Hardik Pandya was relieved and credited Karn Sharma for stepping up and helping the Mumbai Indians secure a 12-run win over the Delhi Capitals on Sunday. This win was important for the team’s IPL season. At one point, DC looked set at 119 for one, but they ended up getting bowled out for 193 in 19 overs, with Karn taking three wickets for 36 runs. Rohit Sharma had suggested that Karn should bowl and even asked for a ball change after the 11th over.
Winning is always special, especially in close games like this. You have to keep pushing, and it means a lot, Pandya said after the match when asked if he felt relieved with the win. Karn was fantastic. He came in and bowled really well, showing a lot of heart, especially at a small ground.
Karun Nair’s impressive 89 was in vain, and Pandya admitted that they were caught off guard by his performance. We were running out of ideas on how to bowl to him. The way he took on our bowlers and executed his shots really showed the effort he’s put in. He surprised us.
DC’s batting lineup faced a sharp collapse, including three quick run outs, ending their chase at 193. I always believe fielding can turn a game around. We stayed focused, didn’t give up, and made the most of the chances we got, Pandya noted.
Mumbai set a total of 205 for 5, with Tilak Varma scoring 59 off 33 balls, while Ryan Rickelton, Suryakumar Yadav, and Naman Dhir also chipped in with vital runs. Talking about MI’s batting strategy, Pandya said, It really depends on the situation. The in-form players have to take responsibility.
He also mentioned how dew affected the game later on. It’s never over until it’s over. The guys were told to keep fighting. Wins like this change the momentum for us.
Delhi’s skipper Axar Patel felt that soft dismissals in the middle order cost them the game but didn’t want to dwell too much on it. We had our chances, and even with an over left, we could have pulled it off. It’s tough when your lower-order batters have to save the chase all the time.
Axar pointed out that some poor fielding let MI score more than they should have but praised his spin bowlers. Maybe if we had caught better, we could have limited their score. Our spinners are doing well, especially Kuldeep. I can always rely on him when I need a wicket. There were some positives today, and we need to move on from this.