Set a target of 175, Mumbai crumbled against quality leg-spin bowling by Sandeep (3/36), Amit Mishra (3/19) and medium pace of Patel (3/28)
Delhi cricketer Sandeep Lamichhane (3R) celebrates the wicket of Mumbai cricketer Krunal Pandya with teammates during the T20 2018 cricket match between at the Feroz Shah Kotla cricket stadium./ AFP
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Wooden spooners Delhi knocked defending champions Mumbai out of the T20 2018 after the trio of Sandeep Lamichhane, Amit Mishra and Harshal Patel starred with three wickets apiece for a 11-run win in their last league match on Sunday. Set a target of 175, Mumbai crumbled against quality leg-spin bowling by Sandeep (3/36), Amit Mishra (3/19) and medium pace of Patel (3/28).
The visitors lost three wickets -- Evin Lewis (48), Kieron Pollard (7) and Krunal Pandya (4) -- in five balls at the Feroz Shah Kotla. Hardik Pandya (27) and skipper Rohit Sharma (13) added 43 runs before they were sent back as Mumbai slipped to 122 for seven in 14.5 overs.
Ben Cutting tried his hand with a 19-ball 37 before Mumbai were dismissed for 163 in 19.3 overs. Mumbai's ouster makes the final league match between Chennai and Punjab interesting as the latter will not only have to win the contest but also better the net run rate of Rajasthan (-0.250).
Earlier, Rishab Pant (64) continued his purple patch, hitting his fifth half-century of the season, to guide Delhi to a competitive score. The 20-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman shared a 64-run fourth wicket stand off 47 balls with Vijay Shankar (43 not out) to lay the foundation.
Lamichhane then rocked Mumbai's chase early, removing the in-form Suryakumar Yadav (4) cheaply. However, Evin Lewis (48) exploded in the fourth over, hitting Patel for two fours and a six. He treated Glenn Maxwell with equal disdain, clearing the ropes twice, as Mumbai zoomed to 50 for one in five overs.
Ishan Kishan (5) was then caught at long-on off Amit Mishra. The leg-spinner was unlucky not to have the wicket of Kirton Pollard who was dropped by Prithvi Shaw off his bowling. The West Indian got another respite when an airborne Abhishek Sharma failed to held on to a catch off Liam Plunkett.
Mishra then dismissed Lewis with a googly, which the opener failed to read and was stumped by Pant. Mumbai were reduced to 74 for four when Maxwell and trent Boult combined to pull off a sensational catch at the boundary line off Lamichhane's bowling.
Krunal Pandya was next to go when his weak drive found the hands of substitute Rahul Tewatia at short cover, as Mumbai were looking down the barrel at 79 for five in 9.4 overs. Once Hardik (27) and skipper Rohit Sharma (13) were sent back, Cutting hit some lusty blows before Patel took two wickets in the final over to earn the win for Delhi.
Prithvi Shaw (12) and Maxwell (22) gave a good start to Delhi before a silly run-out cost the former his wicket in the fourth over. It was a poor judgment by Shaw as he stepped out of the crease and was found short of wicket at the non-striker's end by a direct throw from Hardik.
Maxwell, who slammed four boundaries and looked in good touch till then, was cleaned up by Bumrah in the next over to bring two new batsmen onto the crease. Pant, who has been in ominous form this season, didn't waste any time as he slammed two fours and a six to help Delhi cross the 50-mark after the powerplay ended with 46 for two.
A lot was expected from skipper Shreyas Iyer, but he made the mistake of hitting a Markande delivery straight to Krunal at deep midwicket, as Delhi slipped to 75 for three in 9 overs. New man Vijay Shankar hit the second ball he faced for a boundary, before blasting Ben Cutting for a six over long-on, as Delhi brought up the 100 in the 13th over.
Pant and Shankar kept Delhi the scoreboard ticking as they picked up the ones, the twos and the occasional boundaries. The duo completed a fifty-run fourth-wicket partnership off 37 balls as Delhi reached 120 for three in 15 overs. Pant scored his fifty off 34 balls in the 15th over and survived an LBW verdict after winning a video referral.
Pant sent Hardik sailing over deep midwicket for a maximum with a one-handed shot but he holed out soon after at long. The 17-year-old Abhishek Sharma (15) then joined Shankar and the duo added 35 off 19 balls. Krunal (1/11), Jasprit Bumrah (1/29) and Mayank Markande (1/21) took a wicket each for Mumbai.
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