Delhi Capitals 138 for 4 (Dhawan 45, Smith 33, Pollard 1-9) beat Mumbai Indians 137 for 9 (Rohit 44, Mishra 4-24, Avesh 2-15) by six wickets
Delhi Capitals registered a win against MI after five consecutive losses in IPL, including four defeats last year, on Tuesday. DC were under the pump for the first 6 overs in the first innings. However, they made sure they were always one step ahead of MI for the remaining period in the game.
Riding on Amit Mishra’s sensational figures of 4 for 24 in 4 overs, Delhi Capitals restricted Mumbai to a below-par 137-run total. MI failed to take quick wickets in the initial half of the second innings, courtesy of a brilliant 53-run partnership for the second wicket between Shikhar Dhawan and Steve Smith. And, as a result of that, DC chased down the total in 19.1 overs.
Read Here: How Delhi fared against Punjab Kings at Wankhede
Here’s a look at three major talking points from the 13th match of IPL 2021:
Amit Mishra’s 4 for 24 sets up the win for Delhi
Rohit Sharma (44) and Surykumar Yadav (24) produced some attractive shots and had given the start that MI were looking for in the powerplay. Amit Mishra went for 10 runs in his first over, including 2 fours as MI scored 55 runs in the first six.
In a big respite for Delhi, Avesh Khan then sent Suryakumar back to the pavilion in the seventh over. However, Rohit Sharma- the dangerous man was still at the crease. Amit Mishra, who had previously foxed Rohit on 6 occasions in IPL, was brought back in the ninth over. The bait worked wonders as the MI skipper once again fell into the trap of Mishra. In a bid to heave the leg-spinner for a six, he was caught at long-on.
The next ball was a complete replica as Hardik Pandya (0) too heaved the ball straight to Steve Smith at long-on only to leave MI reeling 77 for 4 after 9 overs. It was followed by two more big wickets of Kieron Pollard and Ishan Kishan as Amit Mishra broke the back of MI’s middle order.
The Indian leggie never allowed MI to develop a partnership in the middle overs by taking wickets regularly. Mumbai, as a result, ended up scoring 30-40 runs lesser than they would have liked.
Read Here: How Mumbai snatch another victory in a close game against SRH
Mumbai’s middle-order not learning from previous mistakes:
The sluggish wicket of Chepauk is taking a toll on MI’s middle order. Their big hitters like Hardik Pandya, Ishan Kishan and Kieron Pollard have consistently failed to adapt to the slow nature of the surface. Hardik’s attempt to hit a first-ball six was certainly a shot that wasn’t required at that point.
Kieron Pollard is hoping that his team move out of Chepauk as early as possible. The West Indies cricketer’s struggle against spin was once again on display. Ishan Kishan looked cautious at the start of his innings while wanting to accelerate later. However, Mishra foiled his plans too.
Mumbai still has one game left at Chepauk. It is important that the middle-order capitalize on the start given by the openers and don’t replicate similar performances.
Shikhar Dhawan and Steve Smith do the hard yards
As expected, Mumbai Indians were brilliant in the first six overs of the second innings. They gave away just 39 runs for 1 wicket. However, for them to win the game, they needed wickets in quick succession. They did that in the last two games but they failed on Wednesday, thanks to a resolute 53-run partnership between Shikhar Dhawan and Steve Smith.
Shikhar Dhawan (45) wasn’t as fluent as he was in the previous games but he made sure he didn’t give away his wicket easily. He negated both the seamers and spinners with some effort, while Steve Smith looked fluent for his 29-ball 33. The duo rotated the strike regularly and didn’t let the opposition put pressure on them.
By the time both the players got out, Delhi had the match in their grasp. Having said that, Lalit Yadav too showed great maturity during his 22-ball 25. There could be an argument that MI might have pulled it back had he not stayed till the end and helped Delhi reach the target with 5 balls to spare in the end.
Questions To Be Answered:
- Quinton de Kock has had a modest outing so far. His scores in the ongoing tournament read 2, 40 and 2. With Chris Lynn waiting in the wings, should he be rested in the next game?
- Given that one more game is left to be played at Chepauk, would it be a wise decision to play Jimmy Neesham ahead of Kieron Pollard?
What Lies Ahead For Both Sides?
Shikhar Dhawan is, once again, playing a massive role in helping Delhi dominate in the tournament. They are currently at second on the points table with 3 wins in 4 games. They would want to continue to winning momentum ahead of the next game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday.
Mumbai Indians are likely to go back to the drawing board and come up with a better plan. They now have 2 two wins and as many losses in the tournament. Rohit Sharma and Co. will meet Punjab Kings in their next game on Friday.
