Lasith Malinga grabbed five wickets in a superb exhibition of fast bowling to set up Mumbai Indians’ eight-wicket win over Delhi Daredevils in an Indian Premier League match on Sunday. The Sri Lankan, known for bowling accurate yorkers, finished with 5-13 off 3.4 overs as Sachin Tendulkar’s Mumbai Indians dismissed Virender Sehwag’s Delhi Daredevils for 95 in the Twenty20 tournament.
Naman Ojha (29) and Venugopal Rao (26) were the main contributors for Delhi, who could not even bat their full quota of 20 overs. Five batsmen failed to open their accounts in a dismal batting performance.
Read moreMumbai did not face any difficulty in achieving a modest target, winning their opening match with more than three overs to spare at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground in New Delhi.
Tendulkar (46 not out), who added 68 for the unfinished third-wicket stand with Rohit Sharma (27 not not), ended the match when he drove seamer Irfan Pathan through the covers for a four.
Malinga jolted Delhi with two wickets in three balls when he bowled Australian David Warner and local boy Unmukt Chand in his opening over to reduce the hosts to 11-2.
Delhi suffered a big setback when captain Sehwag was run out for 19 following Tendulkar’s direct-hit at the striker’s end. Malinga then returned for his second spell to get two more wickets in one over, again in the space of three deliveries, when he bowled Rao and South African Morne Morkel.
The fast bowler ended the innings when he had last-man Ashok Dinda caught by New Zealander James Franklin at mid-off.
India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who opened the attack, finished with 2-14 off three overs.
Delhi Daredevils 95 in 17.4 overs (N. Ojha 29, V. Rao 26; L. Malinga 5-13, H. Singh 2-14)
Mumbai Indians 99-2 in 16.5 overs (S. Tendulkar 46 not out, R. Sharma 27 not out)
