Delhi Daredevils convincingly beat Mumbai Indians by seven wickets at the Wankhede here on Monday. The Delhi bowlers were the main wreckers, dismissing Mumbai for 92. The batsmen reached the target losing three wickets with 33 balls to spare.
On a wicket that assisted the bowlers, Delhi won a good toss and put Mumbai in. The decision proved fruitful, as Mumbai batsmen struggled to cope up with the Delhi’s strong bowling attack. Only captain Harbhajan Singh and Rohit Sharma reached double figures, scoring 33 and 29 respectively. Sharma fell to an irresponsible shot, as did Kieron Pollard while trying to accelerate the run rate. Ambati Rayudu, who also struggled with the bat, was run out due to miscommunication with Rohit.
The Delhi bowlers were disciplined and did not give anything away. Shahbaz Nadeem, Ajit Agarkar, Umesh Yadav and Morne Morkel took two wickets apiece, while Irfan Pathan scalped one.
Delhi got off to a good start, before Naman Ojha mistimed an RP Singh short ball. He was dismissed for 13. Sehwag was then joined by Kevin Pietersen, who played a few good shots before falling to Singh while playing a pull shot for. Skipper Virender Sehwag struggled for most of his innings and scored a very un-Sehwag-like 32 off 36 balls. Sri Lanka and New Zealand captains Mahela Jayawardene and Ross Taylor then guided the Daredevils home.
Mumbai will have a lot to introspect upon, especially their batting. The bowling showed some spark, but the total was too small to defend. With Sachin Tendulkar still not fully recovered, despite attending practice over the weekend, one can only make assumptions about his return.
Delhi, however, will go into their next match on a high. With Taylor in the squad, the batting strength has improved. It also helps Taylor that Morne Morkel, who broke his wrist in New Zealand, is his Delhi teammate. And with more consistent performances, Delhi may just be the team to watch out for in this tournament.
PTI
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