DC vs MI: "With impact sub it is getting difficult" - Rishabh Pant after Delhi Capitals' 10-run victory

The Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals (DC) took on the Hardik Pandya-led Mumbai Indians (MI) in the 43rd match of the Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024) on Saturday, April 27, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.

DC were invited to bat first in the match and the batters made sure that they punished the MI bowling unit. Every Delhi Capitals (DC) batter made an amazing contribution and helped the team breach the 250-run mark for the first time in their history. Delhi Capitals finished their innings with a score of 257 for 4 and Jake Fraser-McGurk was the top performer for DC as he smashed 84 runs at an excellent strike rate of 311.11.

Defending the total, Mukesh Kumar and Rasikh Salam picked three wickets each with the latter being dominant with the ball while Khaleel Ahmed bagged two wickets. DC managed to restrict MI to 247/9 to register a 10-run victory.

At the post-match presentation ceremony, Rishabh Pant said that he was happy with the total his team posted on the board. Rishabh Pant also admitted that the impact player rule has made things more difficult for them. Rishabh Pant said:

"We were pretty happy with 250 on the board but with impact sub it is getting difficult each and every day. Definitely I can do that (come up to the stumps) but the bowler also should be confident, but with a batter like David was walking down and today it worked."

Rishabh Pant showered rich praise on Jake Fraser-McGurk for his stellar knock and stated that the batter has been getting better day by day. Rishabh Pant asserted:

"He (Fraser-McGurk) has been amazing since the first day and this is what you want from a younger player, he's getting better and better with each game. The chances (of making it to the playoffs) are increasing day by day, but we are taking it one game at a time."

What Happened In The Previous Two Matches At The Arun Jaitley Stadium In Delhi

The previous two matches at Delhi Capitals' home ground were high-scoring as well. On Saturday, April 20, DC hosted Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and were at the receiving end of a huge defeat. In the first innings of the match, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma showcased an absolutely destructive batting and laid the foundation for a historic first-ever 300 score in IPL.

However, a small comeback by DC bowlers ensured that the 300 score wasn't breached but the Pat Cummins-led side still managed to post a mammoth total of 266 for 7. DC batters also showed a decent fight but they only managed to score 199 runs before getting bowled out, handing over a 67-run win to SRH.

Before that, a high-voltage match took place between Delhi Capitals (DC) and Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium where the bowlers of both teams struggled to perform on Wednesday, April 24. A batting masterclass from Rishabh Pant, Axar Patel, and Tristan Stubbs powered DC to 224/4. At a point in time, it looked like the score would be easily chased down by GT but the IPL 2022 champions fell short and lost by 4 runs.