Mumbai Indians finally got their first win of the Indian Premier League 2024 at the Wankhede Stadium in the first match of the double-header day today, Sunday. Delhi Capitals crashed to their fourth defeat in five matches, losing the high-scoring match by 29 runs.
Chasing a mammoth 235, DC managed 205/8 in 20 overs with Jasprit Bumrah making a big difference with his four overs to control the match, which was otherwise dominated by the batters.
Bumrah turns the tables
DC were kept marginally ahead at the 14-over stage by opener Prithvi Shaw – 138 for two to MI’s 131/4 and Abhishek Porel second-wicket stand. Shaw scored 66 off 40 balls (eight 4s and three sixes), before Bumrah changed the course of the game with his wicket.
The DC opener could just manage to take his toes out of the line of a Bumrah projectile, which hit the timber to get the most valuable wicket for MI. Shaw added 88 for the second wicket off just 49 deliveries with Porel after early dismissal of David Warner (10, 8b).
In the match where each team scored at more than 10 runs per over, Bumrah bowled his four overs for just 22 runs and two wickets.
Stubbs wages a lone battle.
After Bumrah dismissed Shaw and Porel, DC failed to find another worthwhile partnership as Tristan Stubbs waged a lone battle to make a match of it. He scored his 71 off 25 balls with three 4s and seven 6s, striking at 284.
Shepherd gets taste of his own medicine
Romario Shepherd slammed 32 in the last over for MI. Bowling his last in the DC innings, the all-rounder was given a taste of his own medicine as Stubbs thrashed him for three sixes. DC needed 34 off the last over, but Coetzee kept the top run-getter of the match quiet, also taking his and Kumar Kushagra’s wicket to bring cheers to the MI camp, signing off with four wickets from his four overs.
Good start and great finish
Put in to bat by Rishabh Pant, MI controlled the game with a great opening stand as Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan made the most of the powerplay restrictions, posting 80 in seven overs.
The finish in the last five overs, worth 92 runs, was a perfect icing on the cake. Anrich Nortje did get the crucial wickets of Suryakumar Yadav and Pandya, but his figures of 4-0-65-2 allowed MI realise 234/5, their best at the Wankhede Stadium.
The game-changing last over
Romario Shepherd shifted the game towards MI conclusively slamming Nortje for 32, the most expensive over of the season, the sequence of six balls being 4, 6, 6, 6, 4, 6.
Rohit-Ishan deal in boundaries
MI openers Rohit and Ishan are dangerous strikers of the ball. Pant tried five bowlers in the first six overs and each one was punished severely, Rohit being more ferocious. In the 80-run opening stand, aerial hits were clean and fielding was pierced with precision for boundaries. Rohit dominated the partnership with his trademark big hitting.
Axar gets rid of dangerous duo
Axar Patel conceded 14 runs in his first over, but Pant posed faith in him. The seasoned tweaker was the only DC bowler to get two overs in powerplay. Faith prevailed.
Axar deceived Rohit with variation in pace and spin. After three dot balls, the hitman stepped out and Axar won the battle with a quicker one, flummoxing the danger man. Rohit departed for 49 (27b, six 4s, three 6s).
Axar also dismissed Ishan (42, 23b, four 4s, two 6s). He plucked a stunner in the air as Ishan belted back the ball. Axar flung to his left to complete the catch with Muhammad Ali-like reflexes – MI 111 for three in 10.2 overs.
DC controlled the middle overs taking four wickets to bounce back – from a dominant 80 without loss in 7 overs, the hosts were on the back foot at 121/4 in a span of 34 deliveries.
SKY’s early departure
Suryakumar Yadav returned to play his first competitive match in nearly four months, since his century in the T20I against South Africa in Johannesburg on December 14 last year. His comeback story summed up in two balls.
Off the first SKY survived a big lbw appeal and on the next he handed out a catch in the deep, trying to clear Anrich Nortje over the mid-on.
Captain Pandya steadies the ship
Pandya played sheet anchor in his knock of 39 (33b, three 4s, one 6s) before falling in the bid to clear a knee height full toss from Nortje as substitute Jake Fraser-McGurk took the catch at backward square leg, his second of the match.
Tim David dominated the 60-run 5th wicket partnership with Pandya. And, then Romio Shepherd, replacing Pandya, drove the match away from DC with his 10-ball 39 (three 4s, four 6s). David returned unbeaten for 45 (21b, two 4s, four 6s).
Home team won half the battle with the bat. DC lost the toss advantage.
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