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Mumbai Indians (MI) had nothing to lose when they headed into their last league encounter of the season against Delhi Capitals (DC). However, they had an additional fan base of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise behind them as their fate depended on the outcome of the game. MI did not disappoint RCB fans and stunned DC with a five-wicket win to seal Faf du Plessis-led side’s playoffs spot in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.
Sloppy fielding and few blunders in the field from captain Rishabh Pant led to DC finishing fifth on the points table. MI finished last but managed to register their fourth win of the tournament.
Rohit’s horrible outing
Ishan Kishan did well in the powerplay overs but the momentum was halted by a struggling Rohit Sharma. The opener even struggled to get off strike. In the fifth over, he succumbed to the pressure and gave an easy catch to mid-off fielder Anrich Nortje. Rohit managed to score just two runs from 13 deliveries as MI scored 27 runs during the fielding restrictions.
Brevis, Kishan bring MI back in game
Brought back into the side Dewald Brevis shared a crucial partnership with Kishan to get MI back on track. Kishan accelerated as well and took on spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel. Kishan missed his half-century as Kuldeep managed to get his wicket in the 12th over. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 48 runs from 35 deliveries including three fours and four sixes. The two batters put on 51 runs for the second wicket.
Pant’s mistakes
Brevis was dropped by Pant off Kuldeep’s bowling. However, Thakur managed to get the South African batter’s wicket in the 15th over. In the same over, Thakur nearly had the wicket of David but Pant decided not to opt for DRS. Thakur appealed for caught-behind but Pant refrained from taking the review. The Ultraedge showed a clear spike. Had the decision gone in DC’s favour, David would have been out for a golden duck.
David’s onslaught
While Tilak Varma looked to rotate the strike, David went ballistic against Thakur. The big-hitter scored 34 runs from just 11 deliveries to tilt the game in MI’s favour. His match-winning cameo included two fours and four sixes. In the end, Thakur managed to get David’s wicket but there were not enough runs remaining on the board.
More mistakes in slog overs
With 14 runs needed off 12 deliveries, Ramandeep Singh walked out to bat. Ramandeep released the pressure with a boundary off the first ball against Nortje. The Proteas speedster did manage to keep the game alive with the wicket of Tilak followed by a dot ball. The southpaw contributed with 21 runs from 17 deliveries.
In the final over, MI needed five runs to win the game. Khaleel started off poorly with an above-waist height no ball. The free hit turned out to be the perfect opportunity for Ramandeep to finish off the game. He went for the big shot and got a boundary to help MI win the game by five wickets with five balls to spare.
Bumrah delivers in powerplay overs
Daniel Sams drew the first blood with the new ball by getting the wicket of David Warner in his second over. Jasprit Bumrah struck with the new ball. Mitchell Marsh got out for a golden duck as the outside edge carried to first slip fielder.
The flow of runs during fielding restrictions took a hit after the two wickets. Pant struggled to score. Returning to the side after recovering from typhoid, Prithvi Shaw hit a few impressive shots but was outsmarted by an exceptional in-swinging bouncer which took an edge off his bat. Shaw departed after a 23-ball 24 in the sixth over. DC managed to score 37/3.
Big partnership
Sarfaraz Khan started off with a six but could not do much damage after that. Mayank Markande got Sarfaraz’s wicket, reducing DC for 50/4 in the ninth over. The fourth-wicket partnership between Pant and Rovman Powell got DC back on track.
Pant continued to struggle whereas Powell did the bulk of scoring in the 75-run partnership. Pant accelerated in the 16th over taking on Ramandeep Singh. However, the wicketkeeper-batter could not carry on and got out off the last ball of the over. The southpaw scored 39 runs from 33 deliveries including four fours and one six.
Decent finish
Powell could not help DC finish with a flourish either. Bumrah got rid of him early in the penultimate over with a yorker. The Caribbean batter scored 43 runs from 34 deliveries including one four and four sixes.
In the end, it was Patel's cameo of 19 runs from 10 deliveries which had two sixes. DC managed to put 159/7 on the board. Bumrah was the pick of the bowlers with three wickets to his name while conceding 25 runs from his quota of four overs.
