Mumbai Indians entered the final of IPL 2020 with a dominating performance, eking out a 57-run win over Delhi Capitals in Qualifier 1 at the Dubai International Stadium, on Thursday.
After posting a mammoth 200/5, Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah hunted in packs to halt Delhi for 143/4 in 20 overs.
Despite the loss, Delhi will have a shot at the title as it will face the winner of the Eliminator, between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
IPL 2020, MI vs DC: Mumbai Indians’ Trent Boult sustains groin injury
“I guess this is the best performance. The way De Kock and Suryakumar Yadav took the momentum after I got out early was good to see. Perfect result for us. We never had a target in mind. We are a different team and we play differently. We just wanted to have a good powerplay and then take it from there,” Rohit said.
Senior spinner Ravichandran Ashwin applied brakes on the Mumbai batting by picking a three-wicket haul, including the prized scalps of Rohit, De Kock and Kieron Pollard.
However, Ishan Kishan with an unbeaten 55 off 30 balls and Hardik Pandya with an unbeaten 37 off 14 balls ensured Mumbai posts a daunting total on board.
IPL 2020 Playoffs Highlights, MI vs DC: Mumbai enters final, beats Delhi by 57 runs
“We knew we have the power to accelerate at the end. Ishan has been in just great form, so we just wanted him to be really positive after the second time-out. We told that to Krunal as well, just bat positively and put the bowlers under pressure. With such a versatile squad, we can change the batting and bowling order,” Rohit said.
Pacer Trent Boult, who picked 2/9 in his two overs, sustained a groin injury. But, Rohit said the star pacer will be back for the final.
“I’ve not seen him (Boult). But he seems okay. I don’t think it’s a big problem. Three-day rest and he should be back on the park. Bumrah and Boult have been in solid form. They play for different teams so they have different plans. We as a team have different plans and it’s great to see them execute those,” the MI skipper said.
Jasprit Bumrah wreaked havoc with the ball with a four-wicket haul (4-1-14-4) and the yorker specialist said he prefers to execute the role, assigned to him.
IPL 2020: Mohit Sharma returns home following father’s demise
“I am okay with not getting wickets and winning the tournament, I have been given a role so I just want to execute that role. Opening yorker was really important. I decided I will do that early in the game and when it comes off it’s always nice. I am always ready when the captain wants me to bowl. I don’t focus on the end result,” Bumrah who was adjudged the Player of the Match, said.
“I have a great camaraderie with Boult. We discuss fields, situations, so there’s a lot to learn from him. Batsmen have been taking all the awards, so it’s good to get it as a bowler. I don’t worry about awards. As long as the team is winning I am happy,” he added.
Losing skipper Shreyas Iyer emphasised on the fact that his team should focus on the positives, rather than dwelling about the loss.
“I don’t want to speak negatively about the team, but going forward it’s important to come with a strong mindset. It’s never too late, and we’ll see to it that we come back strongly. I think we were on top when we got two quick wickets, and they were 102-4. We could have capitalized more at that time, and gotten two more wickets – maybe we could’ve chased around 170, but it’s part and parcel of the game. Every night can’t be yours,” Iyer said.
“We keep talking about the opportunities that we get and it’s important to have a good mindset. It’s not easy to be in the bubble and follow the same routine, but the practice we have done over the last few days, I’m really happy with the boys and their preparations. Ravi Ashwin was a positive for us tonight – he plays around with the batsmen’s head a lot, really good to have him in the team, and he’s quite an asset for us, especially me as a captain,” he added.
Visit Today : 515
Visit Yesterday : 621