IPL 2024: Romario Shepherd, Jasprit Bumrah guide Mumbai Indians to first win of the season

Mumbai Indians put up a comprehensive all-round display at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday as they beating the Delhi Capitals by 29 runs to secure their first victory in the 2024 Indian Premier League.

South African international Tristan Stubbs, who finished unbeaten on 71 off 25 deliveries, fought a lone battle towards the end as the Capitals looked to chase down a mammoth 235-run target. The Capitals lost their way following a 40-ball 60 from opener Prithvi Shaw as Jasprit Bumrah kept a lid on the scoring rate.

Gerald Coetzee reaped the rewards in the final over of the chase as he struck thrice to finish with figures of 4-34.

Earlier in the day, after being asked to bat first in front of their home crowd, the Mumbai Indians posted 234/5 in their 20 overs, with Rohit Sharma (49), Ishan Kishan (42), Tim David (45*), and Romario Shepherd (39*) all striking over 180.

Axar Patel was the pick of the bowlers for the Delhi Capitals with figures of 2-35 in four overs, while Anrich Nortje was hit for 65 runs in his four overs despite taking two wickets.

Turning point of the match

After a splendid start from former captain Sharma and Kishan, who added 80 runs for the opening wicket in just seven overs before the former fell prey to Patel, the home side seemed to have lost some of their momentum.

A returning Suryakumar Yadav fell for a duck and Kishan too departed soon after, thanks to a stunning one-handed catch by Patel off his own bowling.

The in-form Tilak Varma also fell cheaply and captain Hardik Pandya (39) struggled to find boundaries in his 33-ball stay. The Capitals seemed to have pulled the match in their favour with Pandya falling in the 18th over. However little did anyone know what was about to come.

While Tim David did what Tim David does from one end, it was Shepherd, who changed the game for Mumbai Indians.

The West Indian all-rounder, tore into Nortje in the final over of the innings, smashing the South African for boundaries off all six deliveries.

He started with a tennis slap down the ground for a boundary before sending the next delivery flat over the long on boundary with a powerful strike. 10 off 2 already.

Shepherd then shuffled outside off stumps and hit the next delivery out of the stadium, over midwicket. The next delivery – a slower off-cutter, was sent over covers, reminding Wankhede of a certain Kireon Pollard, who sat in the Mumbai Indians dugout watching.

With 20 runs already pocketed from the over, Shepherd then drilled one down the ground for a boundary before finishing off a six over long on. 32 runs came off the over as David stood admiring at the non-strikers end.

Mumbai Indians scored 96 runs in the final five overs, 84 off which came in the final four, effectively putting the match out of Delhi Capitals reach.

The Field's player of the match

Despite the big target and not-so-ideal start with the bat, the Capitals threatened to run away with the match, thanks to an 88-run second wicket stand for the second wicket between Shaw and the young Abhishek Porel (41).

With the two batters finding boundaries at will and taking the Capitals closer to the target, Pandya turned to Bumrah in the 12th over. Bumrah did not disappoint as he castled a well-set Shaw with an inch-perfect yorker. It was Bumrah at his best.

The pacer expertly dried up the run flow and returned the next over to remove Porel in the 15th over, before conceding only eight off the 18th over with a well-set Stubbs at the crease.

Bumrah had also bowled an over in the powerplay, giving just four runs off it. He finished with figures of 4-22 in his four overs and was the only bowler to finish with an economy rate of under six in the evening.

‘Thought I was going to die’

It is not often that David gets overshadowed in a T20 partnership. But such was Shepherd’s onslaught in the final over against Nortje that the big hitting Aussie’s unbeaten 45 at a strike rate of 214.29 looked pale.

However before Shepherd took it upon himself to push the Mumbai Indians past 230, it was David leading the charge for the five-time champions. He smashed four sixes and two boundaries in his 21-ball stay at the crease.

Back in the 18th over of the innings, Nortje bowled a full paced chest high full toss to the 6ft5 David. It could have been highly dangerous for the batter, but the 28-year-old just calmly swatted it miles into the second tier over the fine leg boundary.

Nortje apologised for the delivery and it was deservedly called a no-ball, but David later asserted that it was nevertheless a scary moment.

“I got upstaged in the final over [on Shepherd’s innings]. I thought I was about to die that ball when it came towards me from someone as fast as Nortje. I am glad it came off my bat.”

— Tim David in the innings break