Highlights, IPL 2019, MI vs DC Match at Mumbai, Full Cricket Score: Pant, pacers help DC win by 37 runs

That's the end of the first double-header of this season. And two good matches, the first one between KKR and SRH going down the wire. It was all down to Andre Russell's power in th end as he smashed a 19-ball 49 to take KKR home. Mumbai Indians started well with the ball in the second match but a storm called Pant hit them hard and took the game away. Two great knocks from two brilliant players. KKR and DC collect their first points. 

We will be back with another IPL 2019 clash on 25 March. Rajasthan Royals are playing Kings XI Punjab at Jaipur. The game starts at 8 PM. Catch you there. For now, good bye and good night. 

Rishabh Pant is Player of the Match.

Pant: It's been a great journey. Feels good when your team wins and you have scored runs. I always play according to situation. I needed to increase run-rate of the team and I played my shots. In T20, you have to do something different. That's why I play those shots. 

Shreyas Iyer, Delhi Capitals captain: Well both of them were good in their way. But obviously, we are off to a good start. I was really well prepared to take down the captaincy as I have been leading India A. In all, it's been a great experience so far. There isn't any secret. In terms of our preparations, we have been amazing. Our overall atmosphere is amazing at the moment, and it's important to be consistent. (On Pant) He's a really destructive batsman. Only word that comes to mind. Suddenly his strike rate goes up to 250. That's where we changed our game in the first innings. Really helpful to have him in the team. (On Rabada) He's an amazing bowler to be around. He came up to me in the nets, and asked me,"Did you see me bowling?"

The SA pacer finished with figures of 2/23 from four overs

You watch Rabada & suddenly you realise what real excellence is! He is such a gift to world cricket! 👏👏👏🙏🙏🙏

— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) March 24, 2019

Delhi have two points in the kitty and it’s a complete team effort with Rishabh Pant leading the way. Shikhar Dhawan was slow, but held the innings together and had that important partnership with Colin Ingram. Mumbai bowled a lot of short deliveries on either side of the wicket which were punished, and the pair also displayed intelligence by picking up the singles at a good frequency. It was just the base that was needed for Pant to come and start playing his shots. 

The turning point in the game was the way Pant negated Jasprit Bumrah. Easily one of the best death-over bowlers in world cricket currently, Bumrah hardly had an answer against Pant. For me the best shot, though, was Rahul Tewatia sweeping Bumrah for a six. 

Delhi were brave to drop the experienced Amit Mishra for Tewatia.  Decisions like these when they pay off look great. Tewatia did not have good outing with the ball, but picked up four catches apart from hitting that six off Bumrah. On the field, Shreyas Iyer’s captaincy was impressive. He made appropriate bowling changes, and Ishant Sharma picking up two scalps in the Power Play was a bonus really. 

Then the way Kagiso Rabada capitalised was crucial. He hit good pace right from his first over and troubled all batsmen. Mumbai would think 214 was a bit too much to chase, but a few good partnerships could have taken them deep into the game. No one really had a plan, and even though Yuvraj Singh played some beautiful shots for his 15th half-century in IPL, he lacked support from the other end. Another season opener and another loss for Mumbai. Memorable debut for Sourav Ganguly as Delhi's advisor. 

Rohit Sharma, MI captain: First game is always challenging for most teams. We have made a lot of mistakes today. We were in the game for first 10 overs when we were bowling. But you need to get credit to Pant. A lot of new guys in the squad. Takes time to get going. But we all are professionals and have to come out positively in next game. Pitch was good, we ended up with 180. Yuvi batted brilliantly. But had somebody in the top four got 80, things would have been different. 

OUT!  Delhi win by 37 runs

Faster one from Tewatia and McClenaghan missed it, he was out of the crease and Pant dislodged the stumps in quick time. That's the end of match as Jasprit Bumrah won't bat because of injury.  McClenaghan st Pant b Rahul Tewatia 10(8) 

Tewatia to bowl the final over. 

After 19 overs,Mumbai Indians 176/8 ( Mitchell McClenaghan 10 , Rasikh Salam 5)

The match is done and dusted after the end of Yuvraj Singh in the last over. Mumbai need 38 runs in 6 balls, that looks completely out of reach.

Rasikh Salam, right handed bat, is the new batsman in

OUT! Yorker length from Rabada, Yuvraj flicks it to leg side and Tewatia running in from the deep takes another good catch, his fourth tonight. This wicket pretty much ends Mumbai's quest in the chase. Yuvraj c Rahul Tewatia b Rabada 53(35) [

After 18 overs,Mumbai Indians 168/7 ( Yuvraj Singh 53 , Mitchell McClenaghan 9)

Boundaries are coming but not in abundance. 46 still needed off 12. Mumbai should look to get as close to the target as possible so that run-rate is taken care of.

FOUR! Fuller in length and McClenaghan plays an ugly heave but to good effect and gets a boundary at extra cover

FOUR! Fifty for Yuvraj, as he heaves it but only manages to outside edge it and get a boundary to third man.

After 17 overs,Mumbai Indians 159/7 ( Yuvraj Singh 48 , Mitchell McClenaghan 5)

Rabada cuts short Cutting's innings. Yuvraj is Mumbai's only hope at the moment. He has again hit one shot that lands in no man's land. Third or fourth such occasion in this innings. Mumbai need 55 runs in 18 balls

FOUR! McClenaghan goes cheeky and scoops it over the short fine-leg region for a boundary

Mitchell McClenaghan, left handed bat, is the new man in

OUT! Beautiful delivery from Rabada, full in length, quick in pace, takes the edge off Cutting's bat and Pant collects it behind the wickets. Cutting chose DRS but it did not help much. Cutting c Pant b Rabada 3(4)

Rabada back into the attack. 

After 16 overs,Mumbai Indians 150/6 ( Yuvraj Singh 47 , Ben Cutting 2)

Wickets falling at one end, but Yuvraj Singh has not yet given up. Two lusty blows in the last over. The match is on till he is there. Mumbai need 64 runs in 24 balls. We go into last time out of the day. 

SIX! Little short and Yuvraj quickly transfer wright to back foot and hits it over the deep mid-wicket boundary for a maximum

SIX! Flighted delivery and Yuvraj goes big over the sight screen

Axar back on. 

After 15 overs,Mumbai Indians 134/6 ( Yuvraj Singh 33 , )

Boult's over started off with a four. Krunal added one more to his tally before departing on the last ball of the over. 
Mumbai need 80 runs in 30 balls

OUT! Krunal tries to go over deep mid-wicket and mistimes it, the ball goes straight into the hands of Rahul Tewatia, who has taken his third catch today. He is not dropping anything today. Krunal Pandya c Rahul Tewatia b Boult 32(15) 

FOUR! Krunal plays with a straight bat again, slams it past the umpire and bowler, hit very hard, ball races away for four.

FOUR! Poor ball from Boult, on Krunal's legs and all he needed to was flick it to the leg side for a boundary. That's what he did. 

Keemo Paul brings back fond memories from 2016 Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh where he became famous or rather infamous for mankading a batsman in a must-win game against Zimbabwe. Had Zimbabwe won then Windies would not have made it to the knockouts. They eventually  won the title under Shimron Hetmeyer. Ian Bishop, rightly, wrote an article supporting why mankading is perfectly legal. World cricket stood behind Paul. A few days after the incident some journalists met him in Mirpur ahead of the final against India, and he was very humble in the way he spoke. Since then his rise has been noteworthy, and he has done his reputation no harm with a good IPL debut. His variations have been difficult to pick up for the Mumbai batsmen.

Boult returns to the attack. 

After 14 overs,Mumbai Indians 123/5 ( Yuvraj Singh 32 , Krunal Pandya 23)

Ishant comes back into the attack and has been welcomed with a six. He tries slower ones and beats Krunal's bat on a few occasions but goes outside the off-stump and gets hit for two boundaries. Mumbai still in it. 

FOUR! Room given to Krunal and he puts all his power into the shot, reaches the ball and gets a boundary at  third man region.

FOUR! Low full-toss and Krunal smashes it past the covers for a hard-hit boundary. There was no stopping this. 

SIX! Wow, good length ball and Krunal slams it, this goes sailing over the long-on region for a maximum. 

Ishant back into the attack. 

After 13 overs,Mumbai Indians 108/5 ( Yuvraj Singh 32 , Krunal Pandya 7)

Paul has been very clever with the change in pace in his spell. In this over, his slower ones were tough to play, Yuvraj and Krunal were hit on the chest off the slower balls. Mumbai need 106 runs in 42 balls.

FOUR! Fullish, and Krunal plays it with a straight bat, gets it past mid-off fielder, gets a boundary. 

Paul continues

After 12 overs,Mumbai Indians 101/5 ( Yuvraj Singh 31 , Krunal Pandya 3)

Patel got hit for 20 runs in his first over. Iyer made him bowl another one and he has delivered, getting rid of junior Pandya. The senior one has walked in and MI would hope that a good stand comes up now between him and Yuvraj.

OUT! Hardik departs for a duck, straighter one from Patel and Hardik gives a simple caught and bowled to him. He was looking to start hitting from the word go and that brought his downfall. Hardik Pandya c and b Axar 0(2)

Patel continues

After 11 overs,Mumbai Indians 95/4 ( Yuvraj Singh 28 , Hardik Pandya 0)

Pollard has perished trying to hit shots, could not spot the slower one from Paul, who has bowled with a lot of heart and intelligence. Yuvraj has got form back and Hardik has joined him in the middle. Not all is lost for MI. 

Hardik Pandya, right handed bat, is the new batsman in

OUT! The knuckle ball has worked for Paul as Pollard fails to spot it and gets deceived, carries on with the shot, the ball goes up and up, when it came down, Tewatia was beneath it and took a good catch. Pollard c Rahul Tewatia b K Paul 21(13)

Delhi were 82 for 2 at 10 overs, Mumbai are 89 for 3. Axar Patel could consider himself a bit unlucky to concede so many runs, but he has been slipping down the radar for a few seasons now. He is the weak link in Delhi's bowling line-up.  So, the game is even stevens. Now for Mumbai’s entire batting order combining to do a Pant on Delhi. It’s doable on this ground.

FOUR! Fuller in length and Yuvraj punches it in air, the ball flies over the mid-off fielder for a boundary

Paul continues

After 10 overs,Mumbai Indians 89/3 ( Yuvraj Singh 23 , Kieron Pollard 20)

What an over for Mumbai Indians. Not only did 20 came off it but also Yuvraj Singh came into form, hitting two fours and one six. 

FOUR! On the legs again and again Yuvrahj sweeps to good effect, fetches four at fine-leg region

SIX! Short ball and then Yuvraj stretched his arm and hits it over the deep cover for a maximum. 

The rustiness of Yuvraj Singh is there to be seen. He has not had a good run in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and here is struggling against the pace of Keemo Paul. A boundary here or a six there will come from his bat because of the experience he possesses, but the fluency is missing. Also, one has to take into consideration that Yuvraj’s IPL record has always been below average. That raises a question – Whether Mumbai Indians would have been better off with Ishan Kishan in their line-up?