Both Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians are still in the hunt for the IPL 2024 playoffs.© BCCI
From the dominance of Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders, and SunRisers Hyderabad at the top of the standings to the underwhelming displays of Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the bottom, the Indian Premier League 2024 points table has witnessed contrasting fortunes.
A handful of sides still have a point to prove in the second half of the season and a couple of these teams are Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians. The last time these sides took on each other, hosts MI grabbed a comfortable 29-run win at the Wankhede Stadium earlier this season.
They fell short while trying to chase a target of 235 although Delhi Capitals did take home positives from the game, especially in the form of Tristan Stubbs who went after MI bowlers from ball one. The South African batter scored an unbeaten 71 off 25 balls, including seven towering sixes.
Since then Delhi have won three of their four matches and can secure a playoff spot if they continue to win their remaining matches. After the defeat to MI, a couple of wins against Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans have made their ideal team combination much clearer with skipper Rishabh Pant and Axar Patel returning to form with the bat.
Furthermore, the fact that swashbuckling top-order batter Jake Fraser-McGurk is firing on all cylinders for DC in the powerplay is just the icing on the cake for the team.
After packing their batting with overseas options, DC needs to polish their Indian-heavy bowling attack considering they almost failed to defend 224 runs against GT at the Arun Jaitley Stadium at home.
Skipper Pant does have two quality bowlers in Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel to lead the spin department but their pacers could perhaps do better. However all things considered, the road to the playoffs does look achievable for Delhi.
On the other hand, five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians seem a bit puzzled this season under new skipper Hardik Pandya. They had a disappointing start to the IPL 2024, losing three matches in a row before getting their first points on the board.
None of their starting XI has looked in great touch apart from their pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah, who is currently the highest wicket-taker in IPL 2024 with 13 wickets in eight innings.
Former captain Rohit Sharma is another player who has done his bit at the top of the order for the team having amassed 303 runs in eight matches at an average of 43.28 and a strike rate of 162.9.
Add to that, the return of MI talisman Suryakumar Yadav to the side after being sidelined for the first few games and it is easy to see that there's more confidence flowing through the team as their consecutive wins against DC and RCB high-scoring encounters suggests.
Mumbai Indians have also seen glimpses of the potential that their young guns like Tilak Varma, Gerald Coetzee, and Nehal Wadhera have to offer on a couple of occasions but the team is yet to click as a unit and make a difference.
After winning only three out of their eight games so far, Hardik Pandya's MI have to be at their best and win almost all of their remaining league stage matches to make the playoffs. With that in mind, here's a broad overview of how these teams can make the IPL 2024 playoffs.
Can Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians qualify for the IPL 2024 playoffs?
Interestingly, both DC and MI face each other in their upcoming fixture on April 27 in Delhi and it's probably going to be a clash of massive importance for both sides considering the result will have a huge bearing on the team's playoff hopes.
Technically, both DC and MI are still very much in the hunt for the playoff IPL 2024 race. They would qualify for the playoffs if they win the rest of their league games.
DC can get to a maximum of 18 points and nine wins this season, which usually guarantees a playoff spot. Even if they lose against MI up next, they can still go to eight wins with 16 points which has been enough for a playoff spot in past seasons.
Similarly for MI as well, they can reach a maximum of 18 points with nine wins to help them reach the playoffs. A loss against DC would mean they would have to win the rest of their games to reach the playoffs without depending on other results.
That said, while the upcoming clash between DC and MI won't be a deathblow to any team's playoff chances should they lose, it's worth mentioning that a defeat would put the defeated side in a very difficult situation where they would need to win all of their remaining games.
While all teams will get a clearer picture of what they need to do to qualify for the playoffs after 10 games, the upcoming Delhi Capitals versus Mumbai Indians clash is of great significance since a loss for either would put them in an uphill battle for playoff qualification.
The defeated side would need to win all their remaining games, maintain a healthy net run rate and hope that other results go their way, making Saturday's contest between DC and MI a pivotal encounter with massive implications for both team's IPL 2024 playoff hopes.
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