DC defeat MI at home to climb to fifth place

Fraser-McGurk’s 27-ball 84 and Rasikh Salam’s 3 for 34 guide Delhi to a thrilling victory

In another run fest in IPL 2024, Jake Fraser-McGurk’s 84 off 27 balls proved to be the difference as Delhi Capitals (DC) beat Mumbai Indians (MI) by ten runs at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Saturday.

Apart from Fraser-McGurk, Shai Hope and Tristan Stubbs also played crucial knocks for DC as they posted 257/4 after being sent in.

In reply, MI lost three wickets in the powerplay - the big ones of Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Suryakumar Yadav - but Tilak Varma (63) and Hardik Pandya (46) kept their hopes alive.

Rasikh Salam, however, turned the game by dismissing Hardik and Nehal Wadhera in the same over. While Tilak and Tim David fought till the end, MI eventually fell short.

The win took DC to fifth place on the points table with ten points from as many games. MI stayed rooted to ninth with six points from nine matches.

Rasikh was the pick for the home side, he came on as an impact sub and picked up 3/34 in this high-scoring affair while Mukesh also returned with a three-wicket haul (3/59).

Khaleel provided the Capitals with their first wicket as he dismissed Rohit Sharma for 8. Mukesh joined the party in style and scalped the wicket of Kishan for 20. Khaleel bagged his second wicket as he dismissed Suryakumar Yadav for 26. After losing three wickets in quick succession, Hardik and Tilak started their innings with caution mixed with aggression. Hardik slammed Kuldeep Yadav for 19 runs in the 9th over of the game, hammering three boundaries and a six.

Rasikh provided Delhi Capitals with the much-needed breakthrough as he dismissed Pandya for 46. Tilak Verma along with David kept the momentum going for MI. Tilak brought up his half-century in style in 25 balls. After getting hit for one boundary and two sixes, Mukesh made a terrific comeback and dismissed David for 37

In the last over Mumbai lost their last hope as Tilak was run out while Luke Wood and Piyush Chawla slammed one six and four respectively but failed to guide their team home.

Earlier, explosive knocks by openers, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Abhishek Porel, led the hosts to 50 in 2.4 overs.

Fraser-McGurk completed the third fifty of his IPL career as he smashed a six on the bowling of leg-spinner Piyush Chawla in the fourth over. McGurk and Porel completed their 100-run partnership in just 6.4 overs.

Mumbai took the first wicket in the eighth over as Chawla dismissed Fraser-McGurk for 84 in just 27 balls which was laced with 11 boundaries and six maximums with a strike rate of 311.11.

Porel was next to go after scoring 36 runs in 27 balls with the help of three fours and a six.

Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant and Hope put on a partnership of 53 before Hope was sent back for a cameo of 41 from just 17 balls which included five sixes. Stubbs and Pant put on 35 before Pant was dismissed on 29.

Stubbs played an unbeaten knock of 48 runs with the help of six fours and two sixes. For the visitors, one wicket each was snapped by Luke Wood, Jasprit Bumrah, Piyush Chawla, and Mohammad Nabi.

Brief scores: Delhi Capitals 257/4 (Jake Fraser-McGurk 84, Tristan Stubbs 48*, Shai Hope 41; Mohammad Nabi 1-20) beat Mumbai Indians 247/9 (Tilak Varma 63, Hardik Pandya 46; Rasikh Dar Salam 3-34, Mukesh Kumar 3-59, Khaleel Ahmed 2-45).