Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals, Abu Dhabi

Pro Tip: Expect Rohit Sharma to come good and don't give up just yet on Rishabh Pant.

Our XI: Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Quinton De Kock, Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, Kieron Pollard, R Ashwin, Marcus Stoinis, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah, Kagiso Rabada

Substitutes: Rahul Chahar, Hardik Pandya, Suryakumar Yadav, Anrich Nortje

NOTE: We might not always be able to tip you off about late injury (or other relevant) updates, so please finalise your team after the toss.

Player availability: All players are available for selection. Nathan Coulter-Nile started bowling in the nets prior to Mumbai's game against the Rajasthan Royals and should be fit in time for this match.

Captain: Rohit Sharma

Sharma likes pace on the ball and the Capitals' attack will give him just that upfront. There is also good bounce on this pitch, aiding his style of play. Both fifties scored by Sharma this season so far have come at this venue. In four innings here this season, he has scored 197 runs at a strike rate of 149.24.

Vice-captain: Rishabh Pant

Pant has been consistently getting starts but hasn't converted them to big scores yet. But he loves playing against Mumbai. Since 2018, Pant has scored 196 in four innings against Mumbai at a strike rate of 183.17.

Hot Picks

R Ashwin: Ashwin has been very good for the Capitals since his return to the side after injury. He has picked up three wickets in the last two games at an economy of just six runs an over. Ashwin has been used in the powerplay and responded well: four wickets at an economy of 5.60 and a strike rate of 7.50. He could bowl again in the powerplay given Mumbai have a left-handed opener in Quinton de Kock.

Kagiso Rabada: Rabada is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 15 wickets in six games. His strike rate is just 9.40, which reduces to 5 at the death.

Quinton de Kock: After a modest start to the tournament, de Kock found form against the Sunrisers Hyderabad with 67 and briefly continued that against the Royals as well. de Kock is familiar with both new ball bowlers for the Capitals - Rabada and Anrich Nortje - and against Rabada in all T20s, he has scored 54 runs in 38 balls without being dismissed.

Differential Picks

Axar Patel: Patel has been very effective with the ball this season. He has bowled in the powerplay and in the middle overs equally effectively. Patel has picked up five wickets so far at a miserly economy of 4.50. Among all bowlers who have bowled at least 50 balls in the tournament, Patel is the only one who has not conceded a six yet.

Trent Boult: Boult has been a great pick for Mumbai this season. He has picked up a wicket in each of the six games so far. Boult also has the most wickets in the powerplay - five wickets with an economy of 6.92 and a strike rate of 16.80 - so far this season.

Alternate Scenarios

• The reason for choosing Kieron Pollard over Hardik Pandya is because Pandya isn't able to bowl now. But given this a big ground, the regular bowlers should bowl their quota of four overs. So consider swapping Pollard with Pandya if you want.

• If a used pitch is used again for this game, replace Ishan Kishan with either Rahul Chahar or Nortje, as the scores could be lower than the average first innings of 171 in Abu Dhabi this season.