Fast-bowlers Rasikh Salam and Mukesh Kumar picked three-fers each as Delhi Capitals secured a 10-run victory over Mumbai Indians to get their fifth win of IPL 2024 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Saturday.
In what was another run-fest at the venue, opener Jake Fraser-McGurk continued his good showing by slamming a sensational 84, including getting fifty in just 15 balls, while Tristan Stubbs smashed an unbeaten 48 to carry DC to a mammoth 257/4.
In reply, Rasikh’s 3-34 and Mukesh’s 3-54, along with Khaleel Ahmed’s 2-45 kept Mumbai to 247/9, despite Tilak Varma’s 63, Hardik Pandya’s 46 and Tim David’s 37 giving them hope of chasing down the target.
With this win, DC jumped ahead of defending champions Chennai Super Kings to now be in fifth place in the points table with 10 points from as many games.
Chasing 258, Ishan Kishan and Rohit Sharma hit five boundaries between themselves – four of them hit by the former. Khaleel took out a scratchy Rohit when he got him to slice to mid-off. Ishan soon went back to the pavilion after miscuing a loft to mid-off against Mukesh.
Impact player Suryakumar Yadav looked dangerous when he brought out his wristy flick, glance, cut, one-handed loft and slice to make a 13-ball 26, before lobbing a catch to cover off a slower off-cutter from Khaleel as MI ended the Power-play at 65/3, marking it the third time they lost three wickets in the six-over phase of IPL 2024.
Hardik kept MI in the hunt by hitting Kuldeep Yadav for three fours and a six to collect 19 runs off the ninth over before Tilak lofted and reverse-swept Axar Patel for six and four respectively in the tenth over. Hardik pulled and sliced Mukesh for six and four respectively, before miscuing a slog to mid-wicket off a slower ball from impact player Rasikh.
Two balls later, Rasikh took out Nehal Wadhera, who nicked behind to Pant. Tilak was at his proactive best in taking 21 runs off Kuldeep in the 15th over – pulling and lofting for a brace of sixes, before heaving and reverse-sweeping for two fours. Tilak reached his fifty in 25 balls by heaving Lizaad Williams over fine leg for four.
With 64 runs needed from the last three overs, David dispatched Mukesh for two sixes over long-on fence and a pulled four. Pant came up to the stumps and it worked as Mukesh had David trapped plumb lbw. But Tilak ended the 23-run over by glancing a Mukesh full toss over backward square leg for six.
The equation came down to 41 runs off the last 12 balls, and Rasikh struck by having Mohammad Nabi hole out to long-on in a 16-run 19th over. Tilak’s run-out on the first ball of the final over and Chawla holing out to long-on the last ball ensured DC got their second straight win in Delhi.