The Mumbai Indians (MI) became the fourth and the final team to qualify for IPL 2025 Playoffs after their win against the Delhi Capitals (DC) on Wednesday, May 21 at the Wankhede Stadium. One of the match-defining moments during the game was Suryakumar Yadav and Naman Dhir’s assault in the last two overs of the first innings, which got the franchise to a commendable total of 180, which looked almost impossible at one stage.
The match seemed to be dominated by DC in the first innings until the 19th over, where Naman Dhir and Yadav scored 48 runs in the last two overs of the game. The efforts from the two batters were praised by former India wicketkeeper-batter Saba Karim, who explained how those last two overs shifted the momentum in MI’s favour. Apart from the duo’s blitzkrieg with the bat, Karim also went on to credit Jasprit Bumrah for his incredible spell in the game and explained how important his role is in the team.
“I believe Bumrah has a massive role to play. Sometimes, stats don’t capture his true impact — his influence isn’t always tangible. But just having him in the XI lifts the entire squad. I still remember that visual when Bumrah returned to the team — Kieron Pollard lifted him in his arms. That says everything about his value. That said, today was about Naman Dhir and SKY — the way they batted in the end overs. Those vital 48 runs in the last two overs completely shifted the momentum in MI’s favour. And with a champion side like Mumbai Indians, even the slightest window is enough — they’ll storm through with a roar, and that’s exactly what happened today,” Karim said, speaking on JioHotstar after the game.
Turned the game on its head: Ajay Jadeja on Naman-Suryakumar Yadav partnership
Former India batter Ajay Jadeja also gave his insights on the late assault by both Surya and Naman, while also mentioning how the DC bowlers had put the brakes on the scoring until the second last over. Jadeja, who himself made some strong finishes during his time, praised the young batter for turning the game around in the penultimate over, and Surya for adding the finishing touches in the last over of the innings, which eventually was the difference.
“They knew what they had to do, but they had left themselves with too much to get in the end. Still, these two were just incredible. I think Suryakumar Yadav played an exceptional knock, but it was Naman Dhir who really turned it around. Before Surya even got the strike in the 19th over, Naman had already smashed three sixes in a row — including a couple of slower ones out of the park. Then, in the final over, Surya started with that trademark shot and just took over,” Jadeja said.
“The bowlers had no answers to either of them. Scoring 48 runs in the last two overs — in a game where they had only reached 130 after 18 overs — tells you everything. In a 280-run match, 48 off two might seem normal, but here, it completely changed the momentum. That has to be the moment that turned the game on its head,” he further observed.
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