Romario Shepherd smashed 32 in the last over as five-time champions Mumbai Indians secured their first win of the season in the Indian Premier League with a 29-run victory over Delhi Capitals on Sunday.
Hardik Pandya's side ended their three-match losing streak and garnered a valuable two points, while Delhi fell to their fourth loss in five games.
Shepherd smacked 39 not out off only 10 balls – including 4-6-6-6-4-6 against Anrich Nortje (2-65) in the 20th over – to help Mumbai post an imposing 234-5. Former skipper Rohit Sharma top scored with 49 off 27, including six fours and three sixes, while Tim David hit a 21-ball 45 not out.
In reply, Delhi finished on 205-8, thanks largely to Tristan Stubbs’ 71 not out off 25 deliveries and opener Prithvi Shaw's 66 off 40. Pacer Gerald Coetzee took 4-34 for Mumbai.
After losing the toss, Mumbai made a fine start with Sharma and Ishan Kishan putting on 80 in seven overs.
Kishan scored 42 off 23 balls before left-arm spinner Axar Patel provided the breakthrough, bowling Sharma at the end of the seventh over. He put the brakes on Mumbai’s scoring, also sending back Kishan with a sharp one-handed caught-and-bowled dismissal.
Top T20 batter Suryakumar Yadav returned to action from a sports hernia injury but fell to a two-ball duck as Mumbai reached 111-3 in 10.2 overs.
Hardik scored 39 off 33 balls to stabilize the innings and put on 60 runs for the fifth wicket with David. Mumbai desperately needed some momentum towards the innings’ end when Shepherd arrived at the crease.
He smacked Nortje’s final over to all parts of the ground as Mumbai’s par total suddenly became a challenging one.
Shepherd continued this momentum with ball in hand as he then dismissed Delhi opener David Warner for 10 runs.
Shaw and Abhishek Porel added 88 off 49 balls for the second wicket to provide a platform to chase.
Playing on his home ground, Shaw hit eight fours and three sixes. Porel scored 41 off 31 balls. Jasprit Bumrah ended Shaw’s innings with a trademark yorker, bringing Stubbs to the crease.
Stubbs, who previously played for Mumbai Indians, smacked seven sixes to propel Delhi’s innings. But he missed support from the other end after Bumrah dismissed Porel. Coetzee sent back Rishabh Pant for just one, and Delhi’s innings came apart afterward as the new batters didn’t reach double digits.
Mumbai move up to eighth in the table. Delhi Capitals sit bottom of the 10-team competition.
In the late game, Lucknow Super Giants cruised to a 33-run victory against Gujarat Titans.
Marcus Stoinis top-scored with 58 runs off 43, while KL Rahul (33 off 31) and Nicolas Pooran (32 off 22) also chipped in with contributions as the home side reached 163-5.
In reply, Titans got off to a decent start as Sai Sudharsan (31 off 23) and Shubman Gill (19 off 21) took them to 54 for the first wicket.
But after Ravi Bishnoi dismissed Kane Williamson with a caught-and-bowled for just one run, Krunal Pandya (3-11) and Yash Thakur (5-30) made sure the visitors’ innings never gathered any momentum.
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Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
T20 World Cup Qualifier, Muscat
UAE FIXTURES
Friday February 18: v Ireland
Saturday February 19: v Germany
Monday February 21: v Philippines
Tuesday February 22: semi-finals
Thursday February 24: final
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
Manchester City 4
Otamendi (52) Sterling (59) Stones (67) Brahim Diaz (81)
Real Madrid 1
Oscar (90)
TOUCH RULES
Touch is derived from rugby league. Teams consist of up to 14 players with a maximum of six on the field at any time.
Teams can make as many substitutions as they want during the 40 minute matches.
Similar to rugby league, the attacking team has six attempts - or touches - before possession changes over.
A touch is any contact between the player with the ball and a defender, and must be with minimum force.
After a touch the player performs a “roll-ball” - similar to the play-the-ball in league - stepping over or rolling the ball between the feet.
At the roll-ball, the defenders have to retreat a minimum of five metres.
A touchdown is scored when an attacking player places the ball on or over the score-line.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
French Touch
Carla Bruni
(Verve)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3
Danilo (16'), Bernardo Silva (34'), Fernandinho (72')
Brighton & Hove Albion 1
Ulloa (20')
