Mumbai Indians beat Delhi Capitals by 29 runs in IPL
Mumbai, Apr 7: Romario Shepherd’s 10-ball 39 not out outmuscled Tristan Stubb’s courageous 71 off 25 balls as Mumbai Indians ended its three-match losing streak in the Indian Premier League with a 29–run win against Delhi Capitals here on Sunday.
Conceding as many as 51 runs in the last two overs proved catastrophic for Delhi Capitals, whose bowlers remained wayward and batters lacked the spunk in the initial overs to go after MI bowlers, even though Stubbs went ballistic to make 25-ball 71 not out.
The right-handed Stubbs smacked as many as seven sixes and three fours but his effort could only reduce the margin of defeat for Delhi, who lost a flurry of wickets towards the end to finish at 205 for eight in reply to Mumbai Indians’ 234 for five. Once again poor quality of domestic talent in DC set-up proved to be their undoing.
Save Abhishek Porel, none of the other young uncapped Indians have measured up.
While Mumbai Indians managed to open their account in the points table after three losses upfront, the win also helped them leapfrog both Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Delhi Capitals to jump to the seventh spot while also improving their NRR to -0.704.
On their part, a fourth loss in five matches resulted in Delhi Capitals slipping down to the bottom of the table and they now also have the worst NRR of -1.370 among all teams.
Shepherd hurt Delhi Capitals the most, clobbering four sixes and two fours off Anrich Nortje’s 20th over to collect 32 runs and returned with the ball to get the prized scalp of David Warner (10).
Later in the game, Shepherd was on the receiving end too, ending as the costliest of all bowlers by giving away 54 runs among all those who finished their four-over spells for Mumbai.
Shepherd’s onslaught featuring four sixes and three fours topped a collective effort which Mumbai Indians came up with in the first half of the game to register their highest-ever score at their homeground.
When DC started its chase, Prithvi Shaw came up with a 40-ball 66 with three sixes and eight fours but the asking rate kept soaring beyond its reach.
The No 3 Porel hit a few attractive strokes but failed to make the most of a lifeline he got while batting on 30. The left-hander eventually perished for a 31-ball 41 with five fours, and following him back in the hut soon was Delhi captain Rishabh Pant (1).
Delhi’s lower order too cut a sorry figure with Axar Patel (8), Lalit Yadav (3), debutant Kumar Kushagra (0) and Jhye Richardson (2) falling in quick succession giving Gerald Coetzee, four wicket haul.
Earlier, Mumbai Indians batting unit fired in unison to post an imposing 234 for 5 against Delhi Capitals.
Nortje's final figures read a sorry 2 for 65 in 4 overs. Ishant Sharma, in all likelihood, playing his last IPL edition, is looking a pale shadow of his very old self, being taken for 40 in 3 overs. Mostly he is huffing and puffing to the bowling mark and also at times not able to finish his follow through. The pace has dipped alarmingly but DC have no option but to play him.
Shepherd was last to join the party but seemed to have made the most of it, after each of Rohit Sharma (49 off 27 balls), Ishan Kishan (42 off 23 balls), Hardik Pandya (39 off 30) and Tim David (45 not out off 21 balls, 2 fours, 4 sixes) also made merry in batting-friendly conditions at the Wankhede Stadium.
It was, however, a forgettable outing for Suryakumar Yadav, who perished for two-ball duck on his first game since mid-December last year.
But David’s fiery knock and Shepherd’s late fireworks ensured that they still had a huge total on board.
Mumbai’s cause in general was also aided by wayward Delhi bowlers through the course of the innings, who kept feeding them balls in the zone to hit or those with enough width off which the batters could take their chances.
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Missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels damages a ship in the Red Sea
Jerusalem (AP): A missile attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels damaged a ship in the Red Sea on Monday, authorities said, the latest assault in their campaign against shipping in the crucial maritime route.
The attack happened off the coast of Mokha, Yemen, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said. The ship was damaged in the attack, the UKMTO said, though its crew was safe and heading to its next port of call. The agency urged vessels to exercise caution in the area.
There was “an explosion in close proximity to a merchant vessel,” the UKMTO said. “Vessel and crew are reported safe.”
The US military's Central Command identified the ship damaged as the Cyclades, a Malta-flagged, Greece-owned bulk carrier. The military separately shot down a drone on a flight path toward the USS Philippine Sea and USS Laboon, the military said Tuesday.
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree claimed the attack on the Cyclades and targeting the US warships in a statement early Tuesday.
Meanwhile Monday, the Italian Defence Ministry said its frigate Virgino Fasan shot down a Houthi drone that morning near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
“A missile exploded in the water in the vicinity of the escorted vessel, causing only minor superficial damage,” the Italian Defence Ministry said, not identifying the commercial vessel being escorted. “The frigate Fasan and the protected merchant vessel are continuing their southward route as planned to exit the Red Sea.”
Saree did not acknowledge that attack, though he claimed the Houthis also targeted a ship in the Indian Ocean. There was no immediate report or evidence to support that claim.
The Houthis say their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are aimed at pressuring Israel to end its war against Hamas in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 others hostage.
The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the US Maritime Administration.
Houthi attacks have dropped in recent weeks as the rebels have been targeted by a US-led airstrike campaign in Yemen. Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat.
American officials have speculated the rebels may be running out of weapons as a result of the US-led campaign against them and after firing drones and missiles steadily for months. However, the rebels have renewed their attacks in the past week. Early Sunday morning, the US military shot down five drones in the air over the Red Sea, its Central Command said.
The drones “presented an imminent threat to US, coalition, and merchant vessels in the region,” Central Command said in a statement.
The Houthis on Saturday claimed they shot down another of the US military's MQ-9 Reaper drones, airing footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft. US Air Force Lt. Col. Bryon J. McGarry, a Defence Department spokesperson, acknowledged to The Associated Press on Saturday that “a US Air Force MQ-9 drone crashed in Yemen.” He said an investigation was underway, without elaborating.
