In a dramatic twist under the lights at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi Capitals endured their first loss of the season as Mumbai Indians held their nerve and snatched victory in the dying moments of the game. The hosts seemed comfortably on course during a spirited chase of 206 but an unexpected middle-order collapse saw the game slip away, handing Mumbai their first win with an over to spare.
Delhi Capitals were in full control when Karun Nair, making his season debut, dazzled with a blistering 89 off 40 balls. Alongside Abishek Porel, who chipped in with 33, the duo stitched together a crucial 119-run partnership that kept Delhi ahead. But the momentum shifted dramatically when Karn Sharma broke through with quick wickets including Abishek Porel, KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs, throwing Delhi’s innings into disarray.
When Murali Karthik asked about the match’s turning point (“match kaha pe gaya”), the Delhi skipper Axar Patel didn’t hold back. With a smile, he answered simply, “Mumbai ke paas,” a tongue-in-cheek response to the question of where the game went.
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Axar later elaborated, attributing the loss to “soft dismissals” and “bad shots” during the middle overs, suggesting the team can’t always rely on the lower order to do the heavy lifting.
Fielding was another sore spot for Delhi, as Axar Patel pointed out that a few missed chances allowed Mumbai to breach the 200-run mark. However, he remained optimistic about his bowling unit, particularly the performance of Kuldeep Yadav whom he praised for consistently delivering breakthroughs this season. “Kuldeep is bowling unbelievably,” Axar noted, highlighting his confidence in his trio of spinners, especially in powerplay situations.
Despite the disappointing end, Axar chose to focus on the positives, urging the team to “forget about this game” and move forward with confidence.
