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A memorable 89-run knock by Karun Nair on his Indian Premier League (IPL) comeback went in vain as an unbelievable batting collapse towards the end, which included a hat-trick of runouts, cost Delhi Capitals (DC) a win against Mumbai Indians (MI) in their first game of the season at Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday by 12 runs.
After the victory, MI skipper Hardik Pandya praised Karun Nair's batting and Karn Sharma's bravery and character for bowling aggressively despite the short boundaries. He emphasised the team's unwavering spirit and their determination to stay in the contest and highlighted everyone's contributions in holding onto their chances. "He (Karun) was batting brilliantly, it seemed like it was going out of hand. (On Karn Sharma) Shows great character, to be brave and toss it up when the boundaries are just 60m long. We never gave up, we kept saying we want to stay in the contest. Everyone put their hand up and we were able to hold on to our chances," Hardik Pandya said in the post-match presentation. He explained the rationale behind the batting order, aiming to provide opportunities for players to regain form. He acknowledged the impact of dew on the game and emphasised the importance of staying in the fight and the potential for a couple of wickets to change the momentum. He concluded by highlighting the significance of such wins in boosting morale and turning things around. On the batting order, he said, "Wanted to get the players in form to face the most balls. Dew played a big factor later on, it got very dewy. Just by making sure the game is not over, "keep fighting" was the chatter. We knew a couple of wickets would change the game. It has happened with me before as well, wins like this change the momentum and turn everything around." A fifty from Tilak Varma, along with impactful innings by Surya Kumar Yadav and Naman Dhir, propelled Mumbai Indians (MI) to score 205/5 in their 20 overs against Delhi Capitals (DC). With this victory, DC's four-match winning streak has come to an end, placing them in the second position. MI has moved up to seventh with two wins and four losses. During the run chase of 206 runs, DC had a rough beginning as Jake Fraser McGurk's dry spell continued with a golden duck, as his shot found the hands of Will Jacks in the cover area, giving Deepak Chahar his first wicket. DC was 0/1 in 0. 1 overs. Apart from Karun Nair, only Abishek Porel managed to score 33 runs, while all the other batters struggled to make runs. A hat-trick of run-outs secured the game for MI as DC finished at 193 in 19 overs, with Mohit Sharma being run out for zero by Santner. MI triumphed by 12 runs. (ANI)
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