Mumbai Indians (MI) concluded their innings on a high, reaching 180 for 5 against Delhi Capitals (DC) thanks to a half-century from Suryakumar Yadav and a late cameo by Naman Dhir. Vipraj Nigam and Kuldeep Yadav initially impressed on a challenging Wankhede pitch, but they couldn’t prevent a late surge that saw 48 runs added in the final two overs.
Opening the innings, Rohit Sharma and Ryan Rickelton capitalised on full deliveries early on, with Sharma flicking a boundary and Rickelton striking two sixes. However, Sharma edged one to Mustafizur Rahman, who found movement away from the bat, ending his stay at the crease.
Vipraj entered the attack in the fourth over, extracting turn but conceding two boundaries to Will Jacks when he dropped short. Jacks struggled against Mustafizur’s slower pace but managed to edge a four and flicked a six before falling to a slower delivery from Mukesh after playing a shot in the air.
As the powerplay concluded with MI at 54 for 2, Suryakumar provided a brief scare with a top-edge that fell safely, while Rickelton holed out attempting a slog sweep, granting Kuldeep his 100th IPL wicket. The middle overs saw Vipraj create pressure with varied lengths while Kuldeep maintained his line and length, keeping MI at 80 for 3 mid-way through their innings.
Suryakumar broke the shackles with a six off Mustafizur, capitalising on a rare fuller delivery. In the following overs, Mukesh dismissed two MI batsmen: Tilak Varma mistimed one to long-on, and Hardik Pandya was caught trying to hit over the infield, reducing MI to 123 for 5 in the 17th over.
The late innings fireworks began with a 27-run 19th over as Suryakumar reached his half-century and Dhir attacked Mukesh, who struggled with cramps. This over featured boundaries thanks to a mix of missed yorkers and short balls. Suryakumar then took control in the last over from Chameera, hitting two sixes and two fours to close the innings on a high.
MI’s late assault has set up a competitive total, leaving the question of how the team will fare in the playoffs without key players like Ian Bosch and Ryan Rickelton.
As Tom Moody and Piyush Chawla have noted, MI’s depth will be tested, and their replacements must rise to the occasion in upcoming crucial matches.
