Thaindian News

New Delhi, April 10 (IANS) Lasith Malinga ripped through the inexperienced Delhi Daredevils batting while Sachin Tendulkar negotiated the difficult track to set up an eight-wicket win for Mumbai Indians in their opening match of the Indian Premier League here Sunday.

Malinga (5/13) swung the ball at an express pace and the Daredevils were bowled out for 95 in 17.4 overs on a slow surface at the Ferozedhah Kotla ground. The skiddy bowler’s exciting spell was his best in IPL and also the best for the team in the four-year-old tournament. The Mumbai Indians later took a measured approach of the modest target and courtesy Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma (27 not out), got home with 19 balls to spare.

The local team, however, was successful in putting the brakes on the Mumbai batsmen with the score at 22 for one in the first five overs. Morne Morkel (4/29) bowled an inspired opening spell but the total was too small to defend. They could have forced their way into the match by picking up the prized wicket of Tendulkar but the master blaster was dropped by a diving Virender Sehwag in Morkel’ second over.

After that, the visitors never looked in a hurry and got home comfortably.

Earlier, it was an outright Malinga show as he castled David Warner (1), Unmukt Chand (0), Venugopal Rao (26) and Morkel (0) with his trademark fast inswinging yorkers. The Sri Lankan fast bowler never ceases to surprise with the ease with which he bowls those yorkers.

Daredevils, who went as underdogs in the match with a new look side, found things tough from ball one.

With not many stars in their batting line-up, a lot was expected of the seasoned duo of Sehwag (19) and Warner. But Malinga dashed their hopes, bowling a fiery spell upfront
and then came back in the last five overs to add three more to his tally. He crashed into Warner’s stumps and then foxed Chand with a slower one in the second over.

After that, Delhi’s batting succumbed under pressure and to the pace of Malinga, who also bowled the first maiden of the tournament, surprisingly to Sehwag.

The first fifty runs came after 9.5 overs, the side’s slowest in the IPL history.

Sehwag and Irfan Pathan (0), the two important men capable of changing the course of the match, got run out at crucial junctures.

Barring the 42-run stand for the fifth-wicket between Naman Ojha (29) and Venugopal Rao (26), Delhi batsmen could not show resistance against a potent Mumbai attack.