Trent Boult (2/9) swung the ball both ways at pace and Jasprit Bumrah (4/14) speared it in sharply as they dismantled the Delhi Capitals’ top order in the space of eight deliveries without conceding a run, to set up a comfortable 57-run win for Mumbai Indians in Qualifier 1, in Dubai, on 5 November.
However, it wasn’t the ideal start for the defending champions either as Rohit Sharma’s poor fortune in the knockout stages of the tournament continued to haunt him.
The in-form duo of Quinton de Kock (40) and Suryakumar Yadav (51) steadied the ship before Ishan Kishan (55*) and Hardik Pandya’s (37*) explosive partnership took them to 200/5.
Unfortunately, Delhi could not get the recovery act going despite the valiant efforts of Marcus Stoinis (65) and Axar Patel (42).
Delhi will now wait to play the winner of the Eliminator between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore for a berth in the final against the Mumbai Indians, who are on course for a fifth title.
Ashwin Sent Rohit Packing for a First Ball Duck to Kickstart Good Spell
That the MI captain is not very fond of facing spinners early on in his innings is well known and the Delhi Capitals capitalised with R Ashwin in the second over of the game.
A flat and fast one speared in trapped Rohit plumb in front and he was dismissed for his 13th duck in the history of the IPL. This was his third duck in the playoffs where he averages 12.72 in 19 innings.
After Rohit had been dismissed, Shreyas turned to Ashwin once again as Suryakumar Yadav and Quinton de Kock were going great guns. Ashwin picked De Kock’s wicket as he looked to go big before finishing his spell with the scalp of Kieron Pollard for a two-ball-duck.
Hardik Pandya Bludgeons Nortje & Rabada
The India all rounder walked into bat in the 17th over with the score at 140/5 and faced 14 deliveries. He faced eight from the duo of Rabada and Nortje and smashed them for four monster sixes to finish his innings unbeaten on 37 and having pushed the Mumbai score to 200.
Both the Proteas bowlers were hit for two sixes each as Mumbai ended the innings with a flourish.
Ishan Kishan’s Scores Another Half-century
With Pollard and Rohit getting ducks and both Suryakumar Yadav (51) and Quinton de Kock (40) dismissed, it was up to Kishan to guide the innings through a tough phase.
The southpaw played a patient 14 deliveries where he got only 11 but off the final 16 deliveries, along with Hardik Pandya in tow, Kishan went through the gears. He smashed four boundaries and three sixers to finish with an unbeaten 55.
The late charge from Kishan and Pandya knocked the stuffing out of Delhi’s famed bowling attack.
Boult-Bumrah Do the Unthinkable!
Boult got the ball to shape away from Prithvi Shaw, who obliged with a poke and De Kock took a comfortable catch off the second delivery of the first over to set the ball rolling.
Three deliveries later, Boult got it jag back in sharply to Ajinkya Rahane, who was cut in half and trapped plumb LBW. Delhi were reeling at 0/2 and there was more to come. Two deliveries into the second over, Bumrah landed the perfect yorker to knock over Shikhar Dhawan’s off stump.
Delhi's top three were dismissed without troubling the scorers and were reduced to 0/3 – a first in the history of the IPL.
In the fourth over, after Iyer had cracked a few crisp boundaries, he played one uppishly through cover and Rohit Sharma picked it out of thin air. Delhi were 20/4 with a mountain to climb.
That sadly was all Boult could contribute to the cause as he went off with a groin injury but Bumrah kept up his side of the deal. Brought back into the attack in the 16th over with the partnership of Stoinis-Patel causing some concern, Bumrah cleaned up Stoinis first and then pitched in short to Daniel Sams who gloved it to De Kock to make it 27 wickets for him.
While Burmah overtook Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s (26 wickets) record of the most wickets by an Indian bowler in a season, he and Boult on the day bowled two double wicket maiden overs (1 & 16) in the game.
Marcus Stoinis’ Counter-attack Raises Slim Hopes
At 20/4, with Bumrah breathing fire, Delhi needed Stoinis to show immense character and the Australian responded. Once he got his eye in and the Bumrah-Boult duo off the attack, Stoinis took on the likes of Rahul Chahar and Kieron Pollard and smashed them to all parts of the park.
While the Australian was out in the middle with Axar Patel for company, Delhi were not too far off from the rate at which Mumbai had scored. Stoinis though had no answer to Bumrah’s perfect length as his leg stump was knocked out of the ground.
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