Images from the Indian Premier League match between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals, in Sharjah, on Saturday.
Avesh Khan and Axar Patel took three wickets each while Shreyas Iyer kept his composure in a tight run-chase to steer Delhi Capitals to a four-wicket victory over defending champions Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League match, in Sharjah, on Saturday.
Avesh took three wickets, conceding 15 runs, and Axar 3 for 21 to restrict Mumbai Indians to a paltry 129 for 8 in their 20 overs.
In reply, Delhi Capitals hit up the required runs in 19.1 overs. Iyer scored an unbeaten 33 off as many balls to guide Delhi home.
Ravichandran Ashwin chipped in with a vital 20 not out. He and Iyer put on an unbroken stand of 39 runs to thwart Mumbai Indians’ fightback in the closing stages of a thrilling encounter.
The victory took Delhi Capitals to 18 points from 12 games. Another victory will enable them clinch a top-two finish.
After their seventh defeat in 12 matches, five-time champions Mumbai Indians' chances of qualifying for play-offs appear bleak. They have 10 points from 12 matches and are placed sixth in the eight-team league.
Chasing 130, Delhi Capitals got off to the worst possible start as they lost three wickets in the powerplay.
The Rishabh Pant-led side scored 46 runs in the first three overs, but the loss of three key wickets saw Mumbai Indians take control of the game.
Kieron Pollard's direct hit caught Shikhar Dhawan short of his crease in the second over while Krunal Pandya and Nathan Coulter-Nile dismissed Prithvi Shaw and Steven Smith respectively to reduce Delhi to 30 for 3.
After 10 overs Delhi Capitals were 65 for 4 and needed 65 more for victory, and the Mumbai Indians bowlers kept a tight line to take the game down to the wire.
Delhi needed 11 from the last two overs, and Shreyas and Ashwin made sure the side did not suffer any hiccups as the spinner whacked a six off the first ball of the final over to seal victory.
Pant and Shreyas Iyer had earlier stitched a 27-run stand for the fourth wicket before Jayant Yadav bamboozled the wicketkeeper-batsman for 26.
Wickets kept falling at regular intervals and Delhi Capitals were soon reeling at 93 for 6 before Iyer and Ashwin battled their way home.
Earlier, Axar and Avesh bagged three wickets each as Delhi Capitals restricted Mumbai Indians to 129 for 8.
Axar scalped the wickets of Quinton de Kock, Suryakumar Yadav and Saurabh Tiwary while Avesh removed the dangerous Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Nathan Coulter-Nile.
Put in to bat, Mumbai Indians had a bad start, as Avesh dismissed Rohit in the second over of the innings, having the opener caught by Kagiso Rabada for 7.
A good, short delivery from the pacer saw Rohit beaten for pace as he miscued the ball high to Rabada at third-man.
De Kock and Suryakumar then settled down to build the innings and take the score to 35 for 1 after the powerplay.
Axar, bowling his first over, then ejected de Kock in the seventh over.
The South African batter went hard at a wide, fuller delivery but could only connect with the outside half of the bat and was caught at short third-man by Anrich Nortje for 19 off 18 balls.
After a couple of wicketless overs, Mumbai Indians were 66 for 2 at the half-way mark of the innings.
Axar struck again in the 11th over, removing Suryakumar.
Just when the youngster was looking good to take the attack to the opposition the spinner sent him back for 33.
Suryakumar hit a full toss straight into the hands of Rabada at long-on and Mumbai were reduced to 68 for 3.
Wickets kept falling at regular intervals thereafter as Mumbai Indians lost Saurabh Tiwary and Kieron Pollard in the span of 10 deliveries.
Hardik Pandya and Krunal Pandya tried to steady the rocking ship in the death overs, but Avesh bowled the former and Nathan Coulter-Nile in the penultimate over of the innings.
Avesh bowled a brilliant delivery to get rid of dangerman Hardik. The in-swinging yorker, clocked at 141kmph, beat the batter all ends up.
Coulter Nile then swung his bat, missed and was bowled for 1.
Ravichandran Ashwin then got his only wicket of the innings in the last over, dismissing Jayant Yadav, who was caught in the covers by Steven Smith, the Aussie leaping high to complete the catch.
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