Mumbai Indians 200 by 5 (Kishan 55 *, Suryakumar 51, Kock 40, Ashwin 3-29) beat Capitals of Delhi 143 of 8 (Stoinis 65, Axar 42, Bumrah 4-14, Combat 2-9) for 57 runs
After becoming the first team to qualify for the playoffs, the Mumbai Indians crushed the Delhi Capitals in the first Qualifier, giving themselves a chance to clinch a fifth IPL title. They were asked to hit first, which means their players had to deal with spray in the second half, but their hitters made up for that handicap by forcing them to a level above par 200 for 5.
During an interview on the sidelines, their coach Mahela Jayawardene said they were looking at 170; they got 30 more. Quinton de Kock provided the initial push at the top, along with Suryakumar Yadav, before R Ashwin’s classic spell of 4-0-29-3 sent them back briefly. Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya, however, provided a box office finale by pulling 60 together from just 23 balls. Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah then made a total of 200 from Mumbai as the Burj Khalifa leaving them 0 out of 3.
Boult had Prithvi Shaw behind and Ajinkya Rahane trapped in front in a double wickered star maiden. Rohit Sharma released Bumrah with the new ball on the other end and responded by asking Shikhar Dhawan for a duck as well. Thus, the challenges of bowling in second place became a minor factor, and when Rishabh Pant made hole, the Capitals finished 41 of 5 in the eighth final, their chase almost over.
While Mumbai will now rest for three days, the Capitals will move to Abu Dhabi to face the winner of the Eliminator between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad for another shot at the final.
from Kock, Suryakumar set the pace
Mumbai got an early jolt when Ashwin found his turn with the new ball and pinned Sharma in front of his stumps by a golden duck. de Kock and Yadav, however, continued to pursue the bowlers in the power play. de Kock drove left-arm closer Daniel Sams into the middle of a pair of four and even punched Ashwin through the blankets.
The Capitals had chosen Sams over Shimron Hetmyer in the 11th apparently in order to contain Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje for the forced labor against Kieron Pollard and the Pandya brothers. But with Sams conceding 15 runs in his first over, the Capitals had to face Rabada and Nortje a little early. Yadav got into his rhythm with a contemptuous short arm that pulled four from Nortje and then launched a pause and delivered an Ashwin offbreak for six in the middle of the game. Yadav and de Kock kept picking their spots, pushing Mumbai to 63-1 in the power play.
Hello again Ashwin
Ashwin had a hamstring injury in the Capitals’ last league game against the Royal Challengers, and had to pass a physical fitness test to participate in the first Qualifier. Despite injury concerns, he threw with great rhythm, causing the ball to sink, skid and spin. In the eighth over, de Kock charged at him, but Ashwin encountered a sharp fall, causing a toe catch to drift away.
In his next over, on the 13th of innings, he faced the promoted Kieron Pollard. Ashwin’s first ball for him was a carrom ball, which Pollard dragged into a duck. In a game where every other front-line bowler in the Capitals went by at least nine over, Ashwin had a 7.25 economy rating while scooping up the big grounds of Sharma, Kock and Pollard.
The Kishan-Hardik party
Kishan was 10 of 13 balls at one point. The Capitals didn’t want to expose Axar Patel’s left arm swing to the two left hitters, Kishan and Krunal Pandya, so they gave Marcus Stoinis a chance. The Australian off-roader took a step forward with a five-race run that also included the Krunal wicket. Kishan and Hardik, however, sped up full throttle, taking advantage of Rabada and Nortje’s extra pace to their advantage. Kishan took advantage of the rebound from Rabada’s chest-high pitch and took it out for six before delivering a 150km / h throw from Nortje to the third-man limit.
As for Hardik, he scored five sixes on 14 balls, finishing 37 undefeated and a strike rate of nearly 265.
The chase that was not
Boult could throw just two overs before leaving the field due to a groin discomfort, but he still had enough time to grab two wickets. Bumrah, meanwhile, eliminated the other three in the Capitals’ top five. After Krunal dumped Pant, the Capitals were in danger of being knocked down by a score below 100, but Stoinis and Patel helped them avoid ignominy by laying down 71 of 44 balls for the sixth wicket. It was Bumrah who broke that position when he pitched Stoinis 65 in the 16th. Bumrah finished 4 of 14, the Capitals 143 of 8.
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