MUMBAI, APRIL 8
Romario Shepherd smashed 32 in the last over of his team's innings as five-time champion Mumbai Indians secured its first win in the Indian Premier League with a 29-run victory over Delhi Capitals on Sunday.
In the day's second game, Lucknow Super Giants beat Gujarat Titans by 33 runs to win its third straight match.
Mumbai ended its opening three-match losing streak and garnered a valuable two points for the Hardik Pandya-led side, while Delhi fell to its fourth loss in five games.
Shepherd smacked 39 not out off only 10 balls - including 4-6-6-6-4-6 against Anrich Nortje (2-65) in the 20th over - to help Mumbai post an imposing 234-5. Former skipper Rohit Sharma top scored with 49 off 27, including six fours and three sixes, while Tim David hit a 21-ball 45 not out.
In reply, Delhi finished on 205-8, thanks largely to Tristan Stubbs' 71 not out off 25 deliveries and opener Prithvi Shaw's 66 off 40. Pacer Gerald Coetzee took 4-34 for Mumbai.
After losing the toss, Mumbai made a fine start with Sharma and Ishan Kishan putting on 80 in seven overs.
Kishan scored 42 off 23 balls before left-arm spinner Axar Patel provided the breakthrough, bowling Sharma at the end of the seventh over. He put the brakes on Mumbai's scoring, also sending back Kishan with a sharp one-handed caught-and-bowled dismissal.
Top T20 batter Suryakumar Yadav returned to action from a sports hernia injury but fell to a two-ball duck as Mumbai reached 111-3 in 10.2 overs.
Hardik scored 39 off 33 balls to stabilize the innings and put on 60 runs for the fifth wicket with David. Mumbai desperately needed some momentum toward the innings' end when Shepherd arrived at the crease.
He smacked Nortje's final over to all parts of the ground as Mumbai's par total suddenly became a challenging one.
Shepherd continued this momentum with ball in hand as he then dismissed Delhi opener David Warner for 10 runs.
Shaw and Abhishek Porel added 88 off 49 balls for the second wicket to prove a platform to chase.
Playing on his home ground, Shaw hit eight fours and three sixes. Porel scored 41 off 31 balls.
Jasprit Bumrah ended Shaw's innings with a trademark yorker, bringing Stubbs to the crease.
Stubbs, who previously played for Mumbai Indians, smacked seven sixes to propel Delhi's innings. But he missed support from the other end after Bumrah dismissed Porel. Coetzee sent back Rishabh Pant for just one, and Delhi's innings came apart afterward as the new batters didn't reach double digits.
Mumbai moved to eighth in the points table. Delhi Capitals is last in the 10-team competition.
THAKUR FIVE-FOR
Medium pacer Yash Thakur took 5-30 in 3.5 overs to help Lucknow record its first win over Gujarat in the IPL. Left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya also impressed with 3-11 in four overs as Gujarat's chase ended at 130 all out in 18.5 overs.
Marcus Stoinis earlier scored 58 off 43 balls, including four fours and two sixes, as Lucknow posted 163-5 after choosing to bat first.
Lucknow lost Quinton de Kock (6) and Devdutt Parikkal (7) cheaply, while Lokesh Rahul was harder to dismiss with 33 off 31 runs.
Rahul put on 73 off 62 with Stoinis for the third wicket. Nicholas Pooran provided some momentum in the death overs, scoring 32 not out off 22 balls with three sixes. Ayush Badoni hit an 11-ball 20, putting on 31 runs with Pooran.
These two late partnerships helped Lucknow score a par-plus total on a two-paced pitch.
Gujarat made a good start with Sai Sudharsan (31) and Shubman Gill (19) adding 54 off 36 balls.
Thakur provided the breakthrough by bowling Gill at the end of the sixth over. Wrist spinner Ravi Bishnoi then held a stunning one-handed return catch to dismiss impact substitute Kane Williamson for one run.
Pandya chipped in with the wickets of Sudharsan and BR Sharath (2) as Gujarat fell to 61-4 in 8.5 overs.
Thakur ran through the middle-lower order, despite Rahul Tewatia's 30 off 25 balls.
It was Gujarat's second consecutive loss as it dropped to seventh while Lucknow climbed to third.
