In a high scoring thriller, the Mumbai Indians maintained their record of defending every 200+ total they made in IPL history.
There is not much to say about their batting as it was an all round performance from the lineup to post a stellar 205/5, with Tilak Varma scoring his second consecutive fifty. Other batsmen also gave good contributions.
However, it was the trio of Mitchell Santner, Ryan Rickelton and Karn Sharma which turned the game around when Delhi Capitals were smashing them, including Bumrah all around the park.
Mitchell Santner bowled a gem of a delivery to dismiss the unstoppable Karun Nair, marking the beginning of MI’s comeback.
He, like an absolute mastermind also bowled a truly genius wide doosra to dismiss the threatening Vipraj Nigam, pulling things back when Delhi were again crawling back into the game. He bowled a very wide ball as well as a doosra which turned brilliantly, and a batsman would normally expect neither of those.
This surprise 2 in 1 package was a gem of a delivery from Santner, showcasing his experience and intellect despite not being as prolific in IPL as in intl. cricket. The amount of turn was also very impressive.
Karn Sharma took 3 very crucial wickets of Abhishek Porel, the deadly KL Rahul and finch hitter Tristan Stubbs, ensuring MI stay in the game. These 3 wickets killed all scope of another quick comeback from them like in DC’s previous games.
Ryan Rickelton’s keeping also contributed greatly to the win, especially towards the end. He made sure to stump Vipraj Nigam smoothly on Santner’s mastermind of a delivery.
He also did quick glove work to get two game clinching run outs towards the end, killing all possibility of any comeback at all from DC by dismissing the final threats – Ashutosh Sharma and Vipraj Nigam. His excellent knock of 41(25) also was a great contribution as it helped MI get a good powerplay score and foundation which ultimately powered them to 205.
Rohit Sharma’s captaincy from outside the field was also remarkable, as the decision to get a new ball and a leg spinner in attack paid off, as the deadly Tristan Stubbs was dismissed, followed by KL Rahul. This shows the importance of Rohit Sharma’s presence in the team despite being a non-captain and subbed out.
Hardik Pandya’s cool and composed leadership in the match also helped MI secure the win. He has been getting better as a captain and leader lately.
Mumbai Indians would feel pumped up and confident after this win as it was an all round performance and pressure management from the team, and they would like to manifest this into further wins to make a comeback in IPL 2025.
