It was a neck-and-neck contest until nearly the end of the Mumbai Indians’ innings. The difference was made in Anrich Nortje’s last over, which went for 32 runs, courtesy Romario Shepherd, who went berserk. That shifted the momentum entirely in the home team’s favour. Once they had 235, chances of Delhi Capitals getting there were bleak. MI finally got off the mark in their fourth match. DC went bottom of the table with one win from five.
DC choke MI in middle overs
Mumbai Indians got off to a strong start, courtesy openers Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan, who capitalised on the favourable batting conditions, especially with the new ball coming on nicely. Rohit was the aggressor, allowing Ishan to settle in. With the foundation laid, 200 was on the cards. DC made a strategic move by bringing in Axar Patel to bowl the seventh over, given his past successes against Rohit. Despite being hit in his initial over, Axar exacted revenge by uprooting Rohit’s stumps. Nortje dismissed Suryakumar Yadav for a duck in his comeback match. Axar then caught a stunner to remove Ishan.
As wickets fell at regular intervals, Hardik Pandya was left without support. Tilak Varma’s dismissal in the 13th over further dented MI’s progress. During the middle overs (7-15), MI managed just 63 runs and lost four wickets. Axar was the wrecker-in-chief in this period, sending back two set batters.
David-Shepherd brutal assault
The powerplay phase was dominated by MI as they scored 75 without losing a wicket. DC fought back in the middle overs by taking four wickets. The spectators witnessed something extraordinary in the final overs. MI made 96 in the last five. While Tim David thrilled fans with his big-hitting, Shepherd stunned everyone by smashing Nortje for four sixes and two fours in the last over. He found the sweet spot every time. Nortje attempted slower cutters and yorkers, but Shepherd’s power was too much. In a flash, MI had a giant total on the board.
Sensational spell from Bumrah
It was a tough night for the bowlers. Most of them conceded over 9 per over. In a match where over 400 runs were scored, 2/22 in four overs looked absurd. But Jasprit Bumrah is a genius and he showed his magic once again. DC had to go after every bowler and Bumrah was a big stumbling block. Not just yorkers, bouncers or slower ones, Bumrah used hard-length balls to great effect. While he got Prithvi Shaw with a yorker, it was a quick full toss that accounted for Abishek Porel.
Stubbs ahead of Pant
Having been sent ahead of Rishabh Pant, Tristan Stubbs faced scoreboard pressure and the pressure to deliver. He rose to the occasion. Though not in a winning cause, his innings proved he’s capable in any role. Playing against his former team, Stubbs had a point to prove and wasted little time in getting going. The dashing right-handed batter attacked all the bowlers, excluding Bumrah. Stubbs appeared to be the only one truly committed to the chase, but he lacked support. Had another batter performed like him, the game might have been much closer.