Dehli pip Mumbai

NEW DELHI: Delhi Daredevils completed a hat-trick of victories as they beat Mumbai Indians by 10 runs in the Game 17 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) season nine at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium here on Saturday. With the victory, Delhi jumped to second in the standings with three wins in four games.

Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma’s 65 off 48 balls went in vain as he failed to take his team home. Mumbai managed 154/7 in 20 overs while chasing a competitive 165-run target. Mumbai were cruising in their chase, but the fall of Krunal Pandya in the 13th over changed the course of the match and they came short in the end.

Mumbai lost Parthiv Patel early in the second over but Rohit continued to score boundaries at will. Rohit along with Ambati Rayudu took Mumbai to 51/1 after Powerplay overs. Rayudu, who was dropped by JP Duminy in the fifth over — a half-chance at slip, smacked four boundaries for his 25 before he was clean bowled by legspinner Amit Mishra in the ninth over. Mishra broke the 53-run stand between Rayudu and Rohit with the wicket.

Rohit and Krunal then took Mumbai to 78/2 after ten overs. Krunal hit a six and a four off Imran Tahir’s 12th over and raced to 35 in 15 balls with a four off Zaheer in the next over. But a misunderstanding with his skipper three balls later led to his dismissal in a run-out for 36 off 17 balls, comprising two sixes and four boundaries, which also ended a quick 41-run stand in 4.1 overs.

Mishra came back in the 15th over and dismissed Jos Buttler leg before for two to bring back Delhi in the game as it left Mumbai needing 55 runs in final 5.3 overs. Mishra then gave away just five runs in the 17th over to finish with impressive figures of two for 24 in four overs.

Rohit soon reached record-equalling 28th IPL fifty off 41 balls with the help of six boundaries, and continued to lead the Mumbai run chase. Rohit hit a four off the last ball of Chris Morris’s 18th to take his team to 133/4, needing 32 more in the final two overs. But they managed 21 in them for the lost of three wickets.

Earlier, Sanju Samson and Duminy put on a crucial 71 runs for the fourth wicket to power Delhi to 164/4. Samson top-scored for the hosts with 60 off 48 balls with the help of two sixes and four boundaries and Duminy’s unbeaten 31-ball 49 knock came with two sixes and three fours.

For Mumbai, Mitchell McClenaghan was the pick of the bowlers as he got the wickets of Quinton de Kock and Samson to finish with the figures of two for 31 runs in four overs.