| 0.0 : Hello and a warm welcome to the coverage of match 55 between Delhi and Mumbai. It is a do-or-die game for the visitors. Another opportunity for them to script an inspirational entry into the playoffs. They will be backing themselves as they have done it time and again. However, they can't afford to take the hosts lightly. A complete team performance is the need of the hour for the visitors. Might just be the ideal time for the Mumbai skipper to rise to the occasion. |
| Delhi, on the other hand, will be eager to sign off with a victory. Though they are at the rock bottom of the table, they are a highly capable side. When a team has nothing to lose, they become even more dangerous. The likes of Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer and Rishabh Pant have shown sparks of brilliance on numerous occasions and will be aiming to deliver once again. Expect a cracking contest. |
| TOSS - Delhi win the toss and opt to bat. |
| Delhi skipper, Shreyas Iyer, says that they will bat first. Mentions that there is no grass on the wicket and they will try to put a good score on the board. States that it will be a challenging game and they will give their best. Informs that there is one change - Liam Plunkett comes in place of Avesh Khan. |
| Mumbai skipper, Rohit Sharma, says that it looks like a dry pitch and they need to play good cricket. Mentions that they have to restrict the opposition to as low as possible and chase the total down. Announces that Mitchell McClenaghan is suffering from a shoulder niggle and Mustafizur Rahman replaces him. |
| We are set to get rolling. Prithvi Shaw and Glenn Maxwell are the openers for Delhi. Krunal Pandya to begin the proceedings with the ball. Here we go.... |
| 0.1 : K Pandya to P Shaw, Good commitment from Markande! Krunal starts off with a slider down the leg side, Shaw just helps it towards backward square leg where Markande dives full length to his right and makes a great stop. A run taken. |
| 0.2 : K Pandya to G Maxwell, Two leg byes! Once again down the leg side, Maxwell misses his clips and the ball brushes his pads. Rolls towards short fine leg and the batsmen take a run. A wild throw at the bowler's end results in an extra run. |
| 0.3 : K Pandya to G Maxwell, Slower through the air on middle and leg, defended solidly off the front foot. |
| 0.4 : K Pandya to G Maxwell, Coming in with the arm, tucked to the leg side to rotate strike. |
| 0.5 : K Pandya to P Shaw, Tossed up delivery, eased to mid on for an easy run. |
| 0.6 : K Pandya to G Maxwell, FOUR! Poor delivery and duly punished! Half-tracker down the leg side, Maxwell picks it up and swipes it past short fine leg for a rocketing boundary. Good start for Delhi. |
| Jasprit Bumrah to share the new ball from the other end. |
| 1.1 : J Bumrah to P Shaw, Bumrah runs in hard and angles in a good length delivery on off, Shaw covers the line and blocks it towards covers. |
| 1.2 : J Bumrah to P Shaw, FOUR! Flashes and flashes hard! That could have been a spectacular catch if he took that. Shortish ball well outside off, allows Shaw to free his arms. He throws his bat at it but gets a thick outside edge. Suryakumar at first slip leaps but the ball goes past him like a tracer bullet. |
| 1.3 : J Bumrah to P Shaw, Nicely played! Similar delivery outside off, glided nicely through backward point for a single. |
| 1.4 : J Bumrah to G Maxwell, Angling in sharply, Glenn hops and tucks it in front of square leg. Has placed it in the gap and picks up a couple of run for doing so. |
| 1.5 : J Bumrah to G Maxwell, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 1.6 : J Bumrah to G Maxwell, FOUR! Mumbai haven't hit the mark correctly and are paying the price. Length delivery, down the leg side, Maxwell clips it fine and the ball whistles away to the fence. |
| Hardik Pandya comes into the attack. He is the leading wicket-taker for Mumbai this season and will want to put in another good performance. |
| 2.1 : H Pandya to P Shaw, Pandya hits the deck hard and bowls it on a good length, Shaw hangs back and defends it beside the pitch on the leg side. |
| 2.2 : H Pandya to P Shaw, Shortish delivery, Shaw flat-bats it over mid on to get off strike. |
| 2.3 : H Pandya to G Maxwell, Well-disguised! Off cutter near the tramline, Glenn pushes at it half-heartedly and gets foxed. |
| 2.4 : H Pandya to G Maxwell, FOUR! Sublime! This time he commits himself to it and gets the desired result. Fuller in length outside off, Maxwell leans ahead and stroke it through extra cover to find the fence. He is looking in good touch. |
| 2.5 : H Pandya to G Maxwell, Straying on the pads, helped through square leg for a single. |
| 2.6 : H Pandya to P Shaw, FOUR! Short ball down the leg side, Shaw pulls it towards backward square leg. Bumrah runs to his left and puts in a swimming pool dive and allows the ball to go through. |
| Mustafizur Rahman to have a bowl now. |
| A run out appeal is referred upstairs. Casual stuff from Prithvi Shaw and it seems like he is a goner. |
| 3.1 : M Rahman to G Maxwell, OUT! Shoddy stuff from Shaw and he is out of here! That was absolutely poor. On a length outside off, placed towards Hardik Pandya at backward point. Shaw has come out of his crease and the fielder spots that. Aims at the bowler's end and puts in an accurate throw. Prithvi is still walking back and the ball hits the bull's eye. |
| 0.0 : Shreyas Iyer is the new man in. |
| 3.2 : M Rahman to G Maxwell, The batsman has pushed it to the cover region. One run added to the total. |
| 3.3 : M Rahman to S Iyer, On a length outside off, run down to third man for a single. |
| 3.4 : M Rahman to G Maxwell, In the air... but safe! Outside off, Maxwell throws his bat at it and gets it off the outer half. It just falls short of backward point. |
| 3.5 : M Rahman to G Maxwell, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. |
| 3.6 : M Rahman to G Maxwell, Pacy delivery, skidding after pitching, tucked off the inner half to short fine leg. A run taken. Successful over for Mumbai. |
| 4.1 : J Bumrah to G Maxwell, FOUR! Brilliant! He is a dangerous player. In the arc for Maxwell around off, he hammers it over mid off for a one bounce boundary. He hit that with a lot of swagger. |
| 4.2 : J Bumrah to G Maxwell, Wide! The batsman tries flicking a ball that is down the leg side. The umpire signals a wide. |
| J Bumrah to G Maxwell, A slight appeal for an LBW turned down! Good length delivery, angling in, Maxwell goes for a pull but gets an inside edge onto his pads. That saves him otherwise it was pretty adjacent. |
| 4.3 : J Bumrah to G Maxwell, OUT! Bumrah strikes! He is the go-to man for Mumbai and he is producing the goods. Gets the crucial wicket of the dangerous Maxwell. Goes wide of the delivery and bowls a skiddy full length delivery around off, Maxwell with minimal foot movement tries to hit it down the ground but only manages to get an inside edge. The ball hits the pads and then deflects onto the stumps. A good cameo from Glenn comes to an end. |
| Rishabh Pant comes out to bat. |
| 4.4 : J Bumrah to R Pant, Full ball on middle, kept out watchfully. |
| 4.5 : J Bumrah to R Pant, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. |
| 4.6 : J Bumrah to R Pant, Pant is off the mark! On a length on leg stump, tucked beside the pitch on the leg side for single. Good over from Bumrah, a wicket and only 6 from it. |
| 5.1 : M Rahman to R Pant, FOUR! All about power! Back of a length outside off, Pant with an extension of his arms crunches it past the diving cover fielder to pick up his first boundary. |
| 5.2 : M Rahman to R Pant, Full ball attacking the stumps, whipped away to deep square leg for a couple. |
| 5.3 : M Rahman to R Pant, Angling across from Pant who taps it through point to rotate strike. |
| 5.4 : M Rahman to S Iyer, The batsman has pushed it to the cover region. |
| 5.5 : M Rahman to S Iyer, Slower delivery on a shorter length, grips the surface. Iyer tries to pull it across but only connects with thin air. |
| 5.6 : M Rahman to S Iyer, Beaten again! This time on a fuller length, cutting across Iyer who has no clue about it. Good comeback from Rahman after being hit for a boundary on the first ball. |
| Mayank Markande will have a bowl now. |
| 6.1 : M Markande to R Pant, Quicker one first up, tucked to square leg for a run. |
| 6.2 : M Markande to S Iyer, Clears his front leg and places it with the spin through covers to rotate strike. |
| 6.3 : M Markande to R Pant, FOUR! Duly punished! Half-tracker on leg stump, Pant stands tall and hammer-pulls it through backward square leg to find the ropes. |
| 6.4 : M Markande to R Pant, Slow through the air, eased to the point region for a single. |
| 6.5 : M Markande to S Iyer, Short delivery, pulled away to long on to get off strike. |
| 6.6 : M Markande to R Pant, SIX! This young man is oozing a lot of confidence! Skips down the track to a tossed up ball on middle and tonks it over cow corner. The timing is spot on and it clears the fence with ease. 14 from the leggie's first over. |
| Strategic break taken. Meanwhile, Ben Cutting is introduced into the attack. |
| 7.1 : Ben Cutting to S Iyer, Length delivery angling down, Iyer tucks it off his hips to deep mid-wicket. A run taken. |
| 7.2 : Ben Cutting to R Pant, FOUR! Shot! Short delivery and offers a lot of width, Pant rises on his toes and whacks it through backward point to pick up another boundary. |
| 7.3 : Ben Cutting to R Pant, Punched off the back foot by the batsman. One run added to the total. |
| 7.4 : Ben Cutting to S Iyer, Back of a length ball outside off, Iyer places it to sweeper cover for a single. |
| 7.5 : Ben Cutting to R Pant, Well fielded! On a length around off, Pant punches it on the up towards extra cover where the fielder dives to his right and makes a good stop. |
| A run out appeal is referred upstairs. Seems like Iyer is well in but the umpire doesn't want to take any chance. |
| 7.6 : Ben Cutting to R Pant, Safe! Short delivery, pulled off the inner half towards square leg and the batsmen set off for a run. There is a direct hit at the striker's end as Iyer ambles in. The umpire refers it upstairs and the replays find that he has made his crease. |
| 8.1 : M Markande to R Pant, Quick and flat outside off, left alone. |
| 8.2 : M Markande to R Pant, FOUR! Hit with disdain! Markande drags his length back, Pant pulls it over square leg and beats the man in the deep. |
| 8.3 : M Markande to R Pant, The batsman works it down the leg side. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 8.4 : M Markande to S Iyer, Tossed up delivery, driven against the spin through mid on for a run. |
| 8.5 : M Markande to R Pant, Quicker one, punched away off the back foot for a single. |
| 8.6 : M Markande to S Iyer, OUT! Iyer holes out! Mumbai keep on chipping away at the wickets at regular intervals. Googly on a shorter length, spinning in. Iyer rocks back and goes for a pull but doesn't time it that well. Krunal Pandya is standing near the ropes and is cool as a cucumber. Takes the catch and maintains his balance. |
| Vijay Shankar comes out to bat. The batsmen did not cross. Meanwhile, Hardik Pandya is back for a bowl. |
| 9.1 : H Pandya to R Pant, The batsman plays a pull shot to this short delivery. The batsmen have run through for a single. |
| 9.2 : H Pandya to V Shankar, FOUR! Hammered! Short of a length ball well outside off, Shankar slaps it through backward point to find the fence. |
| 9.3 : H Pandya to V Shankar, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. |
| 9.4 : H Pandya to V Shankar, Hangs back to the length ball and tucks it to the leg side for a single. |
| 9.5 : H Pandya to R Pant, Angling into Pant who helps it through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 9.6 : H Pandya to V Shankar, Fuller length ball, knocked down to mid on for a single. |
| Cutting is back on. |
| 10.1 : Ben Cutting to V Shankar, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. |
| 10.2 : Ben Cutting to V Shankar, Outside off, pushed towards point. |
| 10.3 : Ben Cutting to V Shankar, On middle and leg, flicked through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 10.4 : Ben Cutting to R Pant, Full and around off, watchfully defended. |
| 10.5 : Ben Cutting to R Pant, Outside off, punched off the back foot for a run. |
| 10.6 : Ben Cutting to V Shankar, Works this through mid-wicket, takes a single, wants the second but is sent back. |
| 11.1 : H Pandya to V Shankar, Around middle and off, watchfully defended. |
| 11.2 : H Pandya to V Shankar, Full and outside off, driven through the covers for a single. |
| 11.3 : H Pandya to R Pant, WIDE. Miles outside off, left alone. |
| H Pandya to R Pant, Reaches out for this one, slashes hard and gets a thick outside edge which flies down to third man. A single taken. |
| MJ is up for an interview - Mahela Jayawardene, that is - with Deep Dasgupta. On being asked about the pressure match, Mahela says that this is just another game. Stresses that Mumbai have had a good season so far. Adds further in the last few years that they have been very consistent. Further scrutinizes by saying that there were 4 games Mumbai could have won, which they ended up losing. Is proud of his squad, seniors and juniors alike, for showing a lot of character this season. Feels that Mum |
| 11.4 : H Pandya to V Shankar, On middle and leg, punched down to long on for a run. |
| 11.5 : H Pandya to R Pant, The batsman works it down the leg side. They pick up a single. |
| 11.6 : H Pandya to V Shankar, Outside off, steered to third man for one. |
| 12.1 : Ben Cutting to V Shankar, SIX! A boundary after 16 balls! On a length, on middle, Shankar just eases it over mid on and guess what, it goes over long on! The cameraman was panning at the sky and for a second we thought gravitational force was not active... till the camera panned into the stands... |
| 12.2 : Ben Cutting to V Shankar, On middle and leg, worked through mid-wicket for a run. |
| 12.3 : Ben Cutting to R Pant, Short and outside off, cut hard for a run. 100 UP FOR DELHI! Can they keep this partnership going till the 18th over at least? |
| 12.4 : Ben Cutting to V Shankar, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. They pick up a single. |
| 12.5 : Ben Cutting to R Pant, On middle and leg, flicked through the leg side for a run. |
| 12.6 : Ben Cutting to V Shankar, Gets across his stumps and works it wide of mid-wicket for one. A good over for the batting side. Can they reach 170 from here? |
| Time for a break. A discussion. What should we do? When do we go big? Who do we bowl in the final three overs? What is a good score on this wicket? Let the guys on the field keep contemplating as I head off for a quick break... |
| BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! No... there is no explosion... just that the DJ at the ground is creating vibrations by yelling... BUMRAH! BUMRAH! BUMRAH! Mumbai will look for an explosion of wickets. |
| 13.1 : J Bumrah to V Shankar, Outside off, punched through point for a single. |
| 13.2 : J Bumrah to R Pant, Change of pace, worked through the leg side for a run. |
| 13.3 : J Bumrah to V Shankar, Ummm.... full and outside off, tailing in, Shankar initially looked to play the cover drive but the ball swung in late. Seeing that, he looked to play that a bit straighter and got it off the inner half towards mid-wicket. Had he been a second late, he would have been walking back to the pavillion with the umpires left to clean up the mess of his stumps. |
| 13.4 : J Bumrah to V Shankar, Again, a bit indecisive in playing, is Vijay. Looks to punch it through the off side but gets it off the inner half towards mid on. A single taken. |
| 13.5 : J Bumrah to R Pant, Full and outside off, driven towards mid off. |
| 13.6 : J Bumrah to R Pant, Banged in short, Pant pulls it through mid-wicket for a run. Just 4 from the over but Delhi's plans or any other team's plans seem to be pretty clear - play Bumrah out, do not give him any wickets and attack the rest. |
| The Fizz time. Mustafizur Rahman is back on. |
| 14.1 : M Rahman to R Pant, A wild heave-ho. See ball, hit ball, goes the saying. But Pant just hits the ball. Does not see it at all. A length ball outside off, Rishabh wildly swings but the shot he has played is in May while the ball arrives in December. Result is an inside edge which goes onto his pads. |
| 14.2 : M Rahman to R Pant, SIX! Oh my word! Pant has treated Mustafizur like a bowling machine. Another off cutter from the Fizz but it is Pant who cuts all the watchers into half in awe. He is clearly foxed again but continues to go through with his swing. Somehow, the bat makes contact with the ball and as if some spring is attached to the willow, the pressure released takes the ball into oblivion at mid-wicket! Trent Boult in the dressing room is in shock as well. Finally applauds. And another |
| 14.3 : M Rahman to R Pant, Has he hurt himself? A hat-trick of off cutters from the Fizz and this time Pant whips this past the bowler towards long on. Rahman sticks his left leg out to stop that but his foot nearly twists! The Fizz immediately gets down and checks himself. This could be an unpleasant situation for the bowler. Meanwhile, the batsmen take a couple. |
| Oopss... Mustafizur is in trouble. He is on his haunches and eventually sits on the ground, checking his left ankle. Seems to be in a bit of discomfort and the physio is out in the middle. |
| Ummm... he is running in... no... jogging in.... still not 100 percent... but Mustafizur will bowl. |
| 14.4 : M Rahman to R Pant, Full and outside off, driven straight to mid off. |
| 14.5 : M Rahman to R Pant, HALF CENTURY FOR PANT! yet another one for him. What is it? 5th 50-plus score in the last 7 games! Outstanding. On a length on middle, Rishabh drives this straight back. Mustafizur sticks out his right hand but is unable to stop it. The ball is diverted towards mid-wicket and the batsmen take a single. The scanty crowd applauds Pant for his wonderful knock. Both batsmen meet midway and Shankar congratulates Pant. |
| 14.6 : M Rahman to V Shankar, FOUR! Another off-cutter, moving away from the batsman, Shankar throws his bat at it and gets a thick outside edge which flies through the vacant slip cordon to the third man fence. 13 from the over, but not exactly a bad one from the Fizz. |
| Hardik Pandya time. |
| 15.1 : H Pandya to R Pant, SIX! Hakuna Matata! Don't bother googling the phrase - it means no worries in African language. Well, that is exactly what Rishabh Pant is making his supporters feel - don't worry while I am there. A length delivery, on middle and off, Pant looks to play the reverse sweep, does play the reverse sweep and the final result is a maximum over third man! |
| 0.0 : OUT! LBW! Is that pitched outside leg? Is the impact in line? Will the ball go on to hit the stumps? Well, Pant wants to check exactly that before he enters the dugout. Hence the review... |
| 15.2 : H Pandya to R Pant, NOT OUT. Pitched outside leg, maybe hit outside leg and perhaps hitting the stumps. It was a very full ball and Pant missed his flick. Hardik appealed and the umpire agreed. Pant crossed over while taking the run and then took the review. Hawk Eye showed the ball to be pitched outside leg. Now - the cricketing rule which is irritating - the ball is declared dead as Pant was given out. Why can't he be awarded the single or a leg bye in this case? |
| 15.3 : H Pandya to R Pant, FOUR LEG BYES! Bad line, down the leg side, Pant misses his flick but the ball goes off his pads past short fine leg. |
| 15.4 : H Pandya to R Pant, SIX! Effortless! On the pads, Pant whips this over mid-wicket and gets half a dozen! |
| 15.5 : H Pandya to R Pant, The batsman goes after this one but misses the line completely. |
| 15.6 : H Pandya to R Pant, Full and outside off, driven straight to mid off. 16 from that over, 29 from the last 2! |
| Krunal Pandya is back on. One of our mates, Sanju is not too happy with this decision as he reckons spinners go for plenty at this stage. Let's see... |
| 16.1 : K Pandya to V Shankar, On middle and leg, flicked through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 16.2 : K Pandya to R Pant, Driven through the covers by the batsman. The batsmen have not run through for a single. |
| 16.3 : K Pandya to R Pant, Excellent yorker, on middle, dug out back to the bowler. |
| K Pandya to R Pant, No run. |
| 16.4 : K Pandya to R Pant, Ugly. Swings hard and slices it over covers. Gets a couple. |
| 16.5 : K Pandya to R Pant, OUT! Finds the man this time! Rohit will be relieved. He has got perhaps the only wicket his side needed in this game. Pant's heroics end. A tossed up ball, around off, Pant swings hard, looking to go over long on but finds Kieron Pollard at the fence. End of a fine knock - 64 from 44 balls. Has given some respectability to the total. |
| Abhishek Sharma comes in at number 6, replacing Pant. |
| 16.6 : K Pandya to A Sharma, Played to mid-wicket region by the batsman. One run added to the total. Spinners get hit at this stage did you say, Sanju? Well, Krunal has proved you wrong - at least for now. Terrific over - 4 runs and a big wicket. |
| 17.1 : M Rahman to A Sharma, On a length outside off, punched through the covers for a single. |
| 17.2 : M Rahman to V Shankar, DIRECT HIT, OR EVEN A BETTER THROW WOULD HAVE HAD SHANKAR. Outside off, Vijay drives this through the covers. He sets off for a non-existent single and Hardik Pandya the man over there, has a wild shy at the striker's end. Hardik was not entirely wrong there, since Ishan Kishan had to run a long way to get at the stumps. But had he waited for a second there, Mr. Pandya, he could have seen where Vijay Shankar was - right in the middle of the pitch. He could have then |
| 17.3 : M Rahman to V Shankar, The batsman has played it towards mid-wicket. One run added to the total. |
| 17.4 : M Rahman to A Sharma, SIX! Holy moly! What a shot. On a length, Abhishek swings it miles over mid-wicket! |
| 17.5 : M Rahman to A Sharma, Outside off, chipped over covers this time for a couple. |
| 17.6 : M Rahman to A Sharma, Played to the mid-wicket region by the batsman. One run added to the total. 11 from the over, Mustafizur finishes with figures of 4-0-34-0. |
| Jasprit Bumrah is back on. |
| 18.1 : J Bumrah to A Sharma, On middle and leg, pretty full, flicked through mid-wicket for a single. |
| 18.2 : J Bumrah to V Shankar, ALMOST A CATCH! A slower ball, outside off, Shankar has to reach out for it and ends up slicing it. The ball goes high in the air and Rohit Sharma runs to his right from backward point. Dives but cannot reach it. A run taken. |
| 18.3 : J Bumrah to A Sharma, The batsman has driven it through mid off. One run added to the total. |
| 18.4 : J Bumrah to V Shankar, Full and outside off, driven through the covers for one. |
| 18.5 : J Bumrah to A Sharma, WIDE. Full but down the leg side, would have been a very good delivery for a right-hander but the southpaw misses his flick. |
| J Bumrah to A Sharma, Pushes this through to long on for a run. |
| 18.6 : J Bumrah to V Shankar, WIDE. Another one down the leg side but this time to the right-hander. This would have been a great ball for a southpaw. Shankar misses his flick. |
| J Bumrah to V Shankar, DROPPED! But has Rohit hurt himself? In all likelihood, YES. A high full toss outside off, Shankar steers it straight to Rohit Sharma at point. He gets down to take the catch but the ball slips out. He then falls awkwardly on his left shoulder and grimaces in pain. A single taken in the meanwhile. An erratic Bumrah over, but still only 8 runs from it. |
| Ben Cutting to bowl the final over. Meanwhile, ROHIT SHARMA IS OFF THE FIELD. He is receiving treatment on his left shoulder. |
| 19.1 : Ben Cutting to V Shankar, WIDE. A slower one, goes miles outside off, Shankar swings but misses. |
| Ben Cutting to V Shankar, FOUR! Magnificent shot! On a length, on middle, Shankar just whips it off his hips through square leg and beats Bumrah's dive in the deep! |
| 19.2 : Ben Cutting to V Shankar, On middle, swung towards long on. So poorly timed is the shot that it does not even reach the fielder in the deep. A single taken. |
| 19.3 : Ben Cutting to A Sharma, Jaipur looking, Mumbai turning? Something of that sort. A length ball outside off, Abhishek gets down and looks to swipe but is months early into the shot. The ball hits the back of his bat and goes towards point. A run taken. |
| 19.4 : Ben Cutting to V Shankar, SIX! GLORIOUS! Great timing. On a length, on middle, Shankar just lofts it straight back and this time the ball clears long on with ease! |
| 19.5 : Ben Cutting to V Shankar, Full and outside off, driven towards long off for a run. |
| 19.6 : Ben Cutting to A Sharma, A swing and a miss to end the innings. Another cutter from Cutting, Abhishek looks to mow this but misses. The batsmen take a quick bye and DELHI FINISH ON 174/4! |
| Not a bad total at all. A who-cares-what-happens-game for the home side but certainly not so for the visitors. Mumbai have a terrific net run rate but they need to WIN this game to make it into the final four. |
| Not surprisingly, the one to orchestrate the innings was Rishabh Pant. A whirlwind 64 from 44 balls, with the number 4 present in the runs, the balls faced and even in the boundaries - meaning 4 fours and 4 sixes. The top order had a regular day at the office, in spite of today being a Sunday - blown away cheaply. Vijay Shankar played a good hand towards the end to lift the total close to 175. |
| Mumbai bowled well, but in phases. They restricted Delhi to 46/2 in the Powerplay but then conceded 74 runs in the next 9 overs, picking up just 1 wicket. This was when Pant was in full flow. But look at this from another angle - in the last 5 overs they conceded just 54 runs, which is a good comeback of sorts, considering that Pant was tearing the bowlers apart. |
| Surprisingly, Krunal Pandya bowled just 2 overs - probably because Rohit did not want to use him with Pant at the crease. Bumrah was economical as normal but the rest struggled. Markande was under-bowled as well, simply because he is a leggie and Pant is a southpaw. Wonder what would legends like Steve Waugh have done at this stage - not bowl Warnie just because there is a left-handed batsman playing well? Ummm... well, he would have said - if they have the best, we have OUR best too. Might have |
| 175 is the target needed for Mumbai to get through to the Playoffs. Unlike previous seasons, they do not have a specific over range within which to do it - full quota of 20 overs is allotted. But they have obstacles - a slowish pitch and captain Rohit Sharma injured. Will he bat? Well, the openers can capitalize on the new ball in the Powerplay and take the slowness of the pitch out of the equation somewhat and make life easier for the other batsmen. Stay tuned for Mumbai's reply... |
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