Daijiworld Media Network

Mumbai, Apr 9: A warm welcome to one and all for the match between Mumbai and Delhi from the Wankhede stadium. Delhi have lost two games on the bounce and will be desperately looking to clinch victory today. Mumbai, on the other hand, got things back on track with a close win over Chennai.

Mumbai have won the toss and elected to bat.

Mahela Jayawardene: 'We have played some good cricket but some things did not go our way. We hope to rectify the mistakes. The middle order is a bit inexperienced. Morne Morkel is back and it gives us a big boost. It is a great wicket to bat on. It is a good toss to lose. We have some good pacers. 40 overs will not make much of a difference on this wicket. Jeevan Mendis comes in place of Johan Botha and Morne Morkel replaces Andre Russell.' No Virender Sehwag still.

Ricky Ponting: 'We have some great support today from the crowd. We have not played well as of yet but we are slowly gaining momentum. The pitch has some grass and the pacers will get some good pace and bounce. We are going to bat first. Pollard was great and the energy in the field was awesome. We have to make full use of the home advantage. Rishi Dhawan replaces Dwayne Smith and Lasith Malinga replaces Munaf Patel.'

Match Preview

So it's the clash of the big cities. Delhi and Mumbai have always been cultural rivals - is the street food in Delhi better than Mumbai or is the night life in Mumbai better? Is the Wankhede a better stadium than the FerozShah Kotla or does the wide highways in Delhi give it an edge over Mumbai? Which is the better city of the two? Few have resolved the debate but two cricket teams from the two cities will have a chance to settle the 'dispute', at least on one front - who is the better team in the Indian T20 League?

Mumbai:

Team News: The dream opening pair of Sachin Tendulkar and Ricky Ponting have done nothing to justify the hype. Two of the game's greatest batsmen, walking out to take strike, has been a sight to behold, but the two legends have disappointed so far. It has only been two games so it would not do to be too harsh on the pair - either of them can set Mumbai up nicely, who have some dangerous batsmen down the line. Meanwhile, Kieron Pollard has declared he is happy to bat anywhere the team-management asks him to - so far they have been reluctant to try him higher than the number six slot but rest assured, the Trinidadian would continue to play the big shots, no matter where he bats. Mumbai's bowling, led by Mitchell Johnson and Munaf Patel looks rather settled. Harbhajan Singh is beginning to find his rhythm while Pragyan Ojha showed his worth with returns of 2/16 in the side's nine-run victory over Chennai. Mumbai showed great resolve to bounce back from the one-run loss against Bangalore in their opening game and the owners would be hoping for the players to win some more games from hereon.

In-form player: In a star-studded batting line up, Dinesh Karthik has emerged as the most consistent batsman for Mumbai so far. He smashed a whirlwind 60 off 37 balls against Bangalore and nearly got his team over the line before a brilliant Vinay Kumar over had them short of the target by just a solitary run. Karthik has never really realised his talent at the international level but India's first ever Man of the Match in T20 Internationals seems to be on a mission this season. He followed up the swashbuckling half-century with a 25-ball 37 against Chennai, again after the openers had been dismissed quickly. Despite losing wickets regularly at the other end, Karthik did not take his foot off the accelerator in either of the two games. Delhi would want to watch out for Dinesh Karthik, their former colleague in the Indian T20 League.

Hits: Kieron Pollard's batting position has often drawn Mumbai a lot of criticism but he silenced everyone with a breathtaking 57 (not out) against Chennai. Mumbai were reduced to 83/6 at one stage but the big man from Trinidad sent Chennai on a wild leather chase, clobbering five sixes and four boundaries as he added 65 runs with Harbhajan Singh to take Mumbai to a respectable 148 at the end of 20 overs. Pollard's fielding can be a game-changer too and when he plucked a blinder out of thin air to dismiss MS Dhoni for 51, the world was left in awe, not for the first time.

Another man Mumbai are banking heavily on this season is Harbhajan Singh - it was not just the run-a-ball 21 he scored against Chennai that has made him an important player for the team this year - Bhajji has found some form with the ball. He returned with 1/21 off his four overs against a marauding Chris Gayle and picked up 2/31 to stop Chennai the other night. The off-spinner can be a certain match-winner.

Misses: Rohit Sharma may have ruined some golden chances with the Indian team but he has always been a top performer in the Indian T20 League. However, this season, luck seems to have abandoned him in the T20 extravaganza as well. With scores of 11 and 8, Sharma has left the Mumbai middle-order very vulnerable. He has been a key player for Mumbai over the years and the skipper would be eager to see Sharma find some form soon.

Delhi:

Team News: Delhi have not got off to the kind of start they would have liked. Two losses out of two games does not make for very good reading but they could be excused for the initial stutters. First Kevin Pietersen was ruled out of the entire tournament and then came the Jesse Ryder blow. If that was not already bad enough, Virender Sehwag was ruled out of the first two games, leaving an otherwise daunting line-up look rather mediocre. Yes, Mahela Jayawardene and David Warner seem formidable at the top but there is not much experience in the middle-order.

In-form player: David Warner had a torrid time against the Indian spinner earlier in the summer but the Australian southpaw has been among the runs for Delhi. Warner started off with 21 against Kolkata and then smashed 77 against Rajasthan, albeit in losing causes. However, an in-form Warner is always good news for Delhi. Even without a lot of firepower in the middle, Warner can be a match-winner all by himself. Delhi have rested a lot of hopes on their vice-captain.

Hits: Young Shabaz Nadeem has been Delhi's best bowler so far. The left-arm spinner has been tight and held his own against some of the best batsmen in the world so far. Three wickets from two games at under six an over are very good returns. Nadeem does not bowl a lot of loose deliveries and has the happy habit of breaking partnerships. Nadeem is a captain's delight and he would once again be an important bowler against Mumbai.

Jayawardene showed Delhi the way with a composed 66 against Kolkata but the others failed to rally around him. The Sri Lankan always stays calm under pressure and is a big-match player. He did not get too many against Rajasthan but the skipper would want to make amends against Mumbai at the Wankhede.

Misses: After leading India to victory in the U-19 World Cup, Unmukt Chand was expected to make waves during the Indian T20 League but a golden duck against Kolkata followed by a 23 against Rajasthan hasn't really helped him make any headlines. Chand has looked nervous and too desperate to impress but he has good company in Warner and Jayawardene. Chand has the opportunity to shine at the venue of India's World Cup conquest and the youngster would be eager to make it count.

Head to head: There is not much to choose between these sides. They have faced each other 10 times in the Indian T20 League and both sides have won five games each.

Quotes: 'I am spending some good time with Warner. It's been a great learning experience, seeing the way he started his innings and the way he progressed. He did not take tough chances initially and then as the game progressed, he started playing more aggressively. All these things teach you.

CB's pick: It's always a tricky business to pick a favourite in a T20 game but Mumbai would have the upper hand going into their home game - they have the better side on paper and a more settled bowling line-up.

Teams:

Mumbai (From): Ricky Ponting(c), Aditya Tare(w), Abu Nechim, Aiden Blizzard, Ambati Rayudu, Amitoze Singh, Dwayne Smith, Dhawal Kulkarni, Dinesh Karthik, Harbhajan Singh, Jalaj Saxena, James Franklin, Kieron Pollard, Rishi Dhawan, Lasith Malinga, Mitchell Johnson, Munaf Patel, Pawan Suyal, Pragyan Ojha, Rohit Sharma, Sachin Tendulkar, Suryakumar Yadav, Sushant Marathe, Yuzvendra Chahal, Phillip Hughes, Glenn Maxwell, Jacob Oram, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Akshar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah

Delhi (From): Mahela Jayawardene(c), Naman Ojha(w), Ajit Agarkar, Andre Russell, David Warner, Irfan Pathan, Manprit Juneja, Morne Morkel, Pawan Negi, Roelof van der Merwe, Shahbaz Nadeem, Umesh Yadav, Unmukt Chand, Virender Sehwag, Yogesh Nagar, Gulam Bodi, Kedar Jadhav, Siddarth Kaul, Sujit Nayak, Venugopal Rao, Johan Botha, Jeevan Mendis, Ashish Nehra, Muralidharen Gautam, Aristh Singhvi, Royston Dias, Ben Rohrer