Mumbai Indians Defeat Delhi Capitals in IPL 2025 by 12 Runs

In a nail-biting match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi, Mumbai Indians won by 12 runs, defeating Delhi Capitals in their first defeat in the IPL 2025 tournament. Delhi Capitals, attempting to win, lost the match by surprise after a good start. They were going well before losing seven wickets for 58 runs. The match, which was headed in the direction of Delhi, changed abruptly in the final stage.

The Delhi slide started with Karun Nair's collapse. Nair played an incredible innings, making 89 runs off 40 balls in returning to IPL. He was in nick and was well on his way to taking Delhi to victory. But his collapse came at the wrong moment when Mitchell Santner, who had been introduced into the attack, got him out. Santner's wicket marked the beginning of the collapse as the Mumbai Indians tightened their grip on the match. Delhi’s batting lineup fell apart quickly after Nair’s dismissal. Wickets started tumbling rapidly, and Delhi were soon left reeling.

Off to a solid start, Delhi Capitals found themselves in the firing range of Mumbai bowlers. The home side was ultimately bowled out for 193 runs off 19 overs short of Mumbai Indians' 205/5. This collapse in exciting style not only enabled Mumbai Indians to take the match but also robbed Delhi of their season's first loss.

Mumbai Indians had also posted a hard score against them during the first half of the match when Mumbai was required to bat first. The team's top-order gave them a good platform. The first batsman, Ryan Rickelton, entered with a calm knock to register 41 runs off 25 balls. His knock proved to be invaluable, particularly in the wake of Mumbai skipper Rohit Sharma's premature exit for only 18 off 12 deliveries. The dismissal of Rickelton provided Delhi with a thin thread of hope, but Suryakumar Yadav soon took charge and formed a vital partnership with Tilak Varma. Yadav compiled a helpful 40 off 28 balls, and coupled with Varma, they added 60 runs which maintained the scoring rhythm of Mumbai intact.

Yadav was cut down by Delhi's key bowler, Kuldeep Yadav. Kuldeep was a thorn in Mumbai's flesh during the game, taking two wickets for 23 runs from four overs. With Mumbai's top order in shambles, it was left to Tilak Varma and Naman Dhir to finish the job. They did so, sharing an explosive 62-run stand off 33 balls in the latter half of the innings. Varma contributed a decent knock of 59 runs off 33 balls, while Dhir was not out and contributed 38 runs off 17 balls. Both of them supported Mumbai to a decent total of 205/5 in 20 overs.

Delhi Capitals in the second inning seemed to be in command most of the time during the chase. But the collapses of top-order batsmen at untimely moments, especially after Karun Nair's fall, ruined their plan. The side was not able to recover from the onslaught unleashed by the Mumbai bowlers, and Mitchell Santner was the one who inflicted damage in some instances to shatter the stand and have the key wickets tumbling. The collapse was sudden and was abrupt, and even though there was some steady rearguard action, Delhi was defeated by 12 runs.

This game was a testament to the erratic nature of cricket, where the mind-boggling beginning would quickly turn into a disastrous ending. It was a grittyly won game for Mumbai Indians and an agonizing defeat for Delhi Capitals that ended their 2025 IPL season losing streak. There were flashes of brilliance from both teams but it was Mumbai Indians that were calm and grabbed the victory.