IPL 10: Match 25, Who Said What: Mumbai Indians v Delhi Daredevils

Mumbai Indians and Delhi daredevils were engaged in a low-scoring contest at Wankhede in the 25th match of the IPL. Delhi Daredevils looked to upset the Mumbai Indians at their own fortress as Zaheer Khan won the toss and elected to field first. As it turned out, Delhi found themselves in the driving seat with the home side reduced to 84-5. only Buttler, Krunal and Pollard offered some substantial resistance to the Daredevils bowlers.

A final flourish from Hardik Pandya helped the home side towards a competitive 142 run total. Amit Mishra and Pat Cummins impressed the most with the ball as they picked up a couple of wickets each at an economy of 4.5 and 5 respectively. Rahul Dravid and the Daredevils camp must have been elated in the interval between the two innings as they fancied their chance in the match. Little did they know about what was about to witness.

Their innings started out in the wrong tone with the unnecessary run-out of Tare in the very first over. The visitors were reduced to 24 -6 at the end of the powerplay. None of the top 6 batsmen could even reach the double digits. Three of them could not open their account. Mitchell McClenaghan just conceded 7 runs in his two wickets by claiming 3 wickets in the first two overs. Bumrah and Hardik also chipped in with a wicket each.

It was as if the theme of the match was a see-saw battle between the two. Daredevils threatened one of the greatest turnarounds in IPL as Morris and Rabada tried to stitch a match-winning partnership from nowhere, to begin with. Rabada scored a counter-attacking 44 off 39 balls. He hit four fours and a six in the process. Morris, yet again, showed his prowess with the bat with an unbeaten 52 off 41 balls.Eventually, it was way too much for Morris and Cummins in the final over with as a many as 25 runs required. DD fell short by 14 runs. In the end, it was cricket which won after two cracking games on Super Saturday.

Michell McCleneghan

McClenaghan seemed relieved after delivering a match-winning performance in the aftermath of the previous game where he leaked 50+ runs. The Kiwi seemed optimistic about the upcoming matches as he wishes to make amends for the mistakes he makes every game.

Last time I went for 50-odd. You’ve got to take the good with the bad and every game is a new game. We had a bit of an idea about the pitch after watching them bowl and everyone did their bit. Corey has pumped me around the park so nice to get one up.

Rohit Sharma

The Mumbai Indians hailed the efforts of bowlers and the Wankhede crowd who made 143 a daunting total for the Delhi batsmen. He further hoped that the support from the crowd remains consistent as they play a major role in the team as a 12th man.

We were outstanding with the ball. We knew that we could defend any total out here, we’ve done it in the past and have the bowlers to do the job for us. It was one of those games where we couldn’t kick on with the bat but I do not want to blame them for we’ve done very well in the past. The crowd support has been amazing, they’ve rightly been the 12th man for us. I hope they’ll keep coming back in large numbers in the next few games as well. The wicket seemed slightly slow and that is what we spoke about in the dressing room. There was no dew tonight, it is very unpredictable to determine but we wanted to lift ourselves up with the ball.

Zaheer Khan 

Zaheer Khan commended the efforts of Rabada and Morris who almost took their side towards victory from the point they were at after the end of the powerplay. The skipper also praised the efforts of Mumbai bowlers for annihilating the Daredevils so early in the innings and successfully defending a relatively low total. He further emphasized the importance of batting and bowling clicking collectively.

The only chance MI had in the game was by taking early wickets and we brought them back. How many times you are 24 for six and come so close. Early wickets never really help. Our bowlers did a fantastic job. We needed some smart batting. Strange to see bowlers dominating. One of the games where I felt our pace battery was brilliant. We felt they were 25 runs short. Considering 24 for six and to lose like this, it was a fantastic effort. I was ready for 9-10 overs and when I am ready that early, things are not that well. We should believe in ourselves and put some good performances together. When we are batting well, we are not bowling well and vice versa. Once things start turning for us, three or four wins should get us back in the tournament.

Mumbai Indians remain on top of the IPL Table with 12 points in their kitty out of the seven games, while Daredevils are currently at the 5th position with 4 points in six games.