The Mumbai Indians (MI) achieved a thrilling 12-run defeat over the Delhi Capitals (DC) in a match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium that marked the end of DC’s unbeaten beginning in IPL 2025. MI’s win, which was set up by Tilak Varma’s solid fifty and a key bowling spell from Karn Sharma, was despite the deservingly sensational 40-ball 89-run match-turning innings by Karun Nair, whose gritty innings ended in defeat.
Nair’s Heroics
Karun Nair marked his return to IPL after a gap of three years, rolling back the years with an astonishing display of strokeplay which almost took DC home single-handedly. Nair helped set the tone for DC in their chase of 206 by destroying MI’s spearhead Jasprit Bumrah – scoring 28 off just 9 balls. His fifty off just 22 balls and aggressive shot-making put DC ahead of the required run rate. But the turning moment of the game was when Mitchell Santner brought out a peach in the 13th over, that sharply spun past Nair’s bat to clip the top of off stump. That delivery not only sent DC’s top run-scorer back to the pavilion but also set off a dramatic collapse.
The Collapse
DC looked to be away batting comfortably at 145 for 3 in 13 overs, but MI made the most of the new rule that allowed a change of ball in the second innings after 11 overs to negate the dew. The new ball gripped a lot better and aided MI’s spinners, and from there, the visitors seized their advantage. Karn Sharma, MI’s Impact Sub, struck three times in the middle overs, and crucially took key batters, exposing DC’s lower middle-order. Stubbs and KL Rahul followed suit, and the chase at DC fell apart.
Final-Overs Madness
Despite several wickets falling, DC still felt they had a glimmer of hope when they left 42 runs to get from the last four overs. MI’s death bowling took that hope away. Trent Boult bowled the 17th over for MI, and they only managed to get three runs off of him. Santner deceived Vipraj Nigam with his flight and turned in the next over, really hurting DC’s chances.
The most dramatic moment came in the 19th over when DC suffered a hat-trick of run-outs. Ashutosh Sharma, having hit Bumrah for consecutive boundaries, was run out attempting a second run after colliding with Bumrah at the non-striker’s end. The chaos continued as Kuldeep Yadav and Mohit Sharma were dismissed off back-to-back deliveries, sealing DC’s fate.
MI’s Revival with the Bat
Earlier, MI posted a formidable 205 for 5, anchored by Tilak Varma’s 59 off 43—his first IPL fifty in a winning cause. His fifth-wicket partnership of 60 with Naman Dhir (38 off 17) proved crucial after MI lost Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya in quick succession.
DC’s spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam impressed with combined figures of 4 for 64, but it wasn’t enough to prevent MI from putting up a competitive total.
What This Means
With this win, MI now have two victories in six games and a much-needed boost to their campaign. Delhi Capitals, meanwhile, suffered their first loss of the season after four straight wins. The result leaves the league with no unbeaten teams and reopens the race to the playoffs.
Scorecard:
Mumbai Indians – 205/5 (Tilak 59, Rickelton 41, Dhir 38; Kuldeep 2-23)
Delhi Capitals – 193 (Nair 89, Porel 33; Karn Sharma 3-36)
Result: MI won by 12 runs
Player of the Match: Karn Sharma (MI)
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