MI vs DC: Tristan Stubbs 25-ball 71 goes in vain as Romario Shepherd scripts Mumbai Indians's 1st win of season

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MI vs DC Match 20: Mumbai Indians (MI) defeated Delhi Capitals (DC) by 29 runs in match number 20 of the IPL 2024 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, April 7.

The five-time champions posted 234/5 after being asked to bat first by Delhi. Romario Shepherd hammered 39 runs off 10 balls - including 32 runs off six balls in the last over from Anrich Nortje.

Tristan Stubbs of Delhi Capitals looked to exact the revenge on Mumbai Indians but failed to take his team over the line. He scored 71 unbeaten runs off just 25 balls, but unfortunately did not get to play a single delivery in the 20th over.

Looking to chase 235, Delhi Capitals got off to a slow start, managing to score only 46 runs in the powerplay. David Warner scored 10 runs off eight. But an 88-run partnership off 49 balls between Prithvi Shaw (66 off 40) and Abishek Porel (42 off 31) laid the foundation for Delhi to go for the chase.

On a day when other bowlers were hammered, Jasprit Bumrah gave away just two 22 runs in four overs to pick two wickets. He dismissed Shaw and Porel to pull back things for Mumbai. Rishabh Pant also played a weird innings and got out for one off three balls.

91 runs were needed off the last five overs when Tristan Stubbs shifted paddles and started hammering the Mumbai bowlers. The 23-year-old South African scored 71 unbeaten runs off just 15 balls.

The innings consisted of three fours and seven sixes. Unfortunately, he did not get to face a single ball in the 20th overs as Gerald Coetzee dismissed Lalit Yadav, Kumar Kushagra and Jhye Richardson to finish with figures of 4/34 in four overs.

Earlier, Romario Shepherd clobbered 32 runs off Anrich Nortje's 20th over as Mumbai Indians batting unit fired in unison to post an imposing 234 for 5 against Delhi Capitals in an IPL match here on Sunday.

Shepherd tore into Nortje, hammering four sixes and two fours as his 10-ball-39 not out ensured the fourth highest innings total in this IPL for MI. This was also their highest total at Wankhede.

Nortje's final figures read a sorry 2 for 65 in 4 overs. Ishant Sharma, in all likelihood, playing his last IPL edition is looking a pale shadow of his very old self, being taken for 40 in 3 overs.

The West Indies all-rounder was last to join the party but seemed to have made the most of it, after each of Rohit Sharma (49 off 27 balls), Ishan Kishan (42 off 23 balls), Hardik Pandya (39 off 30) and Tim David (45 not out off 21 balls, 2 fours, 4 sixes) also made merry in batting-friendly conditions at the Wankhede Stadium.

It was, however, a forgettable outing for Suryakumar Yadav, who perished for two-ball duck on his first game since mid-December last year. But David’s fiery knock and Shepherd’s late fireworks ensured that they still had a huge total on board.

Rohit went hammer and tongs right from the beginning to set the ball rolling for the Mumbai Indians, who raced to 75 for no loss in the powerplay with Kishan also chipping in.

The second over witnessed an interesting battle between two India players as Rohit punished Ishant Sharma for being wayward at the start, but the lanky bowler soon found his rhythm to beat the bat thrice to end the initial exchange.

With Kishan also opening up from the other end, Rohit tore into Australian Jhye Richardson, picking up the length early on two consecutive deliveries to send them flying into the stands.

Delhi were forced to introduced spin but MI did not relent, with both Akshar Patel and Lalit Yadav being hit for a flurry of fours as the hosts raced ahead.

However, right after the powerplay, Delhi struck when a delivery from Patel skidded through and beat a cross-batted shot from Rohit to crash into the wickets, denying the former MI skipper his first fifty of the season.

Rohit walked back after a 27-ball 49, which featured six fours and three sixes. Kishan continued to play attractive strokes until he hit one powerfully back to Patel, with the bowler taking a sharp catch to end the Mumbai opener’s innings for 42 off 23 balls, including four fours and two sixes.

Skipper Pandya began well with a couple of powerful hits for four, but Mumbai’s acceleration eventually died down even though they kept hitting those odd fours and sixes.

Mumbai’s cause in general was also aided by wayward Delhi bowlers through the course of the innings, who kept feeding them balls in the zone to hit or those with enough width off which the batters could take their chances.