Eight round-robin matches remain in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Three teams have already qualified for the Playoffs, while five are out of the race. That leaves just one spot up for grabs, with two teams — Mumbai Indians (MI) and Delhi Capitals (DC) — still in contention. This match at Wankhede Stadium is essentially a virtual knockout, as a win is crucial to keep Playoff hopes alive. However, both teams must also beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their upcoming matches to secure qualification.
Focusing on tonight's clash, DC are on the back foot. They are already without their main pacer Mitchell Starc, who chose not to return after the one-week suspension of IPL 2025. And now, they're also missing their captain and all-rounder Axar Patel. At the toss, it was Faf du Plessis who walked out as stand-in captain, leaving many surprised.
Delhi Capitals have won the toss and opted to field. When Ravi Shastri asked Faf du Plessis about Axar Patel’s absence, Faf said, "He's been really sick for the last two days. We’ll miss him today."
While Delhi Capitals fans are disheartened by recent developments, Mumbai Indians gave their supporters something to cheer about. Outside Wankhede Stadium, MI was handing out special edition Rohit Sharma jerseys and masks — a thoughtful treat for their loyal fans.
Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Ryan Rickelton(w), Rohit Sharma, Will Jacks, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya(c), Naman Dhir, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah
Impact Subs: Karn Sharma, Corbin Bosch, Raj Bawa, Ashwani Kumar, Satyanarayana Raju
Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): Faf du Plessis(c), Abishek Porel(w), Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Madhav Tiwari, Kuldeep Yadav, Dushmantha Chameera, Mustafizur Rahman, Mukesh Kumar
Impact Subs: KL Rahul, Sediqullah Atal, Karun Nair, Tripurana Vijay, Manvanth Kumar L