Mumbai/IBNS: With just one slot remaining in the qualifiers, Mumbai Indians propelled themselves to grab the final seat by outclassing Delhi Capitals by 59 runs in front of their home crowd at the Wankhede Stadium in match 63 of the Indian Premier League in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Fittingly, it was their previous fixture where the tide seemed to change for both these teams. Delhi had gotten off to a fantastic start, winning 4 in 4, and Mumbai did not seem to catch a break, winning just 1 out of the first 5 games.

The dramatic end to that game in Mumbai’s favour seemed to have interchanged their fortunes, leading to the culmination of Mumbai being once again, which led to Delhi’s exit today.

The pitch seemed to have been tough to bat on, but with the experienced opening pair of Faf and Rahul at the helm, one would have hoped that DC would try to ease into the chase.

On the flip side, though, the Delhi batsmen were over-aggressive and did not help their cause by getting out to some rash shots. The openers, along with Abhishek Porel, were back in the hut by the 5th over. Boult, Chahar, and Jacks each sharing the bounty between them. 

Vipraj Nigam was tasked with assuming the role that Axar used to do for his side in his absence & he obliged with a few attacking shots. However, two quick wickets left them reeling at 66/5 at the halfway stage.  Bumrah and Santner being the beneficiaries this time.

Sameer Rizvi, who top scored with 39, and Ashutosh tried to keep the hopes alive, going after Karn Sharma while knocking the ball around. However, the ever-miserly pair of Mitchell Santner and Jasprit Bumrah ensured that there was going to be no miracle. Santner finished with 3/11 off his 4 overs while Bumrah conceded just 12 while taking 3 wickets of his own.

Earlier in the match, Mumbai Indians' innings was anchored by Surya Kumar Yadav, who delivered a crucial innings, unbeaten 73 off 47 balls. His innings was pivotal in setting a challenging total of 180 for 5. The late overs saw a significant acceleration, with 48 runs coming in the final two overs, courtesy of aggressive stroke play from Surya Kumar and a quickfire cameo from Naman Dhir.

Dhir's contribution of 20 runs off just four balls in the penultimate over, including two sixes and two fours, added some propulsion to the innings.

Delhi Capitals' bowlers had moments of control, especially during the middle overs, with Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam applying pressure through tight spells. However, the inability to contain the scoring in the death overs proved costly.

With this win, Mumbai Indians have secured the final playoff spot in the TATA IPL 2025, joining Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Punjab Kings in the knockout stage.

(With inputs from IPL website)