MI vs DD: Mumbai's batting a major cause of concern

Tags: Indian Premier League 2015, Mumbai Indians, Delhi Daredevils, 21st match - Delhi Daredevils Vs Mumbai Indians at Delhi - Apr 23, 2015

Published on: Apr 24, 2015

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IPL 8 21st T20 MI vs DD Review: Without doubt, Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils have been among the poor sides in the tournament. This is one of the reasons the game between the two sides was expected to be close.

Without doubt, Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils have been among the poor sides in the tournament. This is one of the reasons the game between the two sides was expected to be close. Neither Mumbai nor Delhi seem to have found their groove in the tournament so far. But, Delhi eventually came out on top at home, thanks to an impressive batting effort, backed very well by a surprisingly effective bowling performance. It was just the kind of boost they needed up pump up their confidence. Mumbai, on the other hand, lost because they just could not raise their game.

Often, in a T20 game, one big partnership can make the difference. Delhi haven't been getting any such partnerships of note in recent matches, but that changed against Mumbai, and stood out as the difference. They lost Mayank Agarwal early, but JP Duminy and Shreyas Iyer featured in the partnership that put Delhi on top. Both looked in no trouble at all as they rebuilt after the early loss. The best feature of their partnership was that Iyer and Duminy occupied the crease for a major duration of the innings. They hit fours at will, and put Delhi in a dominant position.

Mumbai's bowling was once again disappointing. They almost lost after posting over 200 on the board against Bangalore. Their heavy dependency on Harbhajan Singh and Lasith Malinga has been exposed time and again. The case was the same against Delhi as well. Malinga again kept things tight for Mumbai, but Harbhajan's off-day did put them in trouble. JJ Burmah and Kieron Pollard were particularly poor, as they conceded run rates which ran into double figures.

Mumbai's batting this season hasn't lived up to expectations. It is no denying that they have a super batting line-up, but if you take away the match against RCB, they have failed to fire. Mumbai were under pressure chasing a big score, but they had the batsmen who could make a mockery of the target. Like Delhi, they also needed a couple of batsmen to come up with significant knocks. It did not happen. They had their chances. Two batsmen --Ambati Rayudu and Rohit Sharma got 30s and one -- Parthiv Patel got into the 20s. But, at least a couple should have carried on.

Although, they were defending a big score, it must be admitted that Delhi's bowling and fielding were top notch on the day, as a result of which they never allowed Mumbai in with a chance. It was a wonderful team effort by Delhi as Angelo Mathews and Amit Mishra got big wickets at key moments to keep Mumbai under pressure. Imran Tahir, yet again, proved his guile running through the lower order. With another failure, Mumbai's woes have increased, and their batting remains a massive cause of concern.

--By A Cricket Analyst

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