Mumbai, May 21: Suryakumar Yadav hammered a 43-ball 73 to help Mumbai Indians post a challenging 180/5 in 20 overs in tough batting conditions against Delhi Capitals in Match 63 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Wankhede Stadium here on Wednesday.

Asked to bat first on a sluggish pitch where the odd ball was stopping and spinning and in slightly overcast conditions, Surya paced his innings perfectly, playing cautiously at the start before unleashing an array of shots in the final two overs as MI recovered from 123/5 in the 17th over to reach a fighting total.

Suryakumar, who reached his fifty off 36 balls, along with Naman Dhir (24 not out off 8 balls), smashed 48 runs in the final 12 balls of the innings, leaving Delhi to chase 181.

Mumbai Indians had a decent Power-play as they reached 54/2 in six overs. On a pitch on which the odd ball was stopping and spinning, MI needed a better effort, especially from Rohit Sharma, as the dew will be a factor in the second innings.

Rohit lasted just five deliveries in his first match at the venue after the MCA unveiled a stand in his name. He tried to run down a length delivery angled across outside off-stump, edging behind an easy chance to Abhishek Porel.

Will Jacks started on a breezy note, hitting Vipraj Nigam for a couple of uppish fours and slicing a four over backward point to a delivery that landed on a length outside leg and following it up by dumping a slower one on the pads over the rope at deep square-leg. He survived a strong appeal for LBW from Mukesh Kumar but fell soon after, lobbing a wide and slow one up at mid-off, and Nigam picks up, back-peddling a bit of a distance. He scored 21 off 13 balls as MI slumped to 48/2.

Rickelton, looking composed at the other end, carted Dushmantha Chameera for two big sixes -- first over the bowler's head and the next over long-off -- departed soon after the Power-play. Just when it looked like he would bat deep into the innings, he fell to the guile of Kuldeep Yadav, failing to get to the pitch of the slightly flighted delivery and ending up lobbing a simple catch to Madhav Tiwari to the right of deep backward square leg. Rickelton was out for 25 off 18, and MI were down to 58/3.

Suryakumar Yadav, who played his usual innings, hitting some good shots and surviving a DRS review, and Tilak Varma, who struggled to get into a rhythm, took MI past the 100-run mark, hitting a four here and a six there. Delhi Capitals kept a tight leash on the proceedings with Kuldeep Yadav (1-22 off 4) and Vipraj Nigam (0-25 off 4) bowling tidy spells. SKY and Varma shared a 45-run partnership for the fourth wicket before Varma (21 off 13) fell in the 15th over, taking a mighty swing at a slower one pitched on the leg side and giving perfect catching practice to Sameer Rizvi. Mumbai could manage only 64/2 in the middle overs, proving that the pitch looks far more difficult to bat on than expected earlier.

Skipper Hardik Pandya lasted six deliveries for three runs before falling to Chameera to make it 123/5 in the 17th over.

Suryakumar Yadav broke the shackles with a big six over extra cover off Mukesh Kumar to reach a well-deserved half-century off 36 balls, and Naman Dhir blasted two fours and two sixes off a struggling Mukesh Kumar, who sought the physio's help, to blast 27 runs for the over and take MI past the 150-run mark. They shared a fifty-run partnership in 19 balls as Mumbai Indians reached a fighting total.

Brief scores: Mumbai Indians 180/5 in 20 overs (Suryakumar Yadav 73 not out, Tilak Varma 27, Naman Dhir 24 not out; Mukesh Kumar 2-48, Kuldeep Yadav 1-22) against Delhi Capitals.

(IANS)

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