On This Day in 2012 – When Delhi Daredevils Silenced the Wankhede Crowd

However, such instances are less likely to occur at the Wankhede stadium, which is the home to Mumbai Indians, the most dominant team in IPL history. But Delhi Daredevils was able to dominate Mumbai Indians from both ends on 16 April 2012, during the 19th match of the season. Let’s take a look back at the match and how Delhi Daredevils made Mumbai Indians clueless in the game.

Mumbai Indians Batting: A Tale of Collapse

The match started with the toss, as Virender Sehwag, Delhi Daredevils captain, won and decided to field first. Considering the pitch conditions, he knew that it would help the team chase and would also be troublesome for the team batting first. This decision was also one of the best match-turning points for the team. Mumbai Indians in the first innings were just a series of quick wickets and a lack of stable partnerships.

Openers Richard Levi (1 run off 4 balls) and Davy Jacobs (0 runs off 10 balls) were dismissed cheaply by Shahbaz Nadeem. With his left-arm spin abilities, Nadeem was able to tackle both the openers using the bounce and turn available on the pitch. As the openers went back to the dugout, the middle order was expected to take the responsibility. However, Ambati Rayudu (4 runs off 11 balls) was dismissed because of a terrible mix-up between him and Rohit Sharma. Kieron Pollard came to the crease with an aggressive attempt, which left him losing his wicket for just 1.

Rohit Sharma played well, scoring 29 runs off 27 balls with 5 fours, but following his wicket, Mumbai Indians stood at 41 for 5 in the 10th over. Harbhajan Singh also played a cameo for the team, as the captain contributed 33 runs off 22 balls with 5 fours and one six, as the other batters failed to perform. As a result, Mumbai Indians got all out at the score of 92, with 4 balls still remaining for the innings to end.

For Delhi Daredevils, the bowlers did the job well, as Shahbaz Nadeem, Morne Morkel, Ajit Agarkar and Umesh Yadav took 2 wickets each. Irfan Pathan also went economical, conceding just 12 runs in 4 overs and also taking the wicket of McKay. With wickets falling off at a good pace, Mumbai Indians were definitely left without any answers against Delhi Daredevils in this game.

Delhi Daredevils Pull Off a Comfortable Chase

With the target being low at 93, Delhi Daredevils played easily against Mumbai Indians to pull off the chase. Virender Sehwag and Naman Ojha maintained the pace of the game with an impressive opening partnership, which maintained the run rate and even made Mumbai’s bowlers struggle to take wickets. Naman Ojha lost his wicket to RP Singh in the last over of the powerplay, as he scored 13 runs off 15 balls.

Kevin Pietersen came to the crease, but he also failed to contribute well to this chase, losing his wicket to RP Singh in the 8th over, as he contributed just 9 runs off 8 balls. However, Virender Sehwag dominated with the bat, scoring 32 runs off 36 balls, with 2 fours and one six. He calculated the chase well and played risk-free shots accordingly. But Sehwag also lost his wicket when the team was close to the target, as Levi caught the ball at long-on, giving his wicket to Pragyan Ojha.

Mahela Jayawardene and Ross Taylor came to the crease, and they were able to finish the game for Delhi Daredevils, allowing the team to win by 7 wickets and 31 balls remaining. Jayawardene scored 17 runs off 20 balls with a four, and Ross Taylor scored 11 runs off 10 balls, also with just a boundary. RP Singh starred with the ball for Mumbai Indians, taking 2 wickets and conceding 24 runs in 4 overs, as Pragyan Ojha was also able to take a wicket.

Following the end of the match, Shahbaz Nadeem was given the Player of the Match award for his prolific bowling performance. He took 2 wickets and conceded just 16 runs in 4 overs, as he was also the key to removing the opening duo of the Mumbai Indians, which could have been a problem for the other bowlers. This loss had a great impact on the Net run rate of the Mumbai Indians, but the team still managed to reach the playoffs in the same season. On the other hand, Delhi Daredevils finished the league stages at the top spot.