Indian T20 League: Iyer, Ashwin combine to down Mumbai

Delhi clinched a four-wicket win against Mumbai in another exciting low-scoring game at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Bowlers were on top again as a total of 14 wickets fell. The victory helped Delhi go level on points with table-toppers Chennai. Meanwhile, Mumbai dropped to seventh in the standings. They will have to win their remaining two matches to seal a place in the playoffs.

An unbeaten 39-run stand between Shreyas Iyer and Ravichandran Ashwin set up a narrow win for Delhi. Avesh Khan and Axar Patel bagged a three-wicket haul each. Anrich Nortje, too, was impressive. He removed Kieron Pollard and conceded just 19 runs in four overs, which included a wicket maiden. Apart from Suryakumar Yadav, the rest of the Mumbai batters failed to get going. However, the bowling department had a fine outing.

Suryakumar among runs

With the team chasing won three of the four matches played at the venue, Delhi opted to bowl first in Sharjah. Prithvi Shaw returned to Delhi’s playing 11, while Jayant Yadav replaced Rahul Chahar for Mumbai.

Rohit Sharma dispatched the first ball of the match to the boundary. But, in the second over, the Mumbai captain holed out to Kagiso Rabada at third man. Suryakumar, who came at No 3, struck the ball over deep square leg off the bowling of Ashwin. Quinton de Kock, at the other end, scooped the ball over the ropes.

Axar grabbed the wicket of De Kock immediately after the powerplay. The left-handed batsman, who tried to slash the ball, gave an easy catch to Nortje. Suryakumar managed to keep up a decent scoring rate with two fours in Ashwin’s second over. He also took Rabada to the cleaners and helped Mumbai reach 66/2 at the halfway mark of the innings.

Mumbai crumble

A 31-run partnership between Suryakumar and Saurabh Tiwary came to an end in the 11th over. Suraykumar smashed a full toss into the safe hands of Rabada at long-on. Tiwary became Axar’s third scalp as Mumbai found themselves in a bother. The left-arm spinner finished with figures of 3/21. They lost their fifth wicket after Pollard dragged the ball onto his stumps while trying to steer it to the third man.

With boundaries off Rabada and Nortje, the Pandya brothers added 22 runs in four overs. Also, Mumbai crossed the three-figure mark in the 17th over. Avesh produced the perfect yorker to clean up Hardik for 17. All-rounder Nathan Coulter-Nile, too, perished three balls later. Jayant and Krunal, who slammed a six off the final ball of the innings, made 13 of the 20th over and posted 129.

Early inroads

A brilliant throw from Pollard, a shrewd review from Rohit, and Coulter-Nile’s maiden wicket saw Mumbai dominate the powerplay. Shikhar Dhawan, who hit a maximum in the second over of the run chase, tried to take a quick single but found short of the crease courtesy of Pollard’s direct hit. A few balls later, an appeal against Shaw was turned down by Anil Chaudhary. Rohit decided to go upstairs. It turned out to be a fantastic decision from the Mumbai captain as the replays indicated that the ball would have crashed onto the leg stump. Shaw made his way back to the pavilion.

Delhi skipper Pant got off the mark by thrashing the ball over deep midwicket. Smith, too, dispatched the ball over the ropes in Bumrah’s first over. However, Coulter-Nile cleaned up his fellow Aussie. Despite losing three, Pant continued to flay the Mumbai bowlers. Delhi was at 46/3 at the end of the powerplay, with Pant and Iyer at the crease.

Iyer hold fort

Two boundary-less overs helped Mumbai eke out Pant’s wicket. The 23-year-old holed out to Hardik at long-on for 26. Axar, who came ahead of Shimron Hetmyer, kept the scorecard ticking with singles. He charged down the track and lifted the ball for a boundary off the bowling of Pollard.

Boult trapped Axar in front to pick up his first wicket. New man Hetmyer went after Jayant, scoring two fours and a total of 12 runs in his final over. But Delhi lost their sixth wicket when the West Indies batsman was caught at short-cover by Rohit.

Unlike Axar and Hetmyer, Ashwin played watchfully and focused on picking up the singles. Meanwhile, Iyer found the gaps off Coulter-Nile and Bumrah. Delhi, who needed 11 runs from 12 balls, grabbed seven runs in the penultimate over.

Ashwin slog-swept Krunal for a six to wrap the match with five balls remaining. It was the seventh successful run chase by Delhi this season. They will face Chennai in a top-of-the-table clash on Monday. Mumbai square off against Rajasthan on Tuesday.

Mumbai 129/8 in 20 overs (S Yadav 33; A Khan 3/15, A Patel 3/21)

Delhi 132/6 in 19.1 overs (S Iyer 33*;N Coulter Nile 1/19, T Boult 1/24)