File photo of Delhi Capitals skipper Shreyas Iyer (left) with Mumbai Indians counterpart Rohit Sharma.
Delhi Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer has opted to bowl first after winning the toss against Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2020 in Dubai on Thursday.
After winning the toss, DC skipper revealed he will play the same team from last match for the game as R Ashwin is fit for the encounter despite uncertainties earlier.
"We are going to bowl first. The wicket is dry and with a bit of dew, it could play an important role. The energy inside the dressing room is pretty high. The same team for us," he said.
Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma has brought back his best side for the game after resting three key players for their last league stage encounter. The skipper hopes that with Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult and Hardik Pandya coming in, the side is capable of defending any total.
"Looks like a good pitch, it could play a bit slow. We know we are going to bat first now, so just post a good total. We know we have a good bowling line-up to defend any total. Just got to start well and then take it from there. Three changes, Bumrah, Boult and Hardik are back for Pattinson, Dhawal and Tiwary. We are confident, but it's a fresh game and we got to focus on our strengths," he said.
Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer(c), Rishabh Pant(w), Marcus Stoinis, Daniel Sams, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje.
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Rohit Sharma(c), Quinton de Kock(w), Suryakumar Yadav, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah.
As per the pitch report, the turf looks fantastic. Got a little bit of grass on it which should offer a little bit of pace and bounce. It actually aids the batting side as well and later in the night when dew starts to form then it will aid the batting side as well. 20 of the last 26 games have been won by the team batting second. Sides batting first are tentative and that's the biggest issue. 160 is the average score here and anything over 180-185 you are in the game.
