As Mumbai fielded their full strength team after the loss against the Sunrisers in their last league game, it was a surety that they would be more than just a challenge for the Capitals in the playoffs stages. Well, they turned out to be more than that. With the help of some destructive batting from Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan along with the semblance provided by Suryakumar Yadav, Mumbai posted a humongous total of 200 runs in Qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League 2020.
Delhi with their strong batting were supposed to present some challenge in the chase, but unfortunately, it turned out to be yet another landslide as the Capitals never recovered from their early shock when they lost three of their top batters without a single run on the scoreboard. In the end, they could manage to score only 143 in their 20 overs losing the match by a mammoth 57 runs in Dubai.
For Mumbai, Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult were the architects of Delhi’s destruction. On this note, let us look at the Hits and Flops from the game.
Bumrah was phenomenal on the day, as he has been in the entire tournament, barring few early games. Partnering Trent Boult with the new ball, he dismissed the most in-form Delhi batter Shikhar Dhawan with the very first delivery, a perfect yorker to which Dhawan had no answer. While Boult wreaked havoc on the other end Bumrah picked up the all-important wicket of skipper Shreyas Iyer ending his brief stay in the crease.
Later in the game, he returned to castle Marcus Stoinis' stumps and broke the 71-run counterattacking stand between Axar Patel and Marcus Stoinis which put the final nail in the coffin for the Delhi based franchise.
In his four overs, Bumrah finished with the best figures of his career giving away just 14 runs and taking four wickets. Bumrah was also adjudged man of the match for this effort of his. He also took over Kagiso Rabada in the race for the purple cap this season.
When he came at the crease, Mumbai were slightly struggling for momentum at 140-5 with 23 balls remaining in the innings. To get to 200 from there was something that only Pandya could have done. The man hit every bowler possible. Right from Daniel Sams to Rabada to Anrich Nortje, nobody was spared by the Baroda born. Pandya scored 37 of just 14 balls with the help of five colossal sixes in the death overs. He also built a 60 run partnership with Ishan Kishan for the 6th wicket.
After the fall of skipper Rohit Sharma in the early overs, Suryakumar joined Quinton de Kock in the middle. Instead of soaking in the pressure, Suyrya counter-attacked and joined de Kock, who was also doing the same. It was these two that got Mumbai out from the hole and did not let the batting order feel the pressure of a playoff game.
Surya scored 51 of 38 balls and his innings included six fours and two sixes.
In a pressure match, a team expects that its best people in form should and would perform. However, Dhawan, the man in form for Delhi, was bowled on the very first ball he faced. Frankly speaking, it was a brilliant yorker, but to play the shot that he did could also be termed as 'questionable approach'. The duck was not something that the fans or the team management would be expected of him.
Even Prithvi Shaw and Ajinkya Rahane got out for 0 and probably of easier deliveries. But they are not on the list because Dhawan was the man in form.
The same is the case with Rabada. The man who has been picking up wickets throughout the tournament for his team has suddenly gone silent at the moment that matters the most. In this game too, he went for 42 runs but wasn’t able to pick even a single wicket. He didn’t even look threatening and that is a worrying sign.
In fact, in the last five games, he has only been able to pick four wickets with an average of more than 46.
Both Trent Boult and Ishan Kishan played major roles in making sure that their team gets over the line. While Kishan has been phenomenal in the entire tournament, he showed his vigour in this game as well making 55 off just 30 balls with four fours and three sixes. The fact that he batted throughout the innings from the time he joined Surya in the middle and played the anchor’s role was even more pleasing for the Mumbai fans and the team management.
Boult, on the other hand, gave Mumbai the impetus that is required by picking two early wickets, in fact, two very important wickets in the first over itself. He was outstanding with the new ball as hardly any of the batsmen were able to pick him. The Kiwi got injured and wasn’t able to bowl after the first two overs which was unfortunate.
With this win, Mumbai has now moved to the finals while Delhi would have to win their next game against the winner of the eliminator to meet Mumbai again in the finals.
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