New Delhi: Mumbai Indians defeated Delhi Capitals by 40 runs in a second leg IPL clash here Thursday. Electing to bat, opener Quinton de Kock hit a 27-ball 35 at the top, while Pandya brothers — Hardik (32) and Krunal (37) provided the late charge as MI posted 168 for five. The visitors then returned to restrict Delhi to 128 for nine, riding on a three-wicket haul by Rahul Chahar (3/19) and Jasprit Bumrah’s 2 for 18.
Earlier, Pandya brothers — Hardik and Krunal — led Mumbai Indians’ recovery with a 54-run stand, powering the visitors to a challenging 168 for five. Hardik (32 off 15) and Krunal (37 not out off 26) provided a much needed late onslaught by hammering 51 runs off the last 18 balls to put Mumbai in a strong position. This was after Delhi spinners Amit Mishra (1/18) and Axar Patel (1/17) tightened the screws on Mumbai with a tidy effort.
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With teams batting second winning all three previous games at the Kotla, Rohit Sharma’s decision to bat first surprised even opposition skipper Shreyas Iyer. On the slow and low surface, Mumbai made a measured start with Rohit’s classy cover drive being the only boundary in the first three overs which yielded just 16 runs.
In the following over, a mishit for four off Chris Morris ensured 8000 T20 runs for Rohit (30 off 22), who became the third Indian to do so. Runs started flowing after that streaky boundary as Quinton de Kock (35 off 27) collected a four and six over deep square leg and by the first powerplay, Mumbai reached a promising 57 for no loss. It was time to introduce spin and that provided an immediate breakthrough for Delhi as Mishra bowled Rohit with a beauty on his very first ball of the night for his 150th IPL scalp.
Brief Score:
Mumbai Indians: 168 for 5 in 20 overs (Krunal Pandya 37, Quinton de Kock 35, Hardik Pandya 32; Kagiso Rabada 2-38).
Delhi Capitals: 128 for 9 in 20 overs (Shikhar Dhawan 35; Rahul Chahar 3-19).
