Putting up an excellent skill show in Qualifier 1 of the Indian T20 League, Mumbai becomes the first team to book a place in the grand finale. Setting a mammoth target of 201 runs, the team defeated Delhi by 57 runs.
Toss: Delhi Capitals won the toss and opt to bowl
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
Detailed Match Report
Mumbai has been one of the most consistent and powerful teams of Indian T20 League 2020 and it looked determined to keep up with the usual performance in the play-offs as well. Rohit Sharma failed to impress with the bat yet again as Ashwin managed to pick the Mumbai skipper on the first ball faced. But his opening partner Quinton de Kock made sure to put the opponents under pressure with his brilliant knock of 40 runs off 25 balls that comprised of 5 boundaries and a six. Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar Yadav paired up well to put up 78 runs on board with their crucial partnership before Ashwin struck again and de Kock was caught by Shikhar Dhawan. Ishan Kishan & Yadav then took charge to continue the team's legacy & played a much-needed inning of 51 off 38 & 55 off 30 balls, respectively.
The team was quite efficient with the bat, except for the performances of Rohit Sharma, Kieron Pollard & Krunal Pandya, others managed to at least touch the 30-run base. Overall, with consistent efforts from the team, Mumbai managed to put up a total of 200 runs on board at a loss of 5 wickets in their share of 20 overs.
Delhi looked quite weak in terms of both the bowling as well as batting department. Apart from Ashwin, who picked 3 crucial wickets conceding just 29 runs, the bowlers of the team gave away many runs, while barely managing to pick wickets. Nortje & Stoinis did manage to get 1-wicket each but that wasn't just enough. Moreover, Delhi's batting looked pale too.
The team lost 3 wickets within the first over of the game for a score of 0 runs, becoming the first-ever team in the Indian T20 League history to lose 3 wickets at a total of 0 runs. Captain Shreyas Iyer & middle-order star, Marcus Stoinis tried stabilizing the team's inning but to no good. Bumrah picked Iyer in the 4th over of the game, shattering the remaining hopes for the team. Rishabh Pant's inconsistent form continued to be an issue in this game as well, and Delhi were 41 for 5 towards the end of the 8th over. However, a partnership of 71 runs between Marcus Stoinis & Axar Patel did help Delhi to narrow the gap between the target & its score, but unfortunately couldn't help them win the game.
Jasprit Bumrah picked 4-wickets while Trent Boult managed to bag 2, building pressure on Delhi and laying the foundations of Mumbai's massive victory. Krunal Pandya had to settle for just 1 wicket. A balanced performance from the players guided Mumbai to a comfortable win & helped in booking a seat in the game's finale. On the other hand, team Delhi will proceed to Qualifier 2, to be played on November 8, to compete against the Winner of Eliminator 1.
Star Player of the game
Jasprit Bumhrah with his 4-wicket haul redefined the nature of the game. He hunted down the biggest threats Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, and Marcus Stoinis, ensuring Mumbai had a smooth win.
Top 5 players that changed the game
Ishan Kishan: 55 (30)
Quinton de Kock: 40 (25)
Jasprit Bumrah: 4-1-14-4
Ravichandran Ashwin: 4-0-29-3
Marcus Stoinis: 65 (46)
