Shepherd blasts 39* off 10 as Mumbai Indians get first win

Mumbai Indians (MI) registered their first victory in the TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 with a 29-run win against Delhi Capitals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Powered by a blockbuster performance by the batters, MI posted a formidable 234. In reply, DC’s batters kept them in the hunt, but Jasprit Bumrah’s accurate spell ensured MI went on to win the game.

MI’s innings could be divided into two halves, both connected by a stable contribution from their captain. To begin with, the openers – Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan – gave them a power-packed start  with an 80-run stand off only 42 balls.

Rohit was at his best to start with, with two sixes off Jhye Richardson through the leg-side being the highlight. When Lalit Yadav was brought into the attack early in the innings, Rohit used his feet, lofted him over the top, drove full deliveries and continued the positive intent. At the other end, Kishan also contributed with a 23-ball 42 with some eye-catching shots.

The spell that brought DC back into the game was by Axar Patel. In a great exhibition of left-arm spin, Axar used tantalising lines and lengths to keep Rohit quiet in the seventh over before cleaning him up on 49. Suryakumar Yadav, playing his first game in the tournament, lofted his second ball to mid-on and was caught for nought.

Pandya walked in at No. 4 as Kishan maintained an attacking approach. The duo added 30 off 17 balls before Axar took a splendid return catch to dismiss Kishan. Tilak Varma was also dismissed early by Khaleel Ahmed, as MI were now 121 for four in the 13th over.

In walked Tim David and constructed a good stand with Pandya. As MI were losing wickets, Pandya’s innings of 39 off 33 balls helped stabilise. It laid a platform for David to do what he does best in the slog overs. As he does when he is on song, David peppered the leg side with his belligerent shots to pick two fours and four sixes. He sped away to 45 off 21 balls and ensured MI get past 200 heading into the last over.

That was when Shepherd burst into the limelight. Anrich Nortje bowled the last over and was picked for 32 runs by Shepherd, who put on a show of great power batting. The all-round smashed four sixes and two fours. Shepherd hit a couple of them very flat and then there was one hit long over square-leg. That over took MI to 234 and, in hindsight, made the difference between the two sides.

Chasing 234 was always a mountain to climb, but DC’s batters put in a good effort to keep their hopes alive for a large part of the innings. Although David Warner fell early for only 10, Prithvi Shaw put up a good show to record his first half-century of the 2024 season. He looked in great touch from the time he upper-cut the second ball of the innings over third-man for a six.

With the loss of Warner, DC were quiet in the first five overs. DC picked up pace in the second half of the first 10. Abishek Porel was sent in at No. 3 and he picked a few boundaries to help boost the run-rate. When Piyush Chawla came on for the eight over, Shaw hit him for a six over long-on and followed it up with two more fours. In the ninth over, he got to his fifty with a good pull shot for four off Gerald Coetzee.

At 110 for one in the 12th over and Shaw going strong, Jasprit Bumrah produced a dream delivery that went under the bat and got rid of the dangerous batter for 66. If ever there was a delivery that defined a yorker, this was it.

Thereafter, DC were always behind the asking rate, and the wickets of Porel (41 off 31) and Rishabh Pant only made it tougher. Through it all, Tristan Stubbs fought on with a belligerent innings. The right-handed batter attacked all the MI bowlers and raced away to his fifty off only 19 balls. He hit as many as seven sixes and three fours during his fighting innings and finished on an unbeaten 71 off only 25 balls.

As Stubbs fought on, DC couldn’t find the momentum at the other end, and MI maintained a hold over the game. While Coetzee was the most successful bowler for MI in terms of wickets – having picked four, the bowler who stood out for MI was Bumrah. With two for 22 in four overs in a game that saw both teams make over 200, his spell stood out and was worth its weight in gold for MI. (IPL)