5 memorable moments from the DD vs MI match that don’t fade away

Tonight, Mumbai Indians broke an all-time Indian Premier League record by beating the Daredevils by a gargantuan margin of 146 runs. Batting first, Rohit Sharma’s men set a humongous 212-run target for the Daredevils to chase.

The Daredevils came into this match on the back of a win that they achieved after chasing down a score of over 200 against the Gujarat Lions. Tonight, however, they couldn’t muster up even 100 runs and were bowled out for just 66.

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Here are 5 memorable moments from the match that don't fade away, quite like the Axe Signature range of body perfumes:

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#1 Lendl Simmons’ fabulous start

The big-money inclusion of Jos Buttler meant that there was always an obligation to play him regularly, even if he didn’t perform to the level that was expected of him. With 272 runs from the 10 games that he has played this season, it is fair to say that he hasn’t performed to his best.

So Mumbai opted to replace him with Lendl Simmons—and he didn’t disappoint. It is a strange thing that Simmons isn’t an automatic starter for the side given that his record with the Indians is just amazing.

Against the Daredevils tonight, the West Indian made 66 off just 43 balls, giving his team the start they wished for.

#2 Kieron Pollard’s party

Pollard destroyed the Delhi bowlers

After the start that Lendl Simmons provided for his team, it was something of a compulsion for the middle order players to capitalise on it and make a big score. It was his compatriot, Kieron Pollard, who stepped up.

Tonight, we witnessed the version of Pollard that fans love and opponents despise. In only 35 balls, he inflicted maximum damage on the Daredevils, scoring 65 runs while smashing 5 fours and 4 sixes.

#3 Zaheer Khan’s experience

Zaheer showed his class on the night

As the Mumbai Indians batsmen were wreaking their reign of terror on the Delhi Daredevils bowler, the experience of Zaheer Khan stood the test of the moment. When all the other bowlers were spanked left, right and centre, Zaheer Khan kept his calm and imposed a tight line of bowling against the Mumbai franchise.

He might not have taken any wickets, but giving away just 29 runs in his 4 overs when the opposition team scored over 200 runs is a commendable task in itself.

#4 Harbhajan Singh’s brilliance

It was vintage Harbhajan on display

Nowadays, it is not often that the ‘Turbanator’ steals the show with his bowling. The only place that we see him regularly is in the Indian Premier League. Tonight, the bowling that Bhajji displayed against the Daredevils was absolutely spell-binding. He took 3 wickets in his spell of 4 overs, giving away only 22 runs in the process and ensured Mumbai completely nullified the threat that the home team possessed.

#5 Lasith does the Malinga

Malinga bowled a fiery spell

One of the reasons why Mumbai Indians are adamant about playing Sri Lankan pacer Lasith Malinga is because of his unpredictability. Regardless of how poor his form is, he is picked up by the management because they have an incredible amount of belief in his abilities.

And tonight, he repaid them in full with a fiery Malinga-esque spell. He might have only bowled 2 overs, but he gave away only 7 runs and took 2 wickets in the process. His victims were the dangerous Corey Anderson and Shreyas Iyer, the pillars of DD’s middle order.

He set the tone for the rest of the bowlers to wrap the game up as the team set a new record en route to extending their lead at the top of the IPL table.