Rohit guides MI to their first win of IPL 2023
Mumbai Indians beat Delhi Capitals to open their account in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) season in Delhi. MI successfully chased down 173 after they bowled the Capitals out. Skipper Rohit Sharma led from the front with an incredible half-century. Cameron Green (17*) and Tim David (13*) struck in the final-ball thriller. Earlier, fifties from David Warner and Axar Patel powered DC's innings.
How did the match pan out?
Warner and Prithvi Shaw looked in terrific touch after MI elected to field. However, the latter departed as DC managed 51/1 in the Powerplay. Chawla made inroads in DC's line-up before Warner and Axar added a 67-run stand. Jason Behrendorff then initiated DC's lower-order collapse with a three-wicket over. Rohit and Tilak Varma made the run-chase one-sided, but it went down to the wire.
A match-winning knock by Rohit
After a long gap, Rohit treated his fans with a majestic knock. He came out all guns blazing and put MI in the driving seat. Rohit brought up his fifty off just 29 balls in the 12th over. It was his 41st half-century in the tournament. The MI skipper finished with 65 off 45 balls (6 fours, 4 sixes).
Rohit finally breaks the deadlock
Rohit has scored his first IPL half-century in two years. The streak lasted 24 innings, the longest sequence without a 50+ IPL score for an opener, as per Cricbuzz. Mayank Agarwal follows Rohit with 21 innings.
Most IPL runs against DC
Rohit broke another record in his formidable knock. He broke Virat Kohli's record of scoring the most runs against Delhi Capitals in the IPL (925). Rohit now tops the list with 977 runs from 33 matches at an average of 32.56. Notably, Rohit and Kohli are the only batsmen with over 900 IPL runs against the Capitals.
Chawla races to 161 wickets
Chawla, who took three wickets (3/22), has now raced to 161 wickets in the IPL. He has left behind Sunil Narine (158) and matched Ravichandran Ashwin (161) in terms of IPL wickets. Chawla, who made his debut in the inaugural season (2008), has also represented Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings), and Kolkata Knight Riders in the cash-rich league.
Another half-century for Warner
Warner once again struck at the start. Although his strike rate was questionable, the DC skipper reached his third fifty of the season. Warner touched the 50-run mark off 43 balls. The 36-year-old now has 58 half-centuries in the cash-rich league. Warner has a total of 62 fifty-plus scores in the tournament. He smashed 51 off 47 balls (6 fours).
Seventh fifty against MI
Warner has enjoyed tackling MI as he owns 717 IPL runs against them in 21 games. While he averages 42.17 against them. However, his strike rate has come down to 135.53. The southpaw has smashed as many as seven fifties against the Men in Blue and Gold in the cash-rich league. His highest score against them reads 90*.
A 22-ball half-century for Axar
All-rounder Axar compensated for Warner's sluggish knock. He continued his exploits, having struck the bowlers all around the ground. The Indian batter slammed a 22-ball half-century in the 18th over. Notably, it was his maiden half-century in the IPL. Axar racked up 54 off 25 balls with the help of 4 fours and 5 sixes. Jason Behrendorff finally dismissed him toward the end.
Axar enters an elite list
As per Cricbuzz, Axar has played the second-most innings (91) before registering a 50+ score in the IPL. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja tops this list with 131 innings. Ashwin follows Axar with 70 innings.
Another golden duck for SKY
Suryakumar Yadav, the only batter to score over 1,000 T20I runs in 2022, has been in a downward spiral. After recording three consecutive golden ducks against Australia, he registered one tonight. His last six white-ball innings: 0(1), 0(1), 0(1), 15(16), 1(2), and 0(1).
