Mumbai, April 7: Romario Shepherd hammered an unbeaten 39 off 10 balls including 32 runs off the final over as Mumbai Indians finally found their batting mojo and posted 234/5 in 20 overs against Delhi Capitals in Match 20 of Indian Premier League 2024 at the Wankhede Stadium here on Sunday.

With 18,000 children waving flags and cheering for them from the stands as part of the Education and Sports for All (ESA) day, Mumbai Indians made a superb start to their innings and finished majestically as Shepherd blasted 4, 6, 6, 6, 4, 6 from the 20th and final over bowled by Anrich Nortje.

After Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant won the toss and elected to bat first, Mumbai Indians scored at a fast clip, raising 96/1 in the last five overs. Their score of 234/5 is the highest team total in T20s without an individual fifty. The previous best was 226/5 by Somerset against Kent.

On a hot and humid day, Rohit and Ishan gave Mumbai a good start raising 80 runs for the opening wicket and Mumbai Indians scored at a fast clip despite losing wickets at regular intervals.

Rohit started his knock with back-to-back boundaries -- the first an innovative scoop from down on his knee -- against Ishant Sharma in the second over and then sixes -- one off a back-of-length delivery and the second off a fuller one outside off-stump -- on successive deliveries off Jhye Richardson as he replaced the veteran Indian pacer, who sprayed two wides, the second one beating even Rishabh Pant on its way to the boundary.

Ishan Kishan waded into Khaleel Ahmed in the third over of the innings, after taking seven runs off the opening over and then smacking 10 runs off three balls, including two boundaries in his second over.

Mumbai Indians raced to 50 runs in 4.1 overs with Rohit contributing 29 runs and Ishan 17. Rohit Sharma greeted Axan Patel with a six off his first ball and a four two deliveries later as Mumbai Indians scored 14 runs off the fifth over.

Rohit Sharma hammered three boundaries -- two of them off successive balls in the first over bowled by Lalit Yadav, slamming a slow one over long-on and sending a low full-toss beautifully along the carpet past mid-off as Mumbai Indians raced to 75 runs in the Powerplay. Rohit was out, one run short of his half-century, castled by Axar Patel as the quicker one sneaked past his defences to hit the stumps. His 40 off 27 balls was studded with six boundaries and three sixes. Mumbai Indians were 80/1.

One bought two for Delhi Capitals as Suryakumar Yadav's return to action from surgery to treat a sports hernia ended in a two-ball duck, mistiming an attempt to clear mid-on as substitute fielder Jake Fraser-McGurk took a good catch off Anrich Notje.

Ishan Kishan continued to go strong at the other end, hitting Nortje and slog-swept Axar for a maximum while Hardik Pandya pummelled both the bowlers for a boundary each as Mumbai Indians reached 100 runs in the 10th over. Axar Patel made the breakthrough for Delhi Capitals again, sending back Ishan Kishan for a 23-ball 42, picking a stunning one-sider off his own bowling. Ishan's knock included four boundaries and two sixes and Mumbai were now down to 111/3.

Tilak Varma did not last long and was out for six off five balls as guided a short and wide ball straight to backward point where Axar Patel pouched an easy catch. Mumbai were now down to 121/4 and looked like losing their way after a good start.

But Hardik Pandya and Tim David took them past the 150-run mark, maintaining a healthy scoring rate of 10 an over. They upped the ante after the 15th over with both helping themselves to a six apiece off Khaleel in the 17th over. In the next over bowled by Nortje, Tim David flicks a slower one down leg for a fine boundary and followed it by swatting over the short fine leg boundary a chest-high full-toss for a big six. They completed fifty of their fifth wicket partnership in 27 balls.

But just when it looked like Mumbai Indians would race past 200 easily, they were pegged back again when Pandya failed to get enough bat to a knee-high full toss and struck it straight to Fraser-McCurk at backward square leg off Nortje. He contributed 39 to the score off 33 balls, hitting three fours and one six. David hammered Ishant Sharma's knee-high full toss on the middle stump for a clean six and followed it up by dispatching another loose delivery to the extra cover boundary.

They eventually galloped past the 200-run mark as Romario Shephard waded into Nortje in the final over, hammering four sixes and two boundaries -- the second six sailing over the stands and landing outside the stadium -- as he slammed 32 runs in the 20th over to take Mumbai Indians to 234/5. Shepherd blasted 39 runs off 10 balls and Tim David ended with 45 not out off 21 as they raised 53 runs for the unbeaten sixth wicket partnership off just 13 balls.

Axar Patel was the best of the Delhi Capitals bowlers with 2-35 off his four overs while Ancirch Nortje was hammered for 2-65 off his four.

Brief scores:

Mumbai Indians 234/5 in 20 overs (Rohit Sharma 49, Ishan Kishan 42, Hardik Pandya 39, Tim David 45 not ut; Romario Shepherd 39 not out; Axar Patel 2-35, Anrich Nortje 2-65) against Delhi Capitals.

(IANS)

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