Bumrah, David seal RCB's entry in the playoffs as MI beat DC
Cheering Mumbai Indians on as they watched all the action from their hotel, Royal Challengers Bangalore had Rohit Sharma's men to thank as MI's five-wicket win paved the way for RCB's qualification for the playoffs. Jasprit Bumrah's three-wicket haul kept DC to 159/7 after MI opted to bowl at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday (May 21). There were useful contributions from Ishan Kishan, Dewald Brevis and Tilak Varma in the chase but it was Tim David's 34 at a strike rate of 309.09 that took the game away from DC as they finished fifth on the points table while MI ended up at the last position despite being equal on points with CSK.
MI pick up pace after slow start
It was only off the 10th delivery he faced that Rohit Sharma got off the mark, with Khaleel Ahmed keeping it tight against the MI skipper. Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan took a liking to Anrich Nortje's pace, hitting two fours and a six in the second over, driving, slicing and pulling off the front foot. He also top-edged a six over fine-leg off Shardul Thakur but with Khaleel conceding only two off his two overs and Mitchell Marsh bowling a one-run over, MI were kept in check. The pressure resulted in Rohit getting out to Nortje for a 13-ball 2, chipping a catch to mid-on. MI could only get 27/1 in the first six overs, the lowest powerplay score at the Wankhede Stadium in this IPL. MI upped the ante in the next few overs, with Kuldeep Yadav having an expensive outing. Brevis was nearly caught in the deep by Thakur when he hit his first six off Kuldeep but he was a lot more in control of his next few shots, going straight over the wrist spinner and slog-sweeping for a six and a four off successive deliveries. Kishan heaved one over the fence in the same over as MI moved to 62/1 at the end of the 10th over.
See-saw battle
A half-century stand, which came off 35 deliveries, came to an end in the 12th over as Kishan departed two short of a half-century. Having struck a six off Axar, Kishan tried one off Kuldeep but fell in that attempt as Warner held on to the skier. Kuldeep could have also dismissed Brevis in the same over when the batter went for the slog-sweep and ended up top-edging the ball. But Rishabh Pant made a mess of it and watched on as Brevis struck a six off Axar. Thakur, brought back in the 15th over, ensured Brevis' stay wasn't a long one as the batter chopped one onto the stumps to depart for 37 off 33. David would have been out first ball but the umpire turned down a caught-behind appeal and DC did not take the review, with replays later revealing a clear edge.
David's blitz sets the platform for MI's win
David ended the 15th over with a pick-up shot for a six while Tilak struck a maximum off Nortje in the 16th. A review was used by DC in the same over but the ball had pitched well outside the leg stump. David ended the over with a boundary, bringing down the equation to 46 off 24. Khaleel, bowling the 17th over, gave away 17 runs as Tilak scored a boundary while David struck a four and a six. DC's bowlers tried to bowl a widish line to David, who was still able to hit straight sixes. He hit two maximums off Thakur in the 18th over before getting out to a leading edge. MI needed 14 off the last two overs and Ramandeep Singh made it easier for MI with a cover drive for a four off Nortje and a scoop shot for three runs. But Tilak fell caught behind in the same over, leaving MI with five to get off the final over. Khaleel started the last over with a beamer over Ramandeep's head and the batter edged the next ball to the boundary to seal the deal for MI, and also for RCB.
Regular wickets keep DC in check
DC managed 37 for 2 (their lowest powerplay score in this IPL) and 55 for 4 at halfway stage (also their lowest this season). The chief reason for that was Bumrah, who bowled two of the first six overs and bagged the wickets of Marsh and Prithvi Shaw. David Warner was out for a 6-ball 5, guiding a catch to Bumrah while trying to hit the ball over third man. Mitchell Marsh fell for a golden duck, with Bumrah finding the outside edge and Rohit holding on to a low catch at slip. MI's premier pacer bagged the important wicket of Shaw who was looking in ominous touch. Returning to the eleven having recovered from an illness, Shaw struck two fours and a six before a well-directed bouncer from Bumrah took his glove en route to the 'keeper. Sarfaraz Khan struck a six off Bumrah but he fell shortly after, edging an away-turning delivery from Mayank Markande to Kishan. With the pitch offering turn and bounce, run-making wasn't easy and it allowed the MI bowlers to keep the DC batters in check.
Powell's counter-attack
Powell was on 4 off 8 at the end of the 11th over, with DC having managed only 64. But Powell switched to aggression mode, helping DC get a move on. He struck two sixes off Hrithik Shokeen, slog-sweeping and flicking over midwicket, while Bumrah's misfield at backward point gave him a four. Powell just about managed to clear the leaping fielder at long-off for a maximum off Markande while Kishan conceded four byes in the same over. A half-century stand was raised off 37 deliveries as DC reached 100 at the start of the 15th over.
DC finish with fighting total
It was an eventful 16th over with Ramandeep being struck for two fours and a six by Pant while he also conceded three wides. But the DC skipper fell off the final delivery of the over, edging to the 'keeper while trying to go after a wide delivery outside off. Powell and Axar struck a six apiece off Bumrah and Sams respectively. But an accurate yorker from Bumrah resulted in the stumps being shattered as Powell departed for a 34-ball 43 in the penultimate over and the bowler finished with 3 for 25. Only six runs came in the 19th over while Ramandeep dismissed Shardul Thakur in the final over, and despite being hit for a six by Axar, managed to keep it tight. Nevertheless, it was a decent finish for DC who managed 53 in the last five overs.
Brief scores: Delhi Capitals 159/7 in 20 overs (Rovman Powell 43, Rishabh Pant 39; Jasprit Bumrah 3-25, Ramandeep Singh 2-29) lost to Mumbai Indians 160/5 in 19.1 overs (Ishan Kishan 48, Dewald Brevis 37; Shardul Thakur 2-32, Anrich Nortje 2-37) by 5 wickets.