Ruthless MI flex their all-round muscle

Faf du Plessis likened it to a David-versus-Goliath battle. And for once, Goliath prevailed. Mumbai Indians were simply too resourceful, too skillful, and too powerful for Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede on Wednesday (May 21) night.

The home team showcased their superiority in all departments - batting, bowling, and planning. They displayed an exceptional sense of game awareness, remarkable patience, and in-depth preparation. In short, they flexed their all-round muscle against a side that was found wanting in most aspects.

"If you looked at the two teams before today's fixture, it was a case of David and Goliath..." the Delhi Capitals skipper analysed the contest. He was spot on. Man to man, MI were the superior side, and on the night - in a high-stakes clash like this - they lived up to that billing. Delhi Capitals were also crippled by the absence of regular skipper Axar Patel who, stand-in skipper du Plessis said, is "two players - a fantastic spinner and a great batter."

On a difficult surface where the ball was stopping, bouncing, turning, and seaming, stroke play was not easy - a fact quickly realised by the MI batters. They resisted the temptation of going after the bowlers and instead adopted a measured, waiting approach. When it was time to throw the kitchen sink, they had a set batter at the crease and five wickets in hand. They pounded the Delhi bowlers for 48 runs in the last two overs.

"It was a slow wicket with the weather around but we had to dig deep, we talked about that during our practice sessions. We knew that the wicket's going to be like this, so we planned accordingly and that's the same way we batted. We thought it's a 160-165 wicket, we've got 15 runs extra," Suryakumar Yadav explained the planning that went into the match.

MI were 132 for five by the end of the 18th over. Then Surya and Naman Dhir went all guns blazing. 'We knew there was one over of 15-20 runs somewhere so we had to wait till the end. The way Naman came in and shared that energy with me was also a turning point," said Surya, shedding light on the strategy for the last overs. He remained unbeaten on 73 off 43 deliveries, his best innings of the season, quantitatively and qualitatively.

That was the turning point of the match, admitted Hemang Badani, the Delhi Capitals head coach. "I never deny the fact that you can't get 50 or 60 off 30 balls anymore. But we are speaking of 48 off 12 balls. That's a lot. We are speaking of 24 runs an over. That's not something you would ideally want any side to be getting off you. How often have you seen two overs going for 48?

"We could have read the game better. We could have understood that the surface was slower, could have gone to the cutters, could have also gone to the wide yorkers. You would expect bowlers of international level to come and nail those balls. And if you don't do that, players like Surya, who have been around long enough (time), will punish you." The final two overs were bowled by Mukesh Kumar and Dushmantha Chameera.

The total of 180, statistically 15 runs above par, becomes virtually impossible when you have Jasprit Bumrah, Trent Boult, and Mitchell Santner defending it. Santner was the surprise package of the night, delivering stunning figures of three for 11 in his four overs. On a pitch that offered assistance to spinners, he stood out with exceptional control over his lengths and clever variations in speeds.

"That was my job, mix it up and keep the batters guessing," said the New Zealander. "It was nice to see it spin. I bowl stump-to-stump, obviously there was a little bit there which was nice, so you could essentially bowl a bit straighter." Then he went on to credit the win to Surya and Naman. "It was set-up by Sky and Naman; to get us to 180 which was probably over par on that wicket."

More than the total, it was the shift in momentum that turned the match on its head. Having restricted Mumbai Indians to just 132 in the first 18 overs, Delhi Capitals had the game perfectly in their grasp. But the final two overs changed the complexion of the contest, swinging the momentum decisively in MI's favour - a factor whose importance was rightly stressed upon by du Plessis. "Momentum is a real thing in cricket, the way that they counter-punched to get almost 50 in the last two overs, all the hard work that we did for 17-18 overs ... lost that momentum."

After a treacherous last season that saw them finish at the bottom, it's redemption time for the five-time champions, who have now secured a playoff berth for the 11th time in 18 seasons. With momentum on their side, Mumbai Indians now look a different beast altogether. These are ominous signs, one that the likes of RCB, PBKS and GT will be wary of.