IPL 2019: Babysitter Rishabh Pant rocks Mumbai Indians to sleep

A young Delhi side, with a new name and a new kit, took on a well-oiled machine in the form of Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede stadium.

Mumbai have been infamous for being slow starters in the IPL and this year was no different as they came up against an exuberant Delhi team who grabbed the bull by its horns and took the game to the experienced Mumbai Indians. Delhi captain Shreyas Iyer looked disappointed when he lost the toss but his side did not let him down as they posted a mammoth 213 in their twenty overs, leaving Mumbai a mountain to climb even though Wankhede is a great ground for chasing totals.

Delhi lost a couple of wickets early on but then their two experienced batsmen in Dhawan and Ingram stabilized the innings with some sensible batting. Ingram has played T20 cricket all over the world recently, and this showed during his classy knock of 47 which included some innovative shots as well.

Both Dhawan and Ingram bring a sense of maturity to the team and they are the perfect mold for the rest of the young Delhi batsmen.

The highlight of the first innings though was Rishab Pant - the wrecker in chief who dismantled the Mumbai bowling with some mind-boggling shots. Pant is a fearless cricketer and his talent was on display at the Wankhede as he turned the game on its head and helped Delhi to a match-winning total.

The one-handed six he hit at the back end of the innings was just staggering as he blazed away to an unbeaten 78 of just 27 balls. Pant's innings included 7 fours and 7 sixes with the Mumbai bowlers having no answer to the carnage caused by this young man.

213 is not impossible to chase, especially at the Wankhede, but the Mumbai batsmen just could not build a couple of solid partnerships. In the end, it was too much of an ask for Mumbai and their only shining light was Yuvraj Singh, who played a great knock of 53 off 35 balls but he couldn't garner enough support from the rest of the batsmen.

The Delhi bowlers were disciplined, especially Kagiso Rabada, who bowled with intense pace and picked up a couple of wickets as a reward for being relentless. The young West Indian, Keemo Paul, was also impressive as he picked up his fellow countryman, Kieron Pollard, with a well disguised slower delivery.

The 37 run victory will give the Delhi Capitals a ton of confidence, and if they can sustain this type of form then they have the potential to be the most dangerous side in the tournament. Many were criticizing their bowling line up as a test attack, but they showed today they have what it takes to perform in this format.

The Mumbai Indians have lost another season opener, which is nothing new for them. They still have a brilliant team and today they had batting up until number 8 which is quite staggering. The injury scare to Bumrah will be a worry for them though and for the whole of India, but there are reports suggesting that the injury is not too serious.

Rishab Pant was the star of the show today and he has certainly caught the eye of the Indian selectors and fans. If he continues to bat like this, not only will Delhi succeed but he also might book his seat to England for the World Cup.

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