Mumbai defeat Delhi to remain in contention

The Mumbai Indians remained in the hunt for a berth in the play-offs stage of the Indian Premier League and the Delhi Daredevils sunk to an eighth consecutive defeat in Friday's key fixture at the Wankhede Stadium.

The Mumbai Indians remained in the hunt for a berth in the play-offs stage of the Indian Premier League and the Delhi Daredevils sunk to an eighth consecutive defeat in Friday's key fixture at the Wankhede Stadium.

Mumbai's delight on the back of the 15-run win might be short-lived, however, if the Rajasthan Royals defeat the Kings XI Punjab in the day's second fixture – in Mohali, Chandigarh.

While the Kings XI Punjab, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders have secured a berth among the final four teams, the last spot will go to Mumbai or Rajasthan. Delhi and the Royal Challengers Bangalore were omitted from contention earlier this week.

Mumbai promised a 200-plus total, after Australian Michael Hussey, West Indian Lendl Simmons and captain Rohit Sharma combined for a powerful start. A dramatic collapse, however, saw the final nine wicket amount to a mere 53 runs – for a final tally of 173 all out in 19.3 overs.

Pakistan-born leg-spinner proved the pick of the Dehli bowlers, delivering fine figures of three for 37, while fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat contributed a key brace – and left-armer Wayne Parnell and slow bowler Shahbaz Nadeem a wicket each.

The hosts' total, ultimately, proved more than enough. The Daredevils' pursuit, much like the bulk of a very dismal IPL campaign, was littered with error and was restricted to an insufficient 158 for four. Poor shot selection and shoddy judgment obliged expectation.

Captain Kevin Pietersen, South African JP Duminy and the homegrown Manoj Tiwary scored 44, 45 not out and 41 respectively, but not one matched the genuine substance of Hussey's commanding vigil.

The left-handed Hussey was rightly named Man of the Match, having struck a telling 56 across just 33 deliveries, which included seven boundaries and twin sixes.

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