Indian Premier League 2021 | Delhi beats Mumbai, almost guaranteed to finish in the top two

Shreyas Iyer displayed a steely temper as Ravichandran Ashwin made up for his weak bowling effort with a last six as the Delhi Capitals moved closer to the top two, beating the Mumbai Indians by four wickets in the match. an IPL match in Sharjah on Saturday.

Chasing a modest 130 on a tough Sharjah Stadium track, DC had a bad time in the chase, but Iyer with a 33 run-a-ball anchored the innings and added a crucial unbroken 39-point stand with Ashwin ( 20 steps). Needing just four points from the last, Ashwin sealed the chase with five balls to spare as he slammed a six from Krunal Pandya as the duo shared a defining partnership, consuming 36 balls.

The win took DC to 18 points in 12 games and one more win is sure to land a top two spot with one more win as only two losses in the last two games and three big wins for RCB and at least a CSK victory will push them into third place. It seems unlikely at the moment with the net run-rate scenario.

This is the seventh loss in 12 games this season for the five-time MI champion and their chances of making the play-offs are quickly fading.

Defending the modest total, Mumbai got off to a flying start as they sent Delhi’s top three – Shikhar Dhawan (8), Prithvi Shaw (6) and Steve Smith (9) – back to the hut inside the power play. .

Kieron Pollard’s mid-round direct hit caught Shikhar Dhawan short of his crease in the second round, while a superb review call ensured Shaw was sent back to a four-ball space in his comeback game. .

Smith looked into his zone and shot Bumrah for a six, but only to perish to his Aussie teammate Nathan Coulter-Nile.

Coulter-Nile cleaned Smith around his legs with a ball that stayed low because he dragged too much.

In the absence of significant partnerships, it was their former captain Iyer who showed great patience and ran the strike with simple smart people.

Without any pressure on the run rate, Iyer was keen on turning the shots intelligently as he slammed only two limits in his run-a-ball stroke.

Earlier on a day when star pitcher Ravichandran Ashwin was completely discolored, Axar (3/21) dismissed Quinton De Kock (19), Suryakumar Yadav (33) and Saurabh Tiwary (15), making sure the runs were difficult to find in the above the middle.

But it was their uncapped Indian point guard Avesh Khan (3/15) who continued his dream run in the IPL and prepared it for the Capitals, pressing Rohit Sharma at breakneck pace.

Avesh then returned to his death and sidelined the dangerous Hardik Pandya (17) and Nathan Coulter Nile (1) with three balls to tighten the noose even further.

World’s fastest bowler Anrich Nortje, who shared the new ball with Avesh, was also neat with 1/19 of his four overs as DC bowlers got their length on a slow bridge.

Their discipline was such that none of the MI hitters except Surya could cross the 20 point mark.

Prior to that, Madhya Pradesh boy Avesh had conceded just seven points with eight point balls in his first two overs and took the prized scalp from MI skipper Rohit Sharma on his fifth ball of the day. .

Avesh’s momentum might not look smooth, but the effort ball to bounce Rohit was special as the waiting Indian T20 captain couldn’t connect his shot.

The 24-year-old, who is second (21) in the list of main wicketakers in this IPL, has now taken three Indian superstars – MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli and now Rohit – in this IPL.

Ashwin on the other end looked unsettled with Surya sweeping the Indian star off the spinner for a six, while De Kock also looked menacing, taking on compatriot Kagiso Rabada with a round shot on the thin leg.

Making a smart captain call, Rishabh Pant brought in Axar immediately after the power play and the boy from Gujarat dismissed De Kock on his second ball.

He made smart use of his height advantage and was perfect with his lengths, which made it difficult for the Mumbai beaters.

Not having been in the best form, Surya seemed to be back in his element scoring for them with a 26-ball 33, but Patel beat the No.3 Mumbai with a full throw.