Amit Mishra applied the brakes and took four wickets in the middle overs which helped DC restrict MI to just 137/9 in their 20 overs. The 2020 runners-up controlled the chase really well as the Delhi batting line-up batted sensibly and made some vital contributions to take the side over the line with five balls to spare.
Finally, there was a successful run-chase at the Chepauk (second in seven games), and the nightmare at the death did not come to haunt the Delhi Capitals. The game was set up by Amit Mishra, who took four wickets. The wily old fox picked up the big wickets and broke the back the Mumbai Indians batting line-up.
However, in their run-chase, the DC batsmen played some smart cricket and got over the line with five balls to spare. Chasing 138 was not going to be easy on a sluggish deck, but some vital contributions from Shikhar Dhawan, Steve Smith, Lalit Yadav and Shimron Hetmyer helped DC wrap up the chase in the last over.
MI skipper Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bat first. It was the fourth successive game at the Chepauk that MI batted first. They made one change as they brought in Jayant Yadav in place of Adam Milne and went in with just three overseas players. Meanwhile, DC made a couple of changes, bringing in Shimron Hetmyer for Chris Woakes and Amit Mishra for Lukman Meriwala.
While Ravichandran Ashwin taking the new ball wasn’t a surprise, DC skipper Rishabh Pant pulled out a punt as he opened the bowling with Marcus Stoinis. It worked as the Aussie seam-bowling all-rounder had Quinton de Kock nicking to the keeper in the third over.
But that did not affect MI too much as Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav went out on the attack in the back half of the powerplay. They accumulated 46 runs off 23 balls. Ashwin hit for 15 runs while Rabada conceded 14 in the fourth and fifth, respectively, as Mumbai were on charge. Amit Mishra was struck for a couple of boundaries in his first over as well.
When the duo was upping the ante, Suryakumar fell for 24 as he nicked one, trying to guide an Avesh Khan delivery to the third man. But it was Mishra’s re-introduction in the ninth over that turned the game on its head. MI were motoring along nicely at 74/2 in the ninth over before Mishra struck twice in the space of three balls and change the complexion of the game.
The veteran leg-spinner had both Rohit and Hardik Pandya holing out at long-on. Rohit threw away yet another start in this IPL as he was dismissed for 44 while Pandya was out for a first-ball duck trying to hoick Mishra over long-on. Lalit Yadav then had Krunal Pandya chopping one back on to his stumps before Mishra came back to pin Kieron Pollard LBW with a beautifully wrong’un.
MI went from 76/2 to 84/6 in the span of 21 deliveries. Ishan Kishan and Jayant Yadav stuck around for a bit and got a few boundaries before they were dismissed in successive overs (18th and the 19th). Mumbai huffed and puffed their way to 137/9. Despite the slow nature of the tracks in Chennai, it was the joint-lowest total here (across all games) in this season.
However, MI had the bowling attack to defend this kind of a total and had done it before. They had a good start, and Jayant Yadav had Prithvi Shaw caught and bowled in the second over.
Steve Smith walked out to bat at No. 3 and joined Shikhar Dhawan in the middle. The duo ticked off the MI bowlers with ease. They rotated strike really well and got the odd boundary here and there. They reached 39/1 at the end of the powerplay, and both batters were going at about a run-a-ball.
MI brought on the spinners from both ends, but Smith and Dhawan continued milking the bowlers for easy singles. Smith broke the shackles a couple of boundaries off Krunal Pandya in the 9th over to give DC’s innings some impetus. However, he fell in the very next over as Pollard had him LBW.
Lalit Yadav was promoted ahead of Rishabh Pant at No. 4, but the Delhi youngster struggled to get going. That is when Dhawan upped the ante a touch at the other end, finding a couple of boundaries.
The required run-rate crept up to 8 with six overs to go. MI have driven home the game from such stages in the last few games. Hence, Dhawan attacked Rahul Chahar as he struck a six and a four off the leg-spinner before perishing, trying to hit another boundary. At that stage, Delhi needed 37 off the last five overs.
Pant came in and got a boundary, while Lalit also top-edged one for four. Bumrah foxed Pant with a slower one and had him caught at fine-leg. The pressure was rising on DC as 22 were required in the last three overs. But Hetmyer batted smartly alongside Lalit to steer DC home with five balls to spare.
This win was Delhi’s first over MI, and they broke the five-match losing streak. With this win, they have now shot up to the second spot on the points table.
Brief Scores: Mumbai Indians 137/9 (Rohit 44, Kishan 26, Suryakumar 24, Mishra 4/24, Avesh 2/15) lost to Delhi Capitals 138/4 (Dhawan 45, Smith 33, Lalit 22, Pollard 1/9, Jayant 1/25) by six wickets
