Mumbai Indians sealed their spot in the playoffs of the tenth edition of the Indian Premier League by demolishing Delhi Daredevils by 146 runs at the Feroz Shah Kotla on Saturday. It was complete annihilation to say the least as Delhi, who were looking for their third consecutive win, were outclassed with bat and ball.

Winning the toss, Delhi put Mumbai to bat first with Zaheer Khan backing his bowling unit to get the job done. However, the ploy backfired with Lendl Simmons and Kieron Pollard taking the game away from the hosts. The duo struck fifties as Mumbai posted a target of 212 losing just three wickets in the process. In the end, the Mumbai bowlers once again got the job done and bowled Delhi out for mere 66 runs, thus, registering the highest victory margin in IPL history.

Veterans prove their mettle

However, the standout feature of Mumbai’s clinical display was the performance of their old guard consisting of Simmons, Pollard, Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh. The dazzled with bat and ball as Mumbai cemented their spot at the top of the table with 18 points. They also took some spectacular catches on the field that would have impressed Jonty Rhodes.

With the likes of Nitish Rana, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik and Krunal Pandya powering Mumbai this season, the likes of Pollard, Malinga and Singh have taken a backseat. The youngsters have propelled the team to greater heights this season, and with just two losses in 11 games, their record speaks for itself. They average age of Rana, Bumrah and the Pandya brothers is 23 while the average age of Malinga, Pollard, Singh and Simmons put together is 32.

They veterans have had a mixed season with only Pollard featuring regularly in all the game this season for Mumbai. Malinga has just recuperated from a serious injury and has just started hitting his stride. Harbhajan, on the other hand, has been dropped a couple of times already this season with latest recruit Karn Sharma and Krunal being Mumbai’s ace spinners. For Simmons, the game against Delhi was his first this season. So with all four performing against Delhi, Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma will be happy that the old guard is returning to form as they competition is reaching the business end.

“We were clinical from the start. I think the opening stand set the game up for us. Lendl coming back after a long time, playing that way was amazing. And Polly, a brilliant finisher. Great performance by the bowlers as well and to win by 146 runs is huge,” said Rohit Sharma.

Simmons, Pollard demolish Delhi 

When Rohit announced that Simmons was replacing Jos Buttler, everyone was taken by surprise. Buttler and Parthiv Patel have been Mumbai’s most successful and consistent opening pairs in recent memory and fiddling with it would not have been a wise call. However, given Simmons IPL record, Rohit backed the West Indian and boy did he not disappoint. He struck 66 of 43 balls including four sixes and five boundaries. He repaid the faith his team put in him and with Jos Buttler set to leave the team due to his international commitment, Mumbai will be pleased with Simmons performance.

“I have been practicing hard. I have been hitting the gym, keeping my fitness up, waiting for the opportunity. It came today and I took it in both hands. I’m good as a replacement player, it’s been good for me. Batting in the Powerplay and with Parthiv is always good. My game plan is to see off the first two overs and then back my shots,” said Simmons after the game.

“It gives us confidence, knowing our bench strength is strong. We always had a lot of faith in Lendl and he showed us why he is one of the best. Never in two minds, always went for his shots. A player like that gives a lot of freedom to the other guys,” said Rohit Sharma.

When opener Parthiv Patel was dismissed for 25, everyone expected Rana or Rohit to come out in the middle. However, in came the “Big Unit” Pollard, which must have stunned Delhi captain Zaheer Khan. Pollard was merciless as he smashed an unbeaten 63 of 35 balls, which also included four sixes and five fours. He tore into Amit Mishra, his favourite bowler given that his strike-rate against him is 160. In 11 matches this season, Pollard has scored 294 runs with his highest being 70 against Bangalore.

“There is nothing much you can do. When I was on the field, I felt that they batted well. We had our plans, we started well, we stuck to the plan, but the partnership between Lendl and Pollard took the game away from us,” said Khan after the game.

Along with Simmons, Pollard took the game away from Mumbai with those powerful shots. “Batting with Pollard is good, we are accustomed playing together. We didn’t have a total in mind, we just had a mind towards keeping the run-rate up and not losing wickets at crucial times,” said Simmons. Basically, the Trinidadians were the stars with the bat and also took three brilliant catches in the outfield while Delhi were batting.

Harbhajan and Malinga get the ball to talk

Karn Sharma, Bumrah and Mitchell McClenaghan took five among themselves with Sharma taking three. However, Malinga and Harbhajan stole the show with two vintage performances which showcased glimpses of their calibre.

Malinga grabbed two wickets for five runs. He took the wickets of Corey Anderson and Shreyas Iyer. Malinga has just featured in seven matches this season and has grabbed eight wickets. However, he registered his best figures this season against Delhi and also reached the landmark of 150 IPL wickets, the first bowler to do so.

Given that he missed last season due to injury and still recovering, Mumbai have not really been affected by his absence due to Bumrah and McClenaghan’s splendid performances. However, on his day, Malinga can dismantle any batting unit in the world and with his economy of 2.50 against Delhi, Mumbai will be a very happy team especailly bowling coach Shane Bond.

For Harbhajan, it was a brilliant day on the field as he took three wickets and a stunning catch to dismiss Iyer. However, he has had an ordinary season but his standards. In nine matches that he played, he has taken eight wickets with his best performance also coming against Delhi on Saturday. With the team already in the playoffs, Rohit should let Harbhajan have a go in the remaining games in the group stage because if he gets his act together, Harbhajan can prove to be the difference between Mumbai lifting the title for the third time.