Mumbai weren’t at their best but one might argue that against an out-of-sorts Delhi Capitals, they didn’t need to be. Powered by Rohit Sharma’s 65, the five-time IPL champions got their first win of the season. They restricted DC to 172 on a belter of a track before winning off the final ball with Tim David scrambling through for a two. The result now leaves the Delhi outfit the only side this season that is yet to win a game.
Mumbai won the toss and opted to bowl. Chasing has proved to be the way to go this season and MI, who had batted first in the first two games, decided to go along with the early trend. For DC, it was an opportunity to just go out there and throw the kitchen sink at the MI bowlers.
There has been some pressure on Prithvi Shaw to prop up a batting unit that sorely lacks the big-hitting firepower that almost every team needs to succeed in IPL. But the DC opener once again failed to get going. He made his way to 15 (10 balls) before finding Cameron Green off Hrithik Shokeen. He could have hit it anywhere but picked out the tallest fielder and as he walked off the field, his frustration was clear for all to see.
But DC’s run-rate stayed at a decent level. Shaw’s cameo was followed by Manish Pandey’s 26 off 18 balls, and by the time the powerplay overs ended, the home team were a decent 51/1. It wasn’t a mad start but was enough to keep them in the mix. A base from which they could have pushed off.
That, however, is where Piyush Chawla came into the picture. At 34, the leg-spinner has been around for a long time but most will still remember him for the bowled dismissal of Sachin Tendulkar (with a googly, no less) in a Challenger Series match in 2005.
Against DC, he showed that even though he isn’t in the conversation when it comes to the India team, he’s still got enough skill to trouble batters on his day. His spell of 4-0-22-3 broke the back of the DC innings at a crucial point. He first took the wicket of Pandey and followed it up by sending Rovman Powell (4) and Lalit Yadav (2) back to the dugout.
That reduced DC to 98/5 after 12.3 overs. It could have been worse if Chawla had held on to a chance given by David Warner an over earlier. But the home side were in big trouble and needed a nice pick-me-up.
Axar Patel, who has been in the news for his batting exploits of late, came in and did just what the doctor ordered. His 54 off 24 balls gave his side a boost but at the same time left many wondering whether Warner could have done better. His 51 off 47 balls at a strike rate of just 108.51 didn’t exactly help his team. The power and timing was simply missing.
In reply, with dew helping their cause, MI got off to a blinder to reach 68/0 at the end of their powerplay overs. Rohit Sharma with 39 off 19 balls was the driving force in the early going and it stayed that way for a while.
The MI skipper was involved in a big mix-up with Ishan Kishan (31 off 26) but that didn’t have a huge impact on the game.
Given the inexperienced line-up MI have, it was vital for them to have Rohit play as he did on Tuesday. Not only did he hit the big shots, he also stayed almost till the end to help put his team in a good position to finish off the game.
He did have Tilak Verma, who has been MI’s most consistent batter this season, for company and the youngster didn’t disappoint. His 41 off 29 balls gave MI a grip on the chase until nerves became a factor. Suryakumar Yadav’s first-ball duck did cause a bit of a flutter but it didn’t do much in the overall scheme of things.
Rohit Sharma’s dismissal set the cat among the pigeons but Tim David (13) and Green (17) were on hand to just about manage to finish things off for MI. It was a nervy finish and while DC will rue their mistakes, Mumbai will be happy to finally get off the mark.
A win, as they say, is a win.