It appeared unlikely that Mumbai Indians would win a game at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday, particularly with Delhi Capitals at a dominant 113/1 halfway through their pursuit.
Yet, a dramatic turnaround, courtesy of the combined efforts of Karn Sharma (3-36) and Mitchell Santner (2-36), who both took five wickets, and superb ground fielding, enabled MI to register a breathtaking 12-run win.
This victory not only gave MI its second win of the season but also snapped DC's winning run.
Tilak Varma was the showman of MI's batting, making 59 off 33 balls, his second half-century of the season, to help MI achieve a good score of 205/5. Karun Nair, who was playing his first game of the season, nearly single-handedly made the chase look simple for DC, hammering 89 runs. But MI's strict bowling and fielding began to show its impact as they claimed five wickets in six overs, including Karun's, after the 10th over, getting them back in the game.
Although Ashutosh Sharma and Vipraj Nigam attempted to take DC to victory, their team's lackluster batting and MI’s fantastic fielding, combined with a ball change after the 13th over, ultimately led to DC being all out for 193 in 19 overs.
DC's pursuit of the chase began on shaky terms when Jake Fraser-McGurk was caught out for a duck on the first ball, chipping one to the cover off Deepak Chahar. Karun, however, replied with a series of boundaries, three of which were delightful fours scored off Trent Boult. MI's move to replace Jasprit Bumrah didn't have the anticipated effect at the start, with Karun sending him over the covers for a four and another boundary.
Karun took his fifty off only 22 balls, then added a six and a sweep for a maximum. His aggressive rampage continued, but MI recovered after Karun was caught by Santner for 89, the spinner turning one past the batter's edge to clean bowl him.
As the game hung in the balance, MI grabbed the chance, sending Axar Patel packing cheaply and then capitalizing on a change of ball as Tristan Stubbs was removed by Karn and KL Rahul top-edged a sweep straight to the leg-spinner. MI's tight bowling and fielding, assisted by a sequence of run-outs, ultimately meant that DC were left 12 runs short.
Earlier, MI batting was spearheaded by Varma's 59, ably aided by Naman Dhir's 38* in quick time at the end. DC bowling, with the exception of Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam, were unable to contain MI batting.
MI had a tentative beginning, but once Rickleton and Rohit Sharma got into some rhythm, they started hitting some boundaries. Rickleton also played some boundaries early on before being caught by Kuldeep Yadav, but not before making a notable contribution. Tilak Varma kept the runs flowing with a run of boundaries, while Suryakumar Yadav also played some great shots, including classic flicks and sweeps. DC fought back by getting rid of both Suryakumar and Hardik Pandya in succession.
Varma kept MI’s hopes alive with his attacking play, and he was joined by Dhir as the pair ensured that MI reached a competitive total of 205/5. Despite some chances for DC to shift the momentum, including missed opportunities in the field, MI’s score was enough for them to edge out DC and secure a much-needed victory.
Brief Scores:
Mumbai Indians: 205/5 in 20 overs (Tilak Varma 59, Ryan Rickleton 41; Kuldeep Yadav 2-23, Vipraj Nigam 2-41)
Delhi Capitals: 193 all out in 19 overs (Karun Nair 89, Abishek Porel 33; Karn Sharma 3-36, Mitchell Santner 2-43)
Mumbai Indians won by 12 runs.
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