Mumbai Indians (MI) held their nerves to script a dramatic 12-run win over Delhi Capitals (DC) in Match 29 of the TATA IPL 2025 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.
Despite Karun Nair’s sensational 89 off 40 balls, the hosts fell short in a high-scoring thriller, undone by Karn Sharma’s timely 3-fer and a bizarre hat-trick of run-outs in the penultimate over.
The match marked DC’s first outing in Delhi this season. Skipper Axar Patel won the toss and opted to bowl first against MI captain Hardik Pandya.
MI openers Ryan Rickelton and Rohit Sharma came out with clear intent and immediately took on the new-ball attack, especially targeting Mitchell Starc. However, DC’s golden arm, Vipraj Nigam, struck in the fifth over, trapping Rohit Sharma lbw. Rickelton, unfazed, continued the attack and stitched together a solid partnership with Suryakumar Yadav as MI raced to 59/1 at the end of the powerplay.
Just as Rickelton was nearing his half-century, Kuldeep Yadav produced a superb googly to clean him up for 41 (25) in the eighth over. Surya then found company in Tilak Varma, and the duo kept the scoreboard ticking with a 60-run stand. Kuldeep once again broke the momentum by dismissing SKY for 40 (28) in the 14th over.
In the very next over, Vipraj returned, sending Hardik Pandya back to the dugout. However, Tilak Varma anchored the innings brilliantly and brought up his half-century, scoring 59 off 33 balls. Naman Dhir then provided the final flourish with a brisk unbeaten 38 off just 17 balls, powering MI to a competitive 205/5 in their 20 overs.
Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam claimed two wickets each while Mukesh Kumar picked up one.
Chasing 206, DC had the worst possible start as Jake Fraser-McGurk handed a simple catch to Will Jacks off Deepak Chahar on the very first ball. But what followed was a remarkable counterattack.
Abishek Porel and Impact Player Karun Nair, playing his first game of the season, launched a fierce assault. The duo hammered 72 runs in the powerplay, including 29 off Jasprit Bumrah’s two overs. Nair brought up his half-century in just 22 balls – his first IPL fifty in seven years – and didn’t stop there. He dominated every bowler he faced as DC surged to 113/1 in 10 overs.
MI clawed back through Karn Sharma, who broke the partnership by dismissing Porel in the 11th over. Karun Nair’s dream innings came to an end in the 12th over when Mitchell Santner cleaned him up, but not before a blistering 89 off 40 balls, laced with 12 fours and five sixes.
DC’s chase began to unravel quickly. Bumrah removed skipper Axar Patel in the 13th over and Karn Sharma struck again to send Tristan Stubbs packing in the 14th. From 119/1, DC slipped to 145/5, suddenly staring at a steep task with 61 required off 36 balls.
KL Rahul and Ashutosh Sharma tried to steady the chase, but Karn Sharma returned for his final over and struck once more, claiming his third wicket by removing Rahul with a sharp caught-and-bowled.
With 39 needed off 18, Vipraj Nigam kept DC’s hopes alive by smacking Santner for a six and a four. However, he was stumped later in the same over. With 23 needed off the final 12 balls, Ashutosh Sharma cracked back-to-back boundaries off Bumrah to turn the tide in DC’s favour.
But the drama peaked in the 19th over. In an extraordinary turn of events, Mumbai Indians effected three run-outs off three consecutive deliveries – a team hat-trick – to completely derail DC’s chase and close out a gripping 12-run win.
The victory not only gave MI crucial points but also handed Delhi Capitals their first defeat of the season.
