trinidad and Tobago not only has a strike rate of 193.28 but has also hit 22 sixes. Hardik Pandya has been his partner in crime who displayed his destruction with the bat in the game against RR where he slammed 60* (21). Krunal Pandya is also capable of taking the bowlers on as and when required.

Rishabh Pant hasn't been at his best this season. His strike rate this year has been 112.35 which is considerably low compared to 162.66 last year. Marcus Stoinis' form has also dipped. The Australian all-rounder has crossed double digits only once in the last five matches. Shimron Hetmyer too hasn't got going and was even dropped in the previous match. His replacement Daniel Sams hasn't got an opportunity to bat yet.

Bumrah-Boult vs Rabada-Nortje

After being rested in the previous match, both Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah will be back in the MI Blue and Gold. James Pattinson has also done well with his clever usage of the short and slower deliveries. The fast bowling trio has picked 54 wickets between them this season. Nathan Coulter-Nile has bowled well in the middle overs while Kieron Pollard has also chipped in time and again.

Kagiso Rabada is currently the Purple Cap holder with a total of 25 scalps. His new-ball partner who was also the Man of the Match against RCB has got 19 wickets to his name. Both have created havoc for the opposition batsmen in the middle. Daniel Sams hasn't been quite effective in the last two matches. They also have bowling options in Marcus Stoinis, Harshal Patel and Tushar Deshpande.

Turning it around

Rahul Chahar has been doing a fantastic job in the middle with 15 wickets. This has been his best performance in IPL so far. Krunal Pandya on the other hand has been quite restrictive with the ball. This has enabled the skipper to use him in the powerplay where he has been quite effective. Jayant Yadav also bowled well against DC and it will be interesting to see if he gets a chance.

Axar Patel has been quite economical with the ball for DC, with an economy rate of just 6.27 runs per over. He has also picked eight wickets. Ravichandran Ashwin has picked ten wickets for DC. After a few bad games, he bowled well in the last two matches. They also have a leg-spinner option in Pravin Dubey who got a chance against MI recently.

Approaching Milestones

- Suryakumar requires 42 runs more to complete 2000 runs in IPL

- Pollard is also 2 sixes away from completing 200 sixes in IPL

- Krunal requires 14 runs more to complete 1000 runs in IPL

- Krunal is also 5 wickets away from completing 50 wickets in IPL

Players To Watch Out:

Rohit Sharma: Coming back from an injury layoff, the skipper couldn't procure anything special. He will be raring to display his mettle in a big game for his team. Batting at the top order, Rohit Sharma will be looking to lead from the front against Delhi Capitals.

Suryakumar Yadav: The number three batsman has created a storm with his whirlwind consistency for MI. The wide range of unorthodox shots from Suryakumar Yadav has often left the opposition in tatters, trying to control the flow of runs. Last year in the first Qualifier, it was Surya's 71*(54) that allowed MI to cross the line against CSK. He will be looking to replicate the same performance again.

Head-to-head: W W W L L