IPL 2020: Man of the Match should have been a batsman in the MI v DC match, says Sanjay Manjrekar

Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar opined that the Man of the Match award for Thursday’s Qualifier 1 between Mumbai Indians (MI) and Delhi Capitals (DC) should have been given to a batsman from the MI line-up rather than a bowler.

After losing the toss and being put in to bat first, the Mumbai Indians posted 200 on the board. Delhi Capitals had a disastrous start to the innings losing three wickets before scoring their first run. They stuttered all the way to 143/8 in their 20 overs.

Jasprit Bumrah was adjudged the Man of the Match for his career-best figures of 4 for 14, which included the wickets of Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer, Marcus Stoinis and Axar Patel.

However, Manjrekar believes that the match was set up by the batsmen, and MI had sealed the victory at the end of the first innings.

“When adjudicating the MOM award one must look at how the game was placed at the halfway stage, MI had almost sealed the game with their batting. So the match-winning impact was made by batsmen. With due respect to Boult & Bumrah, MOM should have been a batsman,” Manjrekar tweeted.

When adjudicating the MOM award one must look at how the game was placed at the half way stage, MI had almost sealed the game with their batting. So the match winning impact was made by batsmen. With due respect to Boult & Bumrah, MOM should have been a batsman. #MIvDC

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) November 6, 2020

MI beat DC by 57 runs after a clinical performance with bat and ball

Mumbai Indians were clinical with both bat and ball in Thursday’s game. They started briskly in the powerplay scoring 63 runs for the loss of just one wicket. Although they lost three wickets in quick succession from there, the Indians never took their foot off the pedal.

Only one team in #IPL2020 has batted this way....relentless assault. Depth in the batting is for this very purpose....they’ve fulfilled it. #MI is the best T20 franchise team on the planet. Too good. 👏👏 #MIvDC

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) November 5, 2020

The Pandya brothers, Krunal first and Hardik later, joined Ishan Kishan in the middle as MI continued to go for the big hits. The Rohit Sharma-led team ended up scoring 92 runs in the last six overs at a run rate of over 15.

There were multiple stars in the batting innings for the Mumbai side. Quinton de Kock (40 off 25) and Suryakumar Yadav (51 off 38) gave the side a good start. Ishan Kishan (55 off 30) saw batsmen falling at the other end but stay put, only to explode in the death overs. And Hardik Pandya (37 off 14) played a brilliant cameo to propel the score to 200 from a point where 160 would have seen as a good score.

In the bowling department, Trent Boult was just as brilliant as Bumrah, picking up two wickets and bowling a maiden in the first over of DC’s innings. However, he could bowl only two overs before going off the field due to a groin strain.

With the handsome victory in Qualifier 1, MI have booked their place in the final which will be played at the Dubai International Stadium on November 10.

Check out the IPL 2020 schedule