IPL 2024: Predicting 3 players who could pick up the most wickets in today's DC vs MI match

Although the match went down to the wire, Delhi Capitals (DC) are coming off their most complete and thus perhaps their most satisfying win of IPL 2024 over Gujarat Titans (GT) on Wednesday. The issues plaguing them in batting seemed untangled while new bowlers stepped up to contribute wickets at crucial moments.

Mumbai Indians (MI) have had quite the opposite recent history. Rajasthan Royals (RR) trounced them comprehensively by nine wickets. Hardik Pandya and Co.'s every inch of bowling and tactical weaknesses were found out while the batting looked on the life support of a couple of youngsters in the middle-order.

Now, as the two teams clash, with similar goals of just somehow going higher in the points table, it's meant to be messy. And, below, we have tried to predict three bowlers who can come out of it with the most wickets for their teams:

#3 Axar Patel

DC left-arm spinner Axar Patel seems to have a good idea of what works well at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. In 19 matches here, he has 14 wickets at 29.21. In both matches here so far, he has picked up a wicket each with decent economy rates.

After a slow start, he's slowly finding his rhythm in IPL 2024. Even in DC's last match against MI at the Wankhede, he took out both Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan after their belligerent starts to curb MI's scoring rate a bit.

MI don't have the greatest players of spin in their middle order either except Suryakumar Yadav. This one is a day game and would offer a bit more help for spinners. Plus, with Kuldeep Yadav back in the team, Axar has a lot more support to patiently spin a web around Pandya's team even if they try to take him on.

#2 Jasprit Bumrah

MI's lead pacer Jasprit Bumrah had a rough game against RR and the whole bowling attack crumbled around him. That just tells you how good he has been the whole season and how much MI have relied on him, even to just have a chance to qualify for the top four at this stage in IPL 2024.

One off-game won't deter him from picking wickets in Delhi. He's just too good for that. The pitches that don't have much for the bowlers are generally the best suited for Bumrah as his quality shines through over others.

He has played 20 matches against DC (the most for him against any opponent in the IPL) and picked 25 wickets at an average of 22.44. DC's Indian core of Prithvi Shaw, Axar and Rishabh Pant has struggled against him. They, and DC's unstable lower-order, will have to do extremely well to come out unscathed against him.

#1 Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav is slowly emerging as the most consistent bowler of IPL 2024. The only match he hasn't picked up a wicket yet this season was against GT in Ahmedabad when he didn't need to. In the reverse fixture in Delhi, he showed with a spell of 2/29, making it six wickets from two games here in the season for him.

He wasn't there in the match against MI at the Wankhede otherwise, that might have been a different story too. In a way, Kuldeep is like Pat Cummins and Bumrah. When wickets are flat, his planning, execution, and variations come up brighter and sharper than others and he becomes the main character.

MI will have to be wary of something similar on Saturday, or their batters will just become stats in Kuldeep's charge for the IPL 2024 Purple Cap.