Twitter Reactions: Delhi Capitals emerge on top in low-scoring thriller to complicate Mumbai's playoffs race

Delhi Capitals emerged victorious by four wickets in a low-scoring Sharjah thriller to complicate Mumbai Indians‘ playoff qualification race. While Delhi are already through, the Mumbai camp would now pray certain results to fall their way, with net run rate nearly certain to play a role in their qualification.

Against Delhi, things for the Mumbai Indians started ominously as Rohit Sharma was undone for just 8, playing – guess what – the pull shot off Avesh Khan, to give Kagiso Rabada at third man a comfortable catch. Not quite being able to come to terms with another sluggish Sharjah surface, MI mustered merely 35 in the powerplay as the Delhi pacers continued to keep them tied.

Accurate Axar, pacers keep Mumbai big hitters quiet

Immediately after the field restrictions were lifted, Quinton de Kock, who struggled his way to 19 off 18, ended up falling once again to his IPL nemesis Axar Patel, who has now seen his back six times. de Kock was only one of Patel’s three strikes in a simple sensational four-over spell that only cost his team 21 runs.

Averaging below 18 this season, and on the back of four single-digit score on the trot, Suryakumar Yadav showed a glimpse of return to form, striking a couple of fours and as many sixes in his 26-ball 33.

Yadav’s effort stood out even more when seen in the light of how much his partner Saurabh Tiwary struggled at the other end, managing only a single four in his 18-ball 15. In fact, only two of MI’s top-eight batters struck above a run-a-ball, of which de Kock’s strike rate too was only marginally above.

Middle-order muddle

Least surprisingly, Mumbai were yet to cross even 70 at the halfway mark and more misery was infused by Patel as first Yadav holed out to long-off on a full toss, and Tiwary skied him to Rishabh Pant to leave his side 80/4. That was soon reduced to 87/5 when Anrich Nortje cleaned up Kieron Pollard cheaply in a wicket maiden 15th over.

Only a solitary run was scored in overs 15-16, and so staggering was Delhi grip on the MI middle-order that even 41 in the last four overs, including a 13-run final over from Ashwin could only power them to 129.

While it was the left-arm spin of Patel that grabbed the spotlight for the major part, Avesh Khan had kept his best secured for the latter half of Mumbai’s innings, as he first undid Hardik Pandya (17 off 18) with a searing 141kmph yorker, and then rattled Nathan Coulter-Nile’s stumps only three balls later to make it a double-wicket over.

Much like every other batter, Krunal Pandya struggled to gain momentum too, and it was thanks to Jayant Yadav’s 4-ball 11 that ensured Mumbai managed to set Delhi Capitals a 120-plus target.

Delhi make nervy start

If Mumbai’s start was bad, Delhi’s was worse, as they found their entire top-order back in the hut just four overs into their response; all dismissed without reaching even double digits. Shikhar Dhawan was guilty of taking on Kieron Pollard’s arm, whose rocket throw found him short of his ground, while only four deliveries later, Krunal Pandya pinned Prithvi Shaw lbw and got it reviewed successfully in his favour.

Trying to shuffle across and work a Coulter-Nile delivery on the leg side, Steve Smith saw his stumps being disturbed, before Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer halted the rut (briefly). Pant showed some aggression in the last powerplay over by dismissing Bumrah for two fours, but Mumbai dried up the boundaries for the next four overs, and trying to break those shackles proved to be the reason behind Pant’s undoing who dispatched off-spinner Jayant Yadav straight to long-on to walk back for 26.

But all is well that ends well

Mumbai continued to nag Delhi, with Axar Patel and Iyer not managing to score anything more than a run-a-ball. Patel, who was promoted up the order, was pinned lbw by Trent Boult, while Shimron Hetmyer, who scampered to 15 off just 8, was removed by Bumrah when Delhi was still 37 away.

That was when Iyer (33 off 33), who hit the first four of his innings on his 25th ball, was joined by R Ashwin, who ensured to hold his end up. With the situation down to 4 needed of 6, Ashwin smacked Krunal Pandya over the midwicket fence for a six, staying unbeaten on 20 to take his side across without any last-moment drama.

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