Suryakumar Yadav's gritty unbeaten 73 was the turning point as Mumbai Indians clinched the last available play-off berth with a comprehensive 59-run win over Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday.
Suryakumar's thumping innings — 43 balls filled with seven fours and six sixes in the face of pressure — set the tone for an easy victory. The five-time champions, who lost out on the play-offs last year, made their comeback with finesse.
Delhi Capitals, still having a good chance to reach top four heading into the match, watched their hopes get smashed as Mumbai batsmen accumulated 48 runs during the last two overs. The visitors, though, had a poor batting reply in this do-or-die game, losing their top-order wickets early and making the chase a formality.
Pursuing a target of 181, Delhi Capitals, in the absence of their usual captain Axar Patel, were bowled out for 121 in 18.2 overs. Sameer Rizvi was the top scorer with 39 runs.
The pick of the bowlers for Mumbai was Mitchell Santner, who bowled a fine spell of 4 overs, 11 runs, and 3 wickets, getting rid of Rizvi, Vipraj Nigam (20), and Ashutosh Sharma (18). Jasprit Bumrah also bowled well, returning figures of 3.2 overs, 12 runs, and 3 wickets.
Delhi Capitals' pursuit suffered a heavy setback early on with stand-in captain Faf du Plessis (6) and KL Rahul (11) getting out inexpensively, heaping pressure on the remaining batsmen. Rahul, who had scored an unbeaten century in the last game, got out to Trent Boult after getting an awkward edge, while du Plessis got out at long-on off Deepak Chahar.
Bumrah further rattled the Capitals’ innings, trapping Tristan Stubbs LBW to reduce them to 65/5. Santner sealed the fate of Delhi by removing Rizvi and Ashutosh in the 15th over, effectively ending the contest.
Earlier, Suryakumar anchored Mumbai’s innings amid tricky conditions, as Delhi’s spinners Kuldeep Yadav (1/22) and Vipraj Nigam (0/25) capitalized on a slow pitch that offered plenty of turn and assistance to slow bowlers.
On a Wankhede surface unusual for its grip and turn, Suryakumar played a gritty innings, stabilizing the Mumbai lineup. He shared two vital partnerships that revived Mumbai’s faltering innings: a 55-run stand with Tilak Varma for the fourth wicket and a late 57-run partnership off just 21 balls with Dhir, who scored a quick 24 from 8 balls, including two fours and two sixes.
The momentum shifted decisively in the favour of Mumbai in the last two overs as Suryakumar and Dhir hit five sixes and four fours, aggregating 48 runs and confirming the runaway win.
Despite the strong finish, Mumbai’s start was shaky, as they struggled to build momentum from the end of the powerplay until the 18th over. Rohit Sharma fell cheaply for 5, edging behind off Mustafizur Rahman for the fourth time this season.
Meanwhile, Ryan Rickelton (25) and Will Jacks (21) made promising starts but failed to convert them into substantial scores. Tilak Varma battled through for a steady 27 runs from as many balls.
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