For the third successive night, IPL 2023 produced a thriller with the chasing team scripting an entertaining win on all occasions. It was Kolkata Knight Riders' Rinku Singh on Sunday night against Gujarat Titans with his unthinkable five sixes, on Monday it was a fortunate Lucknow Super Kings side that left RCB fans numb at Chinnaswamy with their 213-run chase and then on Tuesday, Tim David and Cameron Green held their nerves in the last over to hand Mumbai Indians their maiden win in the season and continue Delhi Capitals' worrisome streak of four straight losses.
The drama, like in the last two nights, unfolded in the last over with DC having the very experienced Anrich Nortje as the bowler. With just four runs to defend in the over, the South Africa speedster dished out pinpoint yorkers to the two MI batters in David and Green.
Green managed a single in the first ball while David escaped a scare as Mukesh Kumar dropped a crucial catch at mid-wicket. The Aussie batter failed to get a run again in the third ball as well before pushing for a single against the low full toss. In the fifth ball, Green survived a run-out scare after Nortje failed to gather an inaccurate throw from the fielder at mid-wicket.
With two required from one, David punched the fuller delivery through mid-off and immediately took off for a single. Warner, who was stationed deep near the boundary rope, sprinted in time to collect it but threw it inaccurate towards wicketkeeper Abhishek Porel, who had to leap high to gather the ball. The youngster did it to perfection, but David was well inside the crease with a stunning dive.
{{/usCountry}}With two required from one, David punched the fuller delivery through mid-off and immediately took off for a single. Warner, who was stationed deep near the boundary rope, sprinted in time to collect it but threw it inaccurate towards wicketkeeper Abhishek Porel, who had to leap high to gather the ball. The youngster did it to perfection, but David was well inside the crease with a stunning dive.
{{/usCountry}}Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting and Director of Cricket Sourav Ganguly were both left stupefied at the dug out as Warner's inaccurate throw handed MI their maiden win in IPL 2023 while DC's streak of losses continued. The tally of four losses is now their second worst start to an IPL season after six straight defeats in 2013.
Watch Video: Ganguly, Ponting can't believe after Warner throws it high, allows David to reach home to snatch win for MI
"You look at the last three IPL games we have witnessed, they have been amazing. Wrong end of it today, but the guys were fantastic. Rohit played a fantastic knock at the top of the order. Nortje is world-class and that's what we expect from him, Mustafizur too. Timmy David was on the wrong side of it, so I tried to keep it at stump-height," Warner said after the match as DC slumped to the bottom of the points table as being the only team yet to open an account this season.