Mumbai
Indians
played like
the dominant
side they
have been
this IPL, and
Delhi
Daredevils
like the
middling one they have been.
Consequently Mumbai took another
step towards qualification for the
next round, Delhi towards
elimination.
Scorecard
Except for a period of four overs
where Mumbai lost two wickets for
17 runs, they bossed the whole
game. Aiden Blizzard teased
headline writers with seven
boundaries off Morne Morkel's first
two overs, and then Ambati Rayudu
and Rohit Sharma absorbed the
shock of two quick wickets to follow
it up with an assault that got
Mumbai 67 off the last six overs.
On a flat and quick pitch, with short
boundaries, 178 was still not beyond
Virender Sehwag and David Warner.
Not against Mumbai, though, whose
big three with the ball - Lasith
Malinga, Harbhajan Singh and Munaf
Patel - killed the game in three overs.
Harbhajan got Warner with a
straighter one, Colin Ingram had no
clue about a Malinga yorker, and
Munaf got a top edge from Sehwag
first ball. It left Delhi too steep a
climb, although an 87-run stand
between half-centurion James Hopes
and Venugopal Rao meant sure all
time-outs were utilised.
The first innings had got off to a
similarly emphatic start for Mumbai.
Blizzard took to the pace and the
regulation length from Morkel, who
has troubled a few Indian batsmen
with pace and bounce. To Blizzard,
though the faster they came, the
faster they went. One of the seven
boundaries was a cut from in front of
leg stump. A defeated Morkel found
time for a bemused smile even as
the total reached 50 in five overs.
Irfan Pathan, though, found swing,
and with a wicket-maiden brought
Delhi back. Shahbaz Nadeem added
to Sachin Tendulkar's wicket when
he removed Blizzard with one that
skidded on. This was a time when
things could have easily gone wrong
for Mumbai, but Rayudu and Rohit
batted sensibly. It was Rayudu who
took lead in both rebuilding and in
attacking once he was in.
Rayudu began pushing Delhi out o
the contest in the 10th over when he
targeted James Hopes. He moved
across the stumps, and waited with
a high back lift. He got a length ball
from Hopes, and pulled it over short
fine. It didn't make for a pleasant
viewing, but Rayudu immediately
balance it aesthetically with a proper
drive through extra cover next over.
Two overs later, Ajit Agarkar served
him a leg-stump half-volley, which
Rayudu flicked out of Agarkar's
home ground.
Rayudu's hitting rubbed onto Rohit,
who lofted Morkel and Hopes for
lovely straight sixes. Morkel found a
semblance of redemption with
Rohit's wicket in the 17th over,
Agarkar with a last over to Kieron
Pollard and Andrew Symonds that
went for just five. In between,
though, Rayudu punished Delhi
some more. He didn't go hell for
leather, instead he placed his shots
well and hit Nadeem and Hopes for a
six and three fours. From 30 off 26 he
had gone to 59 off 39. Malinga,
Harbhajan and Munaf soon told him
he had done enough.
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