Their key top-order batsman David Warner and bowling spearhead Anrich Nortje were unavailable. Captain Rishabh Pant and the explosive Rovman Powell, tipped to be the X-factor of the team, were out cheaply. Yet, the Delhi Capitals prevailed over champions Mumbai Indians (MI).
They took the odds in their strides and chased down a challenging target of 178 to beat Mumbai by four wickets with 10 balls to spare at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
The Capitals won the toss and elected to bowl first on a Brabourne pitch that had a bit of a greenish tinge on it. But courtesy Ishan Kishan’s unbeaten 81, MI could post 177 for 5 which, given their bowling attack, was certainly not an easy total to overhaul.
The Capitals were six wickets down with just 104 on the board and they needed 74 off the last 40 balls. But Lalit Yadav (48 not out) and Axar Patel (38 not out) executed their shots to perfection and forged an unbroken 75 off just five overs that took the Capitals home, leaving Rohit Sharma and Co. stunned.
Kuldeep spell
The pitch had nothing much on offer for the spinners, yet wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav (3/18) came up with a standout performance.
Before this game, Kuldeep had played just two competitive matches (an ODI versus the West Indies in Ahmedabad and a T20I against Sri Lanka in Dharamsala this February) after recovering from the knee injury that sidelined him since India’s white-ball tour of Sri Lanka last July.
Kuldeep backed his strengths, varied his length and picked up the prized scalps of Rohit and Kieron Pollard, who were among his three strikes.