Defending champion Mumbai Indians (MI) continued their glorious run in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, as they drubbed Delhi Capitals (DC) in Match 51 on Saturday. Being played in Dubai, MI registered a dominating nine-wicket win, with more than five overs to spare.
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Match summary: Electing to bowl, the MI bowlers were lethal right from the start, as the DC batsmen were inconsistent and could hardly build any partnerships. Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah claimed a three-for, as DC posted a below-par total of 1109. In reply, it was an easy rise for MI, as Ishan Kishan's unbeaten 72 was enough to see them through.
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Meanwhile, following the win, MI skipper Kieron Pollard was all praise for Kishan, who is having a brilliant tournament so far. "Each and every game, Ishan is getting better and better. Long may it continue. [He's] Been able to adapt to different scenarios. [He] Didn't even start at the beginning, then [he batted at] No. 4. He prefers to open, and he's adapting," he said.
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He also praised their bowling attack, as he said, "Boult was excpetional. That's his strength, bowling with the new ball. He's consistently given us good starts. I kept delaying him [Bumrah] on this track with his angles. He's jumping to bowl in the PowerPlays, but again, I saw today, getting those early wickets, and with the spinners getting grip, [I] kept him for the middle overs."
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Meanwhile, DC skipper Shreyas Iyer feels that his team is lacking the spark which they did during the initial phase. "I think we fell short at reading the wicket. We weren't up to the mark, and those wickets in the powerplay took down the momentum. It was important that we built partnerships, but it happened in bits and pieces. Lots of flaws to point out, but we've got to believe in ourselves," he said.
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"You actually can't anticipate how the wicket's going to play right from the start. Once the openers get a momentum going, you can read it, and 150-160 is a good score on these sort of wickets," he added.
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Furthermore, Iyer urged his side to play fearless cricket in the final game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). "We'll have to be fearless [against RCB] and keep things simple. It's an important game for us, do-or-die, depending on how they play today. [We are] Not thinking much about the future, [we are] trying to stay in the present," he concluded.
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While DC take on RCB in Abu Dhabi on Monday, both teams would eye a win, to confirm their playoffs spot. Meanwhile, MI would be playing their final game against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Sharjah on Tuesday, which would be crucial for the latter.
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