Dubai: Mumbai Indians entered the final of the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the sixth time by defeating Delhi Capitals by 57 runs on Thursday, presenting a good experience of playing in big matches like four-time champions. Reigning champions Mumbai batted first after losing the toss and made a strong score of 200 for five. In response, the Delhi team could only make 143 runs for eight wickets. Mumbai had earlier reached the final in 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2019.
The journey to Delhi is not over yet. He will face the winner of the eliminator between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the second qualifier on Friday. Despite Mumbai losing wickets at regular intervals, Quinton Diak (40 off 25 balls), Suryakumar Yadav (51 off 38 balls, six fours, two sixes), Ishan Kishan (55 not out off 30 balls, four fours, three sixes) and Death Hardik Pandya (37 not out with the help of five sixes off 14 balls) who made a fuss in the overs, managed to make a big score. Mumbai scored 55 runs in the last three overs. After this Jaspreet Bumrah (four for 14) and Trent Bolt (two for nine in two overs) wreaked havoc and sent Delhi on the backfoot in the first two overs.
Half of Delhi’s team was in the pavilion for 41 runs. Marcus Stoinis (65 off 46 balls) and Akshar Patel (42 off 33 balls) added 71 runs for the sixth wicket to close the gap. Delhi had a very bad start against a big target. Bolt dismissed Prithvi Saw and Ajinkya Rahane in the first over while Bumrah slammed Shikhar Dhawan in the next over.
Delhi’s account was not even open and its three wickets had fallen. Bumrah also did not allow captain Shreyas Iyer (12) to survive while Rishabh Pant (three) failed again. The dew had started to show its effect and Stoinis targeted Rahul Chahar who scored 35 runs in two overs. Stoinis hit three sixes while Akshar hit two sixes on Kieron Pollard to make the match exciting. In such a situation, Bumrah stopped the ball and scattered Stoinis on the first ball and then caught Daniel Sam behind the wicket.
Stoinis hit six fours and three sixes in his innings. Patel was out in the last over. His innings includes two fours and three sixes. Kagiso Rabada remained unbeaten on 15 runs. Earlier, in the first 10 overs, if Suryakumar made the innings, then in the last 10 overs, Kishan handled this responsibility well. These two held one end. Kishan and Hardik finally shared 60 runs off 23 balls.
Delhi’s two leading bowlers Kagiso Rabada (42 runs) and Enrique Norje (50 for one) scored 92 runs in eight overs. Ravichandran Ashwin (three for 29) bowled impressively though. Decock scored 15 runs in the first over with the help of three fours by Daniel Sam but Rohit Sharma failed in the second match in a row after recovering from injury. Ashwin knocked out Rohit on a beautiful off break.
Rohit equaled the record of Harbhajan Singh and Parthiv Patel for being out at zero 13 times in the IPL. Diakak maintained his aggressive demeanor and new batsman Suryakumar gave his full support which helped Mumbai reach 63 for one in the powerplay. Suryakumar hit two sixes on Ashwin but this off-spinner forced Diak to give a catch waving in the air. Diak hit five fours and a six. But only 15 runs were made in the middle overs and Suryakumar and Kieron Pollard returned to the pavilion.
Norje sent Suryakumar to the pavilion who completed a half-century with a spectacular four at midwicket before giving a catch at the boundary line. Ashwin did not even allow Pollard to open an account. Kishan then changed gears. Kishan’s six on the deep square leg at Rabada was spectacular.
Krunal also hit a six on Norje and gave an easy catch on Stoinis’ ball. In the 18th over of Sams, Hardik and Kishan hit sixes. Hardik smashed two sixes on Rabada and Norje to spoil his bowling analysis. Kishan completed his half century by sending the last ball of Norje’s innings for a six.
