IPL 9, Match 17: DD v MI - 5 Talking Points

Lights, action, and drama. That’s what it was. For the first time in IPL 9, the uncertainty of the match came to the fore. However, at the end of the day, one team wins and the other loses, and in this case, the Delhi Daredevils (DD) picked up yet another win over the Mumbai Indians (MI) by a slender 10-run margin. The Zaheer Khan led side has now witnessed their third win on the trot and into the top half of the table. While there were a plethora of talking points, here are five of the best ones.

1. Quinton de Kock beaten for pace:

Quinton de Kock’s current outing in the IPL has been something of a fairy tale. However, this time around, the Proteas southpaw failed to make a major impact. The first ball from Tim Southee was a straightish in-swinger. Needless to say, de Kock didn’t leave the field of play without playing one of his trademark off-side shots. However, he was beaten by the pace of Mitchell McCeleneghan. De Kock was dismissed rather cheaply as he scored just 9 runs.

2. Sanju Samson’s class prevails:

Sanju Samson has always been known for his timing and class. Of later however, Samson’s performances in the DD jersey has been rather substandard. As Nasser Hussain once said, “ Form comes and goes, but class remains.” Sure enough, Samson’s class came to the fore as he smashed a wonderfully compiled half-century. Samson did battle against the Mumbai bowlers, scoring a virtuoso 60 off 48 deliveries. Despite taking his time and calculated risks, Samson carried the Daredevils to a zone of safety.

3. JP Duminy adds finishing touches:

JP Duminy is coming back into the Daredevils squad after a long layoff. Given the southpaw’s credentials, Carlos Brathwaite was sacrificed and kept on the bench. The risk however, paid off. Duminy came in with the almost 12 overs to play. Duminy cut pulled, swept and slapped his way to a quickfire 49 off just 31 deliveries. Apart from adding an additional 20 odd runs to the total, Duminy finished off the innings for the Daredevils rather handsomely.

4. Krunal Pandya’s Rocky Balboa moment:

Krunal Pandya’s debut season in the IPL has been one of glitz and glamour. Having made his way into the squad at the expense of Shreyas Gopal, the older of the Pandya brothers’ antics with both bat and ball hasn’t gone unnoticed. This time, Krunal was promoted up the batting order and once again failed to disappoint. All he needed was just 17 deliveries in the middle, smashing his way to a blistering 36. His compilation included 4 boundaries and two sixes.

5. The gladiator Rohit Sharma:

Rohit Sharma is a gladiator of sorts for the Mumbai Indians. Sharma played a different type of innings that not many are used to witnessing from him. He anchored the innings once more for the Indians as he smashed his way to a wonderful 65 off just 48 deliveries. Having opened the batting, he batted for almost the entire innings as he was rather unluckily run out in the final over. Despite his innings going in vain, it certainly exuded the class and stroke making Sharma is certainly capable of.

Special mention: Chris Morris

While the batsmen hog the limelight and eat up most of the accolades, the bowlers bowl their heart out, not expecting to get a mention at all. However, the star of the show as far as I was concerned was South African all-rounder Chris Morris. He bowled the 18^th and the 20^th overs, conceding barely a few runs. He also exhibited sublime presence of mind as he ensured a Daredevils win.

How did Twitter react to the match? – Twitter Reactions: Delhi Daredevils hold nerves in a close encounter