Nehra sizzles with ball as Delhi humble Mumbai

East London, May 08: A B de Villiers continued his great IPL form as his unbeaten half-century helped Delhi Daredevils clinch a thumping victory against Mumbai Indians by 7 wickets.

De Villiers (50*) took only 37 balls to reach his fifty with the help of 6 fours and one 6.

Chasing a moderate 117, opener Gautam Gambhir and David Warner gave Delhi Daredevils a solid start. Both the batsmen were combining caution with aggression as the required rate was not very high.

But despite having a good start Delhi lost both the openers in quick succession. Part-time offie J P Duminy first had David Warne stumped by wicket-keeper Pinal Shah. Warner scored 21. Immediately after Warner, stand-in skipper Gambhir (19) also departed giving Harbhajan Singh his only wicket of the match.

But A B de Villiers and Tilakratne Dilshan carried the momentum for the Delhi team taking them close to victory with a 61-run partnership. When everything was set for a victory with Delhi reaching 107/2, Dilshan (17) nicked one off Lasith Malinga and caught well by the wicket-keeper leaving de Villiers and Karthik (5*) complete the formalities of winning the match for Delhi.

Chasing a moderate 117, opener Gautam Gambhir and David Warner gave Delhi Daredevils a solid start. Both the batsmen were combining caution with aggression as the required rate was not very high.

But Despite having a good start Delhi lost both the openers in quick succession. Part-time offie J P Duminy first had David Warne stumped by wicket-keeper Pinal Shah. Warner scored 21. Immediately after Warner, stand-in skipper Gambhir (19) also departed giving Harbhajan Singh his first wicket of the match.

But A B de Villiers and Tilakratne Dilshan carried the momentum for the Delhi team taking them close to victory with a 61-run partnership. When everything was set for a victory with Delhi reaching 107/2, Dilshan (17) nicked one off Lasith Malinga and caught well by the wicket-keeper.

Earlier, the left-arm pace duo of Dirk Nannes and Ashish Nehra did the trick again for Delhi Daredevils as they picked up two wickets each to restrict Mumbai Indians to a paltry 116, the lowest total posted by the Mumbai team, in allotted 20 overs.

Rajat Bhatia also came good with the ball in the middle overs, claiming 3 wickets for 15 runs in his 4 overs. The Delhi Daredevils also fielded well as they effected three run-outs.

Electing to bat first, Mumbai Indians’ gamble to tinker with their opening pair seemed to have come a cropper as both Luke Ronchi and JP Duminy fell for duck in the first over itself.

Ronchi fell to a needless run-out in just the second ball without opening his account. A brilliant pick-up and throw from David Warner accounted for him while Dirk Nannes induced an edge from Duminy to wicket keeper Dinesh Karthik to send him packing.

Sachin Tendulkar, who was trying to salvage the Mumbai pride, ran himself out for 15. Stumper Dinesh Karthik produced a stunning throw from behind to find Sachin short of crease. After 6 overs, Mumbai were struggling at 30 for 3.

A senseless shot by Pinal Shah saw Mumbai lost another wicket as they were reeling at 33 for 4 in 8th over. When the situation demanded Pinal’s coolness, he suddenly lost it and he was holed out at mid-wicket while trying to play a lofted shot off Rajat Bhatia.

Despite losing four wickets in heap, Mumbai Indians were slowly rebuilding their innings, courtesy Dwayne Bravo (35) and Abhishek Nayar (18). But just when everything was looking well for Mumbai, both the batsmen got out trying to speed up the run-rate.

Like the last two matches Virender Sehwag did not take to the field due to an injury and in his place Gautam Gambhir was leading Delhi Daredevils. For Mumbai Indians, Zaheer sat out again due to a naggin injury.

Mumbai Indians left out Sanath Jayasuriya and brought in Luke Ronchi in his place.

Teams

Delhi Daredevils (Playing XI): Gautam Gambhir(c), David Warner, AB de Villiers, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dinesh Karthik(w), Mithun Manhas, Rajat Bhatia, Amit Mishra, Pradeep Sangwan, Ashish Nehra, Dirk Nannes

Mumbai Indians (Playing XI): Sachin Tendulkar(c), Luke Ronchi, Pinal Shah(w), Jean-Paul Duminy, Dwayne Bravo, Abhishek Nayar, Saurabh Tiwary, Harbhajan Singh, Rohan Raje, Lasith Malinga, Dhawal Kulkarni