Mumbai Indians' Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult demolish Delhi Capitals' batting to reach IPL final
Three wickets for no runs in eight balls left Delhi Capitals with a mountain to climb as Mumbai Indians triumphed by 57 runs to reach the IPL final - but Delhi get another chance to qualify when they face either Sunrisers Hyderabad or Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday.
Friday 6 November 2020 10:47, UK
Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult wrecked Delhi Capitals' top order with a devastating spell of bowling to book Mumbai Indians' place in the IPL final with a 57-run victory.
Mumbai had rested the seam pair for their final group game and they returned to the side in style, removing all of Delhi's top three - Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane and Shikhar Dhawan - for ducks inside eight balls.
Despite a valiant knock of 65 from 46 balls by Marcus Stoinis, Bumrah - who recorded his best T20 figures of 4-14 - returned to remove him, and with it any lingering doubts about the outcome.
The only downside for the defending champions was a groin strain that forced Boult (2-9) off the field after bowling just two overs, making him doubtful for Tuesday's final in Abu Dhabi.
Delhi will get another opportunity to face Mumbai in the final if they can overcome the winner of Friday's eliminator between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Cricket.
Wily spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (3-29) struck an early blow after Delhi had put the champions in to bat, trapping Rohit Sharma lbw on the back foot for a first-ball duck.
At the other end, Quinton de Kock (40 from 25) set off like a train, hammering three crisp boundaries off Daniel Sams' first over as he and Suryakumar Yadav (51 from 38) added 62 from 37 deliveries.
Having initially taken a back seat, Suryakumar then weighed in, pulling Anrich Nortje for two fours and slamming Ashwin for a big six - but, when De Kock attempted to follow suit, he skied into the waiting hands of Dhawan at long off.
Mumbai suddenly found themselves faltering at 101-4 when Suryakumar - having just reached his half-century - hooked Nortje into the hands of long leg and Kieron Pollard (0) fell to an excellent diving catch by Kagiso Rabada.
Stoinis (1-5) made further inroads with his first ball, having Krunal Pandya (13) caught on the boundary, but Ishan Kishan (55 not out from 30) and Hardik Pandya exploded into life as they amassed 78 from the last five overs.
Pandya (37no from 14) pressed down hard on the accelerator, thrashing successive sixes off Rabada and then inflicting the same punishment on Nortje before Kishan punched another maximum to reach his half-century off the last ball of the innings and lift Mumbai to 200-5.
Surpassing that total always looked likely to be a steep task for the Capitals - but the first eight deliveries of their reply rendered it virtually impossible.
Live Indian Premier League
Shaw was the first to go, caught behind off Boult's cutter before the New Zealander moved one back to trap Rahane leg before and then Bumrah sent Dhawan on his way with an unplayable yorker.
Delhi skipper Shreyas Iyer (12) did his best to retrieve the situation with three boundaries - but he became Bumrah's second victim when he attempted a fourth and drilled it hard into the hands of Rohit at cover.
However, Stoinis made good progress and he found a strong ally in Axar Patel, with the pair putting on 71 from 44 balls to give Delhi a glimmer of hope before Bumrah extinguished it once and for all.
The Mumbai paceman bowled Stoinis with a delivery that kept low, adding his fourth wicket by having Sams caught behind later in the over - and, despite Patel's effort of 42 from 33 balls, the Capitals fell well short at 143-8.
