The Mumbai Indians have had a miserable campaign so far this IPL 2014, and the Delhi Daredevils haven't been too far in the we-can't-buy-a-win stakes. So, when the two teams meet in Sharjah on Saturday, one will pick up a morale-boosting victory, while the other will still be searching for their mojo, which has so far eluded them by a long way.
Where to Watch Live:
Get the report HERE
The game is scheduled for an 4 pm IST(2.30 pm local time, 11.30 am BST, 6.30 am ET) start with live coverage on Sony Six and Sony Max in India. Watch the match via live streaming online in India HERE or HERE. Viewers in the US can live stream the action HERE, while audience in Canada can do the same HERE. Rest of the world can catch the IPL action HERE, HERE or through the GoCricket apps.
Viewers in the UK can catch the action live on ITV, while Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka will have TV coverage via Geo Super, Maasaranga TV and Carlton Sports Network respectively. Viewers in the Middle East and North Africa can catch the action on OSN and with the link HERE, while New Zealand viewers can do the same through Sky NZ HERE.
MI are yet to win a single game this season, losing all three of their matches, and that too with barely a whimper. Their batting has looked as ineffective as work staff on a Sunday, with the defending champions in desperate need of some luck and skill to get over the line for the first time in IPL 2014.
"It is a slow start for the team," MI all-rounder Corey Anderson told IPL's official website. "We haven't had a good beginning, but it is no excuse.
We have got to work harder and we have got to come out fighting harder again. We just have to come out and win a couple of games and I am sure we will get going from there."
The Mumbai Indians batsmen have put up scores of 122, 115 and 141 in their three games, with their last match, against the Chennai Super Kings, going pear-shaped in the final five overs of the first innings.
With Corey Anderson and Rohit Sharma at the crease, MI looked well on course for a score above 160, but the former's wicket triggered a massive collapse from which there was no return.
The 141 for seven was never going to be enough to challenge CSK, who comfortably reached the target with an entire over to spare.
The Delhi Daredevils have been inconsistent with the bat in this tournament, scoring a big score, or chasing down a sizeable target, at one moment, while being bowled out for a score below hundred at another.
Consistency is key if a team is to make it to the Playoffs after 14 games each, and that is something DD will be desperate to acquire in the coming matches.
Kevin Pietersen's return was a huge boost for the Daredevils, who got to within four runs of the Sunrisers Hyderabad's score of 184 in their previous game. Pietersen, not surprisingly, looked rusty with the bat in his first game of IPL 7 after a finger injury kept him out of the Daredevils' first three games, but with one match in his kitty, KP will look to be more of a threat.
The Daredevils have won only one of their first four games, and they will know the importance of making it two out of five; but then, with MI equally desperate to pick up their first win of the season, this match promises to go right down to the wire.
