With three of the four IPL 2025 playoff spots already sealed by Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings, the race to the final slot heats up as Mumbai Indians take on a desperate Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Faced with a must-win situation, the Capitals are currently in fifth with 13 points from 12 outings, and a win against Mumbai will take them to 15 points, keeping their hopes alive while a loss will eliminate them from the race.

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On the other hand, the Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai outfit are presently in fourth with 14 points from 12 matches, and a win will seal their berth in the top four. However, a loss against Delhi, will leave the race open for both, and the fight for that final playoff spot goes into their final league games against PBKS.

If DC beat MI and then beat PBKS in Jaipur on May 24, they will qualify for the playoffs with 17 points and knock out MI, who can reach a maximum of 16 points. But if DC beat MI to get to 15 points but lose to PBKS, then MI can qualify with 16 points and knock DC out if they beat PBKS in Jaipur on May 26.

After a topsy-turvy start to the tournament, five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians found their rhythm at the right stage, winning six of their last seven matches and look a confident bunch. Heading into Wednesday’s crunch match against DC, Mumbai hold the psychological edge after edging past them by 12 runs in their previous match.

Suryakumar Yadav has been MI’s standout performer with 510 runs from 12 games at an impressive strike rate of over 180, while Rohit Sharma, Ryan Rickelton Will Jacks and the rest of the top order, comprising the likes of Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir have also been amongst the runs.

Jasprit Bumrah’s return has bolstered MI’s bowling unit as the premier fast bowler has been in great form along with New Zealand veteran Trent Boult. Skipper Pandya has also contributed immensely with the ball, claiming 13 wickets so far, with the likes of Deepak Chahar and leg-spinner Karn Sharma also stepping up to the occasion.

Bairstow, Asalanka among three new replacements

MI have signed Jonny Bairstow, Richard Gleeson and Charith Asalanka as temporary replacements for Will Jacks, Ryan Rickelton and Corbin Bosch, all of whom left the IPL for national duties after the team’s last league game, against Punjab Kings in Jaipur on May 26.

England wicketkeeper-batter Bairstow, who was unsold at the mega auction, will join at a price of Rs 5.25 crore after being named as a replacement for allrounder Jacks, who’s in England’s white-ball squad for the limited-overs series against the West Indies at home, starting May 29.

Fast bowler Richard Gleeson, also from England, will join at a reserve price of Rs 1 crore and serve as a replacement for Rickelton, while Asalanka will come in at a reserve price of Rs 75 lakhs for Corbin Bosch, who’s also named in South Africa’s squad for WTC final at Lord’s.

DC on the brink

Meanwhile, for Delhi, only a win can save them from elimination. KL Rahul’s unbeaten 112 against the Titans was the only positive from their loss in the previous match, and the Axar Patel-led side needs more than just the motivation when they take the field on Wednesday. The inconsistency of their middle order has affected their tempo after the four straight wins initially in the tournament, and they now would expect the likes of Axar, Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma to come all guns blazing in their last attempt to reach the top four.

The absence of Mitchell Starc, who preferred to exit the tournament after the IPL was halted midway for a week due to cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan, could also be a big loss for the Delhi franchise. The Aussie left-arm quick was sensational for the Capitals before the break, and the team would expect his replacement Mustafizur Rahman and the likes of Dushmanta Chameera to get them the wickets. Kuldeep Yadav, with 12 wickets so far, remains the trump card for the DC side while Axar will also be expected to lead from the front.

The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai is expected to be a batting-friendly pitch. However, with high chances of rain, the home team will have an edge, given that in case of a no-result, both teams will split the points.

Squads:

Mumbai Indians: Hardik Pandya (c), Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Robin Minz (wk), Ryan Rickelton (wk), Shrijith Krishnan (wk), Bevon Jacobs, Tilak Varma, Naman Dhir, Will Jacks, Mitchell Santner, Raj Angad Bawa, Raghu Kumar, Corbin Bosch, Trent Boult, Karn Sharma, Deepak Chahar, Ashwani Kumar, Reece Topley, VS Penmetsa, Arjun Tendulkar, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Jasprit Bumrah.

Delhi Capitals: Axar Patel (c), Mustafizur Rahman, Abhishek Porel (wk), Karun Nair, KL Rahul (wk), Tristan Stubbs (wk), Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Sameer Rizvi, Darshan Nalkande, Tripurana Vijay, Dushmantha Chameera, Faf du Plessis, T Natarajan, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Manvanth Kumar L, Madhav Tiwari.