Image Credit- BCCI
Since making a successful return to competitive cricket, Rishabh Pant has only grown stronger. In the Delhi Capitals’ most recent game, he showed signs of returning to form after wreaking havoc on the Gujarat Titans bowlers with 88 off 43 balls and some fireworks that defied geometry.
Pant has already surpassed his run total from his 2022 IPL season with 342 runs in nine games. His strike rate is 161.32, making him easily DC’s top run scorer this season. When facing fast bowlers, that strike rate increases even further to 190.55.
But when the Capitals take on the Mumbai Indians on Saturday, Pant may face his toughest IPL 2024 test against his longtime rival Jasprit Bumrah.
This season, Bumrah has been playing at his best. He is Mumbai’s top bowler and joint-highest wicket-taker with 13 wickets at an economy rate of 6.37. What’s more, he has a fantastic record against Pant. More than any other bowler, Bumrah has dismissed Pant six times in 13 IPL innings. Pant averages just 8.00 and has a strike rate of 111.6 against Bumrah.
In the last overs of the 2024 Indian Premier League, Bumrah has the highest economy rate of any bowler who has bowled more than two overs, at 7.20. In contrast, Pant has struck out at a rate of 260.60 in the final four games of the season. When DC and MI faced off earlier in the battle, the two avoided each other’s company. If they do, though, it might make for an intriguing conflict inside a conflict.
With three victories in eight games, MI is presently ranked ninth in the standings. Despite having played one extra game, hosts DC, who have won three of their past four games, sit sixth with eight points.
For Hardik Pandya, not much has gone according to plan. He’s only managed 151 runs in eight innings in the IPL 2024, average 21.57 and striking at 142.25. He has only taken four wickets with the ball at an economy rate of 10.94. Pandya’s introduction to the batting role has also generated a lot of discussion. He entered the game in MI’s previous outing following a commanding 99-run partnership between Tilak Varma and Nehal Wadhera, and he quickly took the game’s momentum with a run-a-ball 10. Tim David was still waiting to bat. Pandya’s confidence will be greatly bolstered by a compelling display with the bat and the ball.