De Kock steers Mumbai to win over Rajasthan; Delhi beat Kolkata

Quinton de Kock’s unbeaten 70 and some masterful bowling from Jasprit Bumrah in the death overs helped Mumbai Indians (MI) beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) by seven wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday.

The left-handed Proteas opener’s 63-run stand with Krunal Pandya (39) for the third wicket helped MI chase down a target of 172 with nine balls to spare.

Earlier, Jasprit Bumrah led the way as the five-time champions put the brakes on RR’s innings to restrict them to 171/4. Chris Morris dismissed MI captain Rohit Sharma and Suryakumar Yadav in the first 10 overs but de Kock and Pandya then closed out any chances that may have opened up for RR.

Pandya eventually fell in the 17th over to Mustafizur Rahman after which Kieron Pollard smashed 16 runs in eight balls to take MI over the line.

Earlier, MI conceded 45 runs and took two wickets in the last five overs with Bumrah leading the way in stifling RR for runs. He conceded just five runs in the 17th over and four in the 19th, in which he took the wicket of Shivam Dube.

Trent Boult, meanwhile, dismissed RR captain Sanju Samson (42) in the 18th over. The wicket ended a 57-run stand between Samson and Dube that came off 49 balls for the third wicket.

Mumbai skipper Sharma heaved a sigh of relief on moving out of Chennai and winning their first match on a good pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Thursday.

“Guys were positive as they got to know we were going to Delhi, because it was a good pitch, not like Chennai!,” said Sharma after the match.

“Playing the conditions is very important. We knew that we’re going to play on good pitches after Chennai.

“We didn’t adapt well as a team there, but having said, it looks like from here on the pitch will suit us,” added Sharma.

MI will play three more matches in Delhi before moving to Bengaluru. Prior to Thursday’s tie, MI had lost three and won two of their five matches.

“We needed that win badly after a couple of losses. We did everything right today, right from ball one, and very clinical towards the end as well. Individuals took the responsibilities that were given to them, it was a collective effort,” added Sharma.

The right-handed opening batsman praised his bowlers saying they were responsible for the victory.

“I thought the bowlers did the job for us. In the last 7 overs we gave around 50 runs with 7 seven wickets in hand for them.

“It’s very easy to go down when we know they’re 110 in 12 overs, it’s very easy to lose confidence. But we stuck to our plans.”

Meanwhile, Prithvi Shaw’s rampaging 41-ball 82 (11x4s, 3x6s) helped Delhi Capitals (DC) power to a seven-wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Thursday night.

Chasing 154/6 put up by KKR, Shaw went after the bowling right from the start, taking 25 runs (including one wide) off Shivam Mavi’s first over. He thrashed six fours of the first six legitimate deliveries of the innings. It was the third most expensive over in IPL history.

Kolkata kept changing bowlers but runs kept flowing and soon DC reached 67 without loss at the end of the powerplay phase. This is the best powerplay score in the 2021 IPL season.

Shaw soon reached his fifty off 18 balls as Shikhar Dhawan (46 off 47 balls) took his time at the other end.

The two opening batsmen added 132 runs in 13.5 overs and brought their team on the door to victory.

Shaw was dismissed caught off a short delivery from Pat Cummins soon after Dhawan has been dismissed leg-before the wicket by the same bowler.

Earlier, Andre Russell’s 27-ball unbeaten 45 had helped KKR reach 154/6 in 20 overs.

Kolkata were in danger of getting restricted to a below-par total. They were 109 for six in 16.2 overs. However, Russell’s innings, comprising four sixes and two fours, took the team to a total with which they were expected to compete.

Agencies