Dubai: Speedsters Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult on Thursday bowled four-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) into their second successive Indian Premier League (IPL) final after crushing Delhi Capitals (DC) by 57 runs in Qualifier 1. DC, however, have a lifeline left.
Bumrah captured four for 14 and New Zealander Boult two for nine, after half-centuries by Ishan Kishan (55 not out off 30 balls) and Suryakumar Yadav (51 off 38), to ensure that reigning champions MI entered their sixth final in 13 attempts. Bumrah was adjudged the Man of the Match for his brilliant spell.
DC will now play the winners of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2 on Sunday. In the Eliminator, SunRisers Hyderabad will play Royal Challengers Bangalore on Friday. The winners of Qualifier will play MI in the final on November 10.
As it had happened throughout the round-robin league, MI got solid contributions from their batters to first put a challenging total (200/5 wickets) before their bowlers came out all guns blazing to restrict DC at 143/8 wickets in 20 overs at the Dubai International Cricket stadium.
Lethal Bumrah was once again on song, emerging with impressive figures of 4-1-14-4. These are his best figures in all T20 matches and best by a MI bowler in an IPL playoff match. He is the only bowler to take two four-wicket hauls in IPL 2020. Thursday’s burst took his tally to 27 — most wickets by an Indian bowler in a single IPL.
Boult, on the other hand, scalped a couple of wickets conceding merely nine runs. Krunal Pandya (1/22) and Keiron Pollard (1/36) settled with one wicket apiece.
Chasing a challenging 201-run target, DC endured their worst start of the season after losing openers out-of-form Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, and Ajinkya Rahane, all departing without troubling the scorers. While Boult accounted for the DC opener’s wicket, Boult trapped Rahane.
