Dominant Delhi destroy Mumbai attack
Perched comfortably at the top, Delhi Daredevils justified their favourites tag with a comprehensive 37-run victory over Champions League T20 winners and pre-season favourites Mumbai Indians with a comprehensive 37-run win widening the gap at the top of the table. For the Mumbai Indians, little went their way after winning the toss and choosing to field.
The depth in Delhi’s batting line-up was their biggest strength as Virender Sehwag, Mahela Jayawardane and Kevin Pietersen all smashed half centuries to take the team total past 200. Even the return of Lasith Malinga in the Mumbai ranks could not restrict the Delhi batsmen. One’s strength proved to be the other’s weakness. Mumbai top order has looked out of sorts this season and its poor display continued as MI could not get off to the start necessary to chase a target of 208. Struggling at 19/3 in the fourth over, any hope of a Mumbai win seemed far-fetched. Ambati Rayudu, along with Dinesh Karthik, tried to get Mumbai Indians back into the game with a 96-run partnership, but it proved too little, too late.
Star of the Day:
The Delhi captain continued his superb run of form with yet another half century to his name. Virender Sehwag built a solid 135 run stand with Mahela Jayawardane, laying the foundation for a high total. He had demolished the Pune Warriors attack a few days back, and tonight, it was the turn of Mumbai bowlers who suffered at the hands of the Nawab of Najafgarh.
Shahbaz Nadeem was the bowler of the match as he dismissed the settled Rayudu and the dangerous Kieron Pollard off successive deliveries to effectively hand the game to Delhi in the 16th over itself.
Flop of the Day:
The MI opener Blizzard was sent back to the pavilion in the first over itself, after facing three balls without troubling the scorers. Chasing a huge target of 208, this top order collapse made the run chase all the more difficult for Mumbai. Harbhajan’s men need to sort out their troubles at the top of the batting line-up if they are to contest for the IPL trophy this season.
Contest of the Day:
With the return of Lasith Malinga to spearhead the Mumbai bowling unit, the Mumbai attack looked much more threatening, and the face-off between Malinga and his Sri Lankan team-mate Mahela Jayawardane was eagerly awaited. Even as other Delhi batsmen played Malinga cautiously, Jayawardane scored boundaries freely off him, taking 15 in Malinga’s third over.
Shot of the Day:
In a high scoring game filled with fours and sixes, it was Sehwag’s six over over long off against RP Singh that can be termed as the shot of the match.
Captain’s Critical Call:
Jayawardane being chosen to open the batting along with Sehwag proved decisive as the duo dispatched the Mumbai batsmen all over the ground to set up a 135 run stand for the first wicket, setting the tone for a high team total.
Match-o-meter:
It turned out to be a high scoring game, with lots of fours and sixes on display. A variety of innovative attacking shots played – including the Pieterson switch hit – throughout the game only added to the quality of the game. Mumbai’s run chase left a lot to be desired as the side slumped to a 37-run defeat. Barring Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik, the other Mumbai batsmen looked out of sorts against a disciplined Delhi attack.
Teams tally:
Delhi Daredevils widened their gap at the top of the table to four points with another win. They are going good at this point in the season and if they remain consistent, the IPL trophy might be heading to Delhi this time.
Another loss keeps Mumbai at seventh place in the table with eight points from eight games. Mumbai, with one of the strongest sides on paper, haven’t really been able to get going in this edition, raising questions about Harbhajan’s captaincy. Bhajji and his men need to sort out the problems that have been costing them dearly, particularly the inconsistency of their top order.