Match: MI Emirates vs Dubai Capitals (MI vs DC)
Date: January 22, Sunday, 7.30 PM IST
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
On January 22, Dubai Capitals and MI Emirates will square off in match no 13 of the International League 2023 at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
The Rovman Powell-led Capitals defeated the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders to kick off their season. But they have fallen in the standings after that win, which was followed by three straight defeats. They have a net run rate of -1.134, placing them seventh in the points table.
On January 21, they suffered a seven-wicket defeat to Sharjah Warriors, which played a big spoilsport to their net run rate. The Capitals scored 177 for four after being asked to bat first, thanks in large part to Joe Root’s unbeaten 80 off 54 balls. But Tom Kohler Cadmore’s century eclipsed Root’s knock and enabled the Warriors to get over the line with 5.2 overs remaining.
MI Emirates, on the other hand, is one of the three unbeaten teams in the competition so far along with the tournament leaders Gulf Giants and Desert Vipers. The Emirates, however, have the poorest net run rate of the three teams at +1.369. They will enter this contest having defeated the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders on Saturday by a margin of five wickets. Najibullah Zadran and Dwayne Bravo led from the front in the last few overs, giving the Emirates a win in the last ball of the innings.
Ahead of the 13th game of the ILT20, let’s look at the head to head of both the teams, pitch report, weather update, top picks for your MPL fantasy team and more.
Weather update and pitch report for MI vs DC
The surface at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium is a decent one for batting but the bowlers also reap benefits during the latter stages of the matches when the pitch slows down. The team winning the toss should ideally opt to bat first at the venue.
Overall, a total of 72 T20 matches have been played at this venue in the past, of which 38 were won by the teams bowling first. The average score from those 72 matches is 137. The highest and lowest T20 total on this ground is 225 for 7 and 77 for 10.
The weather in Abu Dhabi is likely to be pleasant during the course of the game. The temperature is expected to cross 25 degrees Celsius.
Dubai Capitals team news and predicted XI
Team news: Joe Root’s return to form is a big positive for the Dubai Capitals. He scored an unbeaten 80 against the Warriors on Saturday. The Capitals left out Sikandar Raza on Saturday, but he may return for the Sunday fixture.
Squad: Rovman Powell (c), Dasun Shanaka, Fabian Allen, Mujeeb Rahman, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Chamika Karunaratne, Isuru Udana, Sikandar Raza, Hazratullah Zazai, Chirag Suri, Daniel Lawrence, Jash Ginayani, Niroshan Dickwella, Fred Klaassen, George Munsey, Hazrat Luqman, Akif Raja, Joe Root, Robin Uthappa, Ravi Bopara, Yusuf Pathan, Ollie White
Predicted XI: Robin Uthappa, Joe Root, Chirag Suri, Dan Lawrence, Sikandar Raza, Rovman Powell, Dasun Shanaka, Isuru Udana, Fred Klaassen, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Hazrat Luqman
MI Emirates team news and predicted XI
Team news: MI Emirates are unlikely to make any changes to their playing XI, unless they have any injury concerns.
Squad: Kieron Pollard (c), Dwayne Bravo, Nicholas Pooran, Trent Boult, Andre Fletcher, Imran Tahir, Samit Patel, Will Smeed, Jordan Thompson, Najibullah Zadran, Zahir Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Brad Wheal, Bas de Leede, Muhammad Waseem, Basil Hameed, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Craig Overton, Tom Lammonby, Dan Mousley, McKenny Clarke, Lorcan Tucker
Predicted XI: Will Smeed, Muhammad Waseem, Nicholas Poora, Andre Fletcher, Kieron Pollard, Najibullah Zadran, Dwayne Bravo, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Trent Boult, Imran Tahir, Zahoor Khan
Head to head record
This will be the first game between the two sides.
Five players to watch out for
Here we list five players you must pick in your MPL fantasy XI MI vs DC
Joe Root – batsman, Dubai Capitals
Joe Root got starts in two of his first three innings this season, but was not able to convert them into big innings. But he smashed an unbeaten 80 in the most recent match against the Warriors. His knock, which came a strike rate of almost 150, was laced with eight boundaries and a maximum. Root now has 132 runs in four innings in the ILT20. The batsman brings with him plenty of experience, having played 32 T20 internationals and 88 other T20s.
Rovman Powell – batsman, Dubai Capitals
The skipper of the Dubai Capitals has been mostly consistent so far, apart from a duck that he scored against the Giants on December 19. Powell has made 130 runs in three games at a strike rate of almost 155. In all, the hard-hitting Jamaican batsman has a batting average and strike rate of 23.42 and 134.64 in 55 T20 internationals.
Nicholas Pooran – wicketkeeper batsman, MI Emirates
Although Nicholas Pooran is yet to score a half-century this season so far, nearly all his knocks have come at an excellent strike rate. He has scored 40, 49, 3918 and 20 in his last four innings and all these knocks combined have come at a strike rate of over 160. In all, Pooran has played 256 T20s, from which he has a batting average and strike rate of 24.95 and 141.15.
Imran Tahir – bowler, MI Emirates
The T20 globetrotter and veteran bowler has five wickets in three games at an economy of 6.81.The spinner brings with him a wealth of experience – Tahir has played 373 T20s and 38 T20Is.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman – bowler, Dubai Capitals
Mujeeb Ur Rahman, one of the best spin bowlers in the tournament, has taken five wickets in three matches at an average of 17.2, an economy of 7.81, and a strike rate of 13.2. Overall, he has taken 225 wickets in 202 T20 matches. For Afghanistan, he has 49 wickets in 36 T20 internationals.
MPL XI
MI vs DC – where and what time to watch the match live in India
The MI Emirates vs Dubai Capitals match will be telecast on ZEE’s 10 linear channels in English, Hindi, and Tamil as well as on ZEE5.The match will begin at 7.30 PM IST on January 22.
Check out our detailed guide on fantasy cricket for more tips and tricks. https://www.mpl.live/blog/todays-match-prediction/
Note: The players recommended here need not be a part of the Playing 11 on game day. Users are advised to do their own research also and follow official sources and create their teams.
