Match Recap

It was yet another last-ball finish in the VIVO IPL 2018 as Jason Roy took the Delhi Daredevils home against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium.

Playing his first game of the season, Jason Roy opened the innings with GautamGambhir as DD were set a daunting target of 195 by the home team. After the DD captain was sent back by MustafizurRahman with 50 runs on the board in the sixth over, Rishabh Pant joined the opener in shaping the chase.

The pair added 69 runs for the second wicket as they ripped the MI bowling attackapart. MayankMarkande, who had been a stand out performer for MI in the previous game, was clobbered by Pant. The wicketkeeper-batsman was on a rampage as he helped set up the chase for the visitors. While a superb diving catch by Kieron Pollard halted Pant, an outstanding effort by HardikPandya to send back Glenn Maxwell in KrunalPandya’s next over reduced DD to 135 for three.

With 60 runs required off 40 balls,ShreyasIyer joined Roy in the middle. Taking measure of the situation, the Mumbai lad launched into the bowlers. KrunalPandya was dismissed to the ropes as the middle-order batsman helped close in on the target.

With 16 runs required off 12 balls, JaspritBumrah bowled the penultimate over and the wily bowler conceded just five runs. However, Roy slammed Rahman over the covers off the first ball of the last over and lofted the next for six. With one run was required off four balls, Rahman added to the drama. He bowled two slower deliveries that denied Roy the winning run and the fifth ball looked to get an edge off the bat. A review was asked for and with no edge from Roy, DD needed one run off one ball. Roy swung his bat at the last ball and took the team to a seven-wicket win.

Earlier, it was Ewin Lewis and SuryakumarYadav who punished the bowlers. The MI openers garnered 84 runs from the powerplayto setup the innings. After the departure of Lewis at 102 with 11 overs left in the innings, IshanKishan came to the crease. Seven runs later, Suryakumar too returned to pavilion.

Kishan then looked to keep the momentum going. Although the youngster slammed 44 off 23 balls, the rest of the lineup wasn’t able to build on the platform set by the openers. A double blow by Dan Christian, accounting for Kishan and Kieron Pollard in the 16th over, set the momentum back. The Mumbai Indians lost five wickets in the last five overs as they looked to up the ante and finished with 194 for seven on the board.

Standout batting performances

Fireworks by MI openers – Evin Lewis and Suryakumar Yadav got the hosts off to a flying start. Opening the batting for the first time in the IPL, local lad Yadav displayed his entire repertoire of shots. While the drives were exquisite, Suryakumar played the ramp shot to dispatch a bouncer from Trent Boult and Mohammed Shami’s yorker was guided past third man to the ropes. Not be left behind, Lewis was brutal in his treatment of the DD bowlers. The duo brought the team’s fifty in just the fifth over. Lewis slammed Daniel Christian for three boundaries and a six to glean runs off the DD bowlers.

What two had done for MI, Roy did for the Delhi Daredevils. The opener anchored the chase to the finish line with a 53-ball 91-run knock. With a boundary through covers of Hardik, the opener began pilfering runs off the host’s attack. He stated intent as he lofted AkilaDananjaya over the ropes in the next. He also bided his time as Rohit introduced Bumrah and Rahman who squeezed in a couple of quiet overs. Hardik was gleaned for 21 runs in the fifth over as Roy smacked him over long on and square-leg for back-to-back sixes. There was no stopping the opener as he read the bowlers well and milked them for runs. Pant, who joined Roy in the middle collected 47 off 25 balls. He hit consecutive boundaries off Markande. Danajaya too was at the receiving end of Pant’s heroics as he raced forward.

Notable Supporting Act – Batting

IshanKishan gave a glimpse of his batting exploits as he smashed the DD bowlers en route his 44 off 23 balls. He pulled and pierced the field as he pilexdon runs. Kishan slammed Tewatia for four through midwicket and followed up with two sixes as he cruised on.

For the Daredevils, Iyer helped Roy finish the game with an unbeaten 27 off 20 balls. His six over midwicket of Dananjaya was particularly magnificent. While he ran hard between the wickets with Roy, the middle-order batsman also plucked boundaries to keep the chase on course.

Standout bowling performance

While the batsmen dominated the match, Daredevils’ Dan Christian applied the breaks to MI’s innings by accounting for Kishan and Pollard off successive balls. The double blow pegged MI back and the hosts who looked set for a total in excess of 200 or thereabouts were held back.

Krunal stood out amongst the MI bowlers as he finished with 2/21.

Stat of the Match

195 –The highest target chased at the Wankhede Stadium in a VIVO IPL match.

This was Jason Roy’s first half-century in the VIVO IPL.

Brief Scores: Mumbai Indians 194/7 in 20 overs (S Yadav 53, E Lewis 48, D Christain 2/35) lost to Delhi Daredevils 195/3 (J Roy 91*, R Pant 47, K Pandya 2/21) by seven wickets.

Man of the Match: Jason Roy – 91 off 53 balls.