After the Delhi Daredevils slumped into the sixth defeat after losing against the Mumbai Indians, their captain JP Duminy was still smiling at the Wankhede stadium. He insisted that all is not lost and gave a gentle reminder to all his teammates that they would have to win all their remaining four matches in order to stay alive till the play-off stages.
It sounds horribly tough for an inconsistent side like the Daredevils, but nothing is impossible in this game. What is impossible to imagine is that a team can lose a match after Yuvraj Singh has scored more than fifty runs. The stylish southpaw, who is known for being a match-winner, continues to struggle to take his team across the winning line.
Tuesday was one such occasion when the Daredevils lost a few early wickets, but Yuvraj, the highest paid player in the IPL history, stood his ground. He was in his elements and took a few extra deliveries to settle down before playing his trademark shots.
Still, his team did well to collect 152 for six in 20 stipulated over. But in the end, the Mumbai Indians emerged as the best side. That too, after losing four wickets within 40 runs, the hosts were able to turn the table. Thanks to a great knock from Ambati Rayudu.
In a rain interrupted match, not many would have thought about a Mumbai win till it happened. Rayudu also shared an important partnership with Kieron Pollard to see Mumbai home. Captain Rohit Sharma too played an important knock for his team.
But the champion of the match was Harbhajan Singh. He bowled one of the best spells of this year’s IPL. From his quota of four overs, he not only bowled 16 dot balls, but also took two important wickets to restrict the Daredevils. It was like seeing the old Harbhajan Singh.
He mixed his deliveries very intelligently and got the wicket of Shreyas Iyer, who was responsible for Mumbai’s loss against Delhi in the first leg of the tournament. Kedar Jadhav was his second wicket. With this win, Mumbai continue to repair their league standing and showing good signs to be in the next stage of the tournament.
