• Home
• /
• Sports
• /
• Cricket

IPL 2020: Mumbai go top of the table with thrilling win over Delhi

Abu Dhabi - In an all-round performance, Mumbai's Suryakumar Yadav (32-ball 53) and Quinton de Kock (36-ball 53) scored fifties

In the battle for the IPL supremacy between the top two sides, Mumbai Indians earned a five-wicket win over Delhi Capitals while chasing 162 runs at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday evening.
In an all-round performance, Mumbai's Suryakumar Yadav (32-ball 53) and Quinton de Kock (36-ball 53) scored fifties.
Yadav shared two useful partnerships - 46-run stand with De Kock and 53-run stand with Ishan Kishan (15-ball 28) to take Mumbai to the top of the points table. Earlier, Mumbai bowlers were spot on in the middle and slog overs. The performance eclipsed Delhi opener Shikhar Dhawan's unbeaten fifty (52-ball 69), his first of the edition, and 85-run partnership with Shreyas Iyer (33-ball 42).
While defending 162, Delhi pacers Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, and spinner Axar Patel were able to keep Rohit Sharma and De Kock quiet in the first three overs.
De Kock broke the lull by hitting R Ashwin and Axar for boundaries and a maximum. Sharma (5) tried to slog Axar but was caught by Rabada.
The left-right batting pair stitched a 31-run stand.
And then De Kock smashed Nortje for two sixes as Mumbai reached 44 for the loss of Sharma after the power play overs.
De Kock continued in the same vein, bringing up his second fifty of the tournament by punishing Harshal for consecutive fours.
Iyer's reliance on spinners paid dividends as De Kock perished while sweeping Ashwin. After 10 overs, Mumbai were 78/2, needing 85 runs to win.
Delhi missed a fantastic runout chance after Iyer disturbed the timber at the wrong end - a wicket then could have changed the fate of the game.
With the required run rate crossing nine runs, Yadav and Kishan went on a rampage, hitting Axar and Marcus Stoinis for fours and a six. Yadav smashed orange cap holder Rabada for a maximum and a four to raise his second fifty.
It was a run-a-ball game but Yadav perished trying to smash Rabada. Stoinis returned to pack off new batsman Hardik Pandya (0).
But Kieron Pollard and Kishan kept Mumbai in the game.
Rabada snared Kishan (15-ball 28) to make things interesting. There was some tension as seven runs were needed from the last over but Pollard (11) and Krunal (12) kept their cool to take Mumbai home with two balls to spare.
Earlier opting to bat, Dhawan and skipper Iyer revived Delhi after Prithvi Shaw (4) and Ajinkya Rahane (15) fell cheaply. Mumbai bowled according to a plan. They kept a tight line to suffocate the batsmen.
But Iyer wrested back control with some lusty blows. As boundaries were hard to come by, Iyer and Dhawan more often focused on converting a single into two runs.
At the half-way stage, Delhi were at 80/2 and it was time to move on but Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah and Krunal bowled the next four overs conceding just a boundary.
Feeling the pressure, Delhi pair tried to accelerate but Krunal snared Iyer (42) ending a solid 85-run partnership.
Stoinis (13) hit a few boundaries but got himself run out.
Amid the chaos, Dhawan got to his fifty and remained unbeaten. However, he could score just two boundaries in the final four overs as Mumbai bowlers restricted Delhi to 162.