IPL 2018, DD vs MI: Despite late Cutting show, Pant and bowlers do enough to knock Mumbai out

New Delhi, May 20: Two relay catches between the same set of people spoilt Mumbai Indians' hopes of making the Indian Premier League (IPL 2018) playoffs at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Sunday (May 20). That, some lethal death bowling and nine wickets among Harshal Patel (3/28), Sandeep Lamichhane (3/36) and Amit Mishra (3/19) helped bottom-placed Delhi Daredevils to a 11-run win, leaving the race to the playoffs still open as Kings XI Punjab face Chennai Super Kings later on Sunday.

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At one stage, Mumbai appeared to be cruising to the IPL 2018 playoffs, needing only a win to progress. They were only a few runs short of Daredevils' 174/4 but Australian Glenn Maxwell and New Zealander Trent Boult together took catches in the deep to steal the momentum from Mumbai and claim the consolation victory. Now the fight is between KXIP and Rajasthan Royals for the playoff spot.

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Evin Lewis was dropped on four and went on to make 48. Keiron Pollard too was dropped twice before being dismissed for seven. When it came down to captain Rohit Sharma and all-rounder Hardik Pandya to take Mumbai over the line, both played poor shots to good deliveries to trigger the collapse.

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Pollard, just after the dismissal of Lewis, would have easily added a six to his tally when he struck Lamichhane over the long-on boundary. Maxwell takes it on the run and realising he's going to cross the line, jumps and throws it to Boult, who came running from long-off. The two replayed the same catch when Rohit Sharma took drafted along the long-on boundary off Harshal Patel to seize the game from Mumbai's grasp.

So close yet so far. Ben Cutting's incredible fightback goes in vain as we fall 11 runs short in New Delhi. #CricketMeriJaan #DDvMI #MumbaiIndians pic.twitter.com/dHaSMIu2Ne

— Mumbai Indians (@mipaltan) May 20, 2018

But it didn't appear that Mumbai would lose the plot so quickly. Lewis made the most of the dropped catch off Vijay Shankar at cover. Even while the wickets fell at the other end, he took Mumbai past 70. Mishra claimed his wicket, thanks to a stumping by Rishabh Pant, another star of the match. And like that,

Ben Cutting almost pulled it back when he smashed Liam Plunkett for 14 runs in the first three balls of the 18th over to reduce the equation to just 24 runs. But he was caught at deep midwicket by Maxwell in the final over when Mumbai needed 12 off five balls to hand Daredevils the win.

Earlier, The one-hand sixes and helicopter shots came to the fore as young Pant guided Daredevils to a decent total of 174/4 in their 20 overs.

Left-handed Pant, who has a century to his credit in this IPL 2018, used the same shots in his armoury - the comical loft over the third man area and one-handed show of strength - to score 64 off 44. Vijay Shankar (43 n.o off 30) also supported Pant to push the total to around the average first-innings total at the venue.

Wondering if a non-Aussie coach would’ve shown so much faith in Maxwell.... #DDvMI #IPL

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) May 20, 2018

With nothing to lose, Daredevils just looked to sign off on a high. But they lost their openers cheaply early on. Prithvi Shaw's dismissal was particularly embarrassing as the World Cup winning India Under-19 captain turned his back against the ball at the non-striker's end after being sent back by Glenn Maxwell only to be run out after Hardik Pandya executed a direct throw from point.

Maxwell soon followed. He tried to hook an in-swinging delivery by Jasprit Bumrah and got an inside edge that bounced into the stumps.

Pant brought stability to the score in the middle overs. Pant did most of the scoring while captain Shreyas Iyer, who elected to bat, just rotated the strike early on.

Delhi countered the predictable spin of Mumbai's Mayank Markande. The wrist spinner's line was all over the place, making it easy for Pant to play some shots. The stylish Pant scored the first six of the innings in the seventh over when he charged out, met the ball as it pitched and slogged it over deep midwicket. Iyer tried the same shot off Markande but did not get enough power on it, playing it to Krunal Pandya in the ninth over.

@IPL just had a chuckle when one of the commentators said “thats the first one he’s missed in a month” 😂😂 @RishabPant777 is in some form 😳 #DDvMI

— Ish Sodhi (@ish_sodhi) May 20, 2018

Shankar then hit the next big one, off Ben Cutting, in the 13th over. Shankar just whipped a length ball over long-on to bring DD closer to the 100 mark. Daredevils were clearly taking it slow in the middle overs so as to not lose wickets. The powerful bat actually saved Pant as he punched a short ball of Mustafizur Rahman with one hand for another six.

Rishabh Pant reviewed an lbw call of his at 56. Hardik Pandya aimed the ball right at Pant after being hit for a six, but it pitched outside the leg stump and Pant lived to get dismissed another time. That occasion came the next over itself when Hardik's brother Krunal came in to bowl at the death.

Krunal bowled it short and prompted Pant to hit the one-handed six. Strangely, Pant used both his hands and still fell short of the boundary, slogging the delivery to Kieron Pollard at deep midwicket.

That pitched a foot outside the leg stump....Pant would’ve been out in the pre-DRS era. #ThankYouDRS but that mustn’t take the focus away from poor umpiring #DDvMI #IPL

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) May 20, 2018

Shankar pushed the score beyond Mumbai's expectations by making use of a lethargic last over bowled by Ben Cutting, which leaked 14 runs.