New Delhi: Halfway, Rohit Sharma He said that batting on the pitch was difficult and back-to-back Mumbai IndiansBowlers defending 162 against Delhi Capitals at Arun Jaitley Stadium.His words proved to be almost prophetic.Chasing 163, Delhi Capitals needed 90 runs in the last ten overs with a good set. Pathum Nissanka Back to the hut. But in their last match against Lucknow Supergiants, Delhi hero Sameer Rizvi brought them home again with another brilliant innings. Delhi Capitals beat Mumbai Indians by five wickets to register their second consecutive win in the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL).
Rizvi struggled initially and at one stage scored 11 runs off 17 balls. The 22-year-old broke free in the ninth over with a six off Corbin Bosch. However, the match remained in the balance as Mitchell Santner dismissed Pathum Nissanka. The Sri Lankan opener, who scored a fluent 44 off 30 balls, topped Mayank Markande with a good catch at short fine leg.Rizvi then shifted gears in the next over, scoring 20 off Corbin Bosch. He handled every variation with ease, sending slow balls, short deliveries and fullers alike, managing to make the most of even the ill-timed shot.He hit back-to-back sixes off Mayank Markande to complete his second consecutive fifty this season and third consecutive for the franchise, reaching the milestone in 32 balls.Jaspreet Bumrah Pulled things back briefly with a run-over, but by then Delhi were firmly in control. Rizvi continued his attack on Deepak Chahar and later combined with David Miller to score 50 runs in just 26 balls, with Miller contributing just one run.Rizvi looked unstoppable as he separated Shardul Thakur for 17 runs in an over. Miller then joined in with some beautiful boundaries from Bumrah.Rizvi finally departed after scoring a magnificent 90 off 51 balls, to a standing ovation from the Delhi crowd, his teammates and even the opposition. And by the time he got out it was just a formality.
A dry afternoon
On the eve of the match, Mumbai Indians head coach Mahila Jayawardene and Delhi Capitals spinner Kuldeep Yadav expressed similar views that the Arun Jaitley Stadium pitch would be suitable for batting. However, it turned out to be a two-speed level.Mumbai Indians were without their regular captain Hardik Pandya, who missed the match due to a viral infection. Delhi Capitals captain Akshar Patel won the toss and decided to chase.After coming in to bat, Mumbai Indians got off to a shaky start, with Mukesh Kumar dismissing Ryan Rickleton (9) and Tilak Verma (0) in the third over. Mukesh initially looked for swing but adjusted his length in his next over to take both wickets.
Mumbai Indians’ Surya Kumar Yadav, left, and Rohit Sharma run between the wickets (AP Photo/Manish Swarap)
Rohit Sharma then joined the stand-in captain. Surya Kumar Yadavand the pair steadied the innings. At the end of the powerplay, Mumbai Indians had scored 41 runs for 2 wickets. The duo rotated the strike well and added 53 runs for the third wicket before Rohit fell for 35 in the 10th over, dismissed by Akshar Patel.
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After Rohit’s departure, Surya Kumar led the innings with his 35-ball fifty, but was dismissed for 51 off the very next ball. Langi Ngidi. Sheriff Rutherford made a brief stay, scoring five before being caught in the deep.Next, Naman Dhir scored 28 runs before falling in the last over. Mitchell Santner and Corbin Bosch hit a couple of fours towards the end, helping Mumbai Indians to 162 for 6.
