Sportsnob – Critics Corner

Things that are overhyped often fail to live up to their billing – Murphy, we have to concede, is a very powerful man after all. Tonight’s match was no exception as well – Delhi vs. Mumbai is a big rivalry in Indian cricket. Add to it the exciting line ups and of course, the Kotla pitch which has been courting a lot of attention both on and off the field, and the evening was set for a lip smacking encounter. But then our man Murphy struck, and the Mumbai Indians put on a totally professional performance, outclassing the Daredevils in their own den.

Put into bat by Gambhir, the tone for the match was set by the Mumbai skipper, Sachin Tendulkar himself. Runs flowed from his blade in the same elegant hurry as we have been used to for the past 20 years and though the home team was at the receiving end, there was no shortage of support for the Little Master at the Kotla. He scored a quick-fire 63 of 32 balls, an effort which earned him the Man of the Match award as well. Youngsters Tiwary and Rayudu came to the party too, and some late over lusty blows by the Calypsos – Bravo and Pollard – ensured Mumbai never let their foot off the pedal, posting a very formidable score of 218 in their 20 overs.  The Delhi fielding was patchy barring the 12^th man Yogesh Nagar, who probably took the catch of the tournament to get rid of Sanath  Jayasuriya.

The Daredevils were already a batsman short due to an injury to their skipper, Gambhir, and the onus was on Sehwag to fire. Dilshan finally managed to open his account in IPL  3 and Sehwag showed a preview of his trademark pyrotechnics, but some very disciplined bowling and a brilliant fielding performance by the Indians never allowed Delhi a sniff at the target. They won by a whopping margin of 98 runs, their biggest ever victory in the IPL.

Mumbai now have 2 out of 2 and Delhi tasted their first defeat of the series. However, Gambhir’s injury and his subsequent unavailability will make sure that the Delhi think tank has a lot to ponder before their next match against the Super Kings.

Meanwhile, tomorrow is the battle of the leggies, Kumble and Warne at Bangalore. With RCB hitting some serious form against the KXP, the Royals are going to have a real challenge to open their points tally this season, especially since Smith and Mascharenas have been ruled unfit. Join us here for the review.