Dubai: Mumbai Indians notched up a clinical nine-wicket win over an already battered Delhi Capitals, who wilted under relentless pressure from Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah, in the IPL here on Saturday. The result followed by Sunrisers Hyderabad's emphatic win over Royal Challengers Bangalore meant Mumbai will top the league stage.
While Boult (3/21 in 4 overs) dealt telling opening blows, Bumrah (3/17 in 4 overs) broke the backbone of the Delhi Capitals middle-order, choking them to 110/9.
The defending champions coasted to victory in 14.2 overs, taking their points tally to 18 and will have two shots in the play-offs to get into the final.
Delhi Capitals, who had won seven out of their first nine games, have now lost four on the bounce and with a match left are in danger of missing out on the play-offs with an ever deteriorating net-run-rate of minus 0.159.
While batting, Delhi Capitals consumed 62 dot balls, which effectively meant that more than half of their stipulated 20 overs had gone without scoring.
A target of 111 can't be defended nine out of 10 times and the pocket dynamo Ishan Kishan scored 72 not out off 43 balls to make the chase look like a walk in the park.
Not for once did Delhi Capitals looked like being in control as they made the Dubai strip and the MI bowling attack look doubly menacing with some of the batsmen abdicating their responsibilities of playing fearless cricket.
Boult was brilliant up front removing openers Shikhar Dhawan (0) and Prithvi Shaw (10 off 11 balls) in the powerplay which pegged the Delhi Capitals back.
Skipper Shreyas Iyer (25, 29 balls) and Rishabh Pant (21 off 24 balls) then compounded their team's worries as they failed to regain the lost momentum.
The duo looked like playing for themselves and the intent was missing which affected the morale of the batsmen coming down the order.
Quinton de Kock effected a stumping off Rahul Chahar to see Iyer's back after which came Bumrah's devastating two-over spell.
A ball pitched on length was climbing up while moving a shade away which Marcus Stoinis edged to the wicketkeeper.
Pant's misery ended when Bumrah came round the wicket and fired one from wide off the crease that came in with the angle to trap him leg before.
He then tormented Harshal Patel, who played and missed a few before being adjudged leg-before, a decision that couldn't be reviewed as Pant had consumed it during his dismissal.