Delhi Capitals beat Mumbai Indians by 4 wickets to enter IPL 2023 playoffs

Rishabh Pant's fifty and Axar Patel's all-round performance helped Delhi Capitals beat Mumbai Indians by 4 wickets to enter the playoffs of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023.

Chasing a target of 160, Delhi Capitals got off to a poor start, losing Prithvi Shaw and David Warner cheaply. However, Pant and Sarfaraz Khan steadied the innings with a 50-run partnership.

Pant was the aggressor of the two, hitting four boundaries and two sixes in his knock of 54 off 34 balls. Khan played a more supporting role, making 25 off 28 balls.

After Pant's dismissal, Axar Patel came in and played a crucial knock of 38 off 25 balls, which included four boundaries and two sixes. He put on a 44-run partnership with Rovman Powell, who made 24 off 18 balls.

With Delhi Capitals needing 13 runs off the final over, Patel hit two boundaries off the first two balls to seal the victory.

Earlier, Mumbai Indians had posted a total of 159/7 on the back of a half-century from Ishan Kishan and a late cameo from Tim David.

Kishan made 54 off 43 balls, hitting five boundaries and two sixes. David made a quickfire 34 off 11 balls, hitting three boundaries and three sixes.

For Delhi Capitals, Patel was the pick of the bowlers, taking 2/22 in his four overs. Spinner Lalit Yadav also impressed, taking 2/25 in his four overs.

With this win, Delhi Capitals moved up to the second spot in the IPL 2023 points table. They will next face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator on May 8.

Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, finished the season at the bottom of the points table with just four wins in 14 matches.