IPL 2020: Shreyas Iyer reveals turning point in Delhi's close loss against Mumbai

Delhi skipper Shreyas Iyer said his team were a good 10-15 runs short after a close loss at the hands of title-holders Mumbai in the Dream11 IPL 2020 league match at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi on Sunday. The Rohit Sharma-led side halted Delhi's winning run by the virtue of this five-wicket win. 

After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Delhi managed to post a competitive total of 162/4 from their 20 overs riding on opener Shikhar Dhawan's unbeaten 52-ball 69. In reply, half-centuries from Quinton de Kock and Suryakumar Yadav (both 53 each) helped the four-time winners get past the finish line in the final over with a couple of balls to spare.

'I would say 10-15 short': Shreyas Iyer

"Definitely, I would say 10-15 short. 170-175 on the board would have looked completely different. We really missed out when Stoinis got out, he was hitting the ball really well and also seeing the ball like a football, that was the main error that we did and something that we really need to work on. Apart from that the effort we put on the field, we could definitely work on that as there were a few misfields and dropped catches as well. Overall they outplayed us in all the departments. We need to work on our mindsets before the next game. I thought the spinners were bowling well as the ball was coming onto the bat, it wasn't stopping as it was in the first innings. If we could have squeezed in two more wickets after the powerplay we would have been on top. It is really important for us not to take any team lightly and be positive in our approach. There are still certain elements we have to work and we will use the break to work on that. We have no idea (on Rishabh Pant's availability), the doctor said he has to rest for a week and hope he comes back really strong", said Iyer during the post-match interview.

His Mumbai counterpart Rohit Sharma said that it was a perfect day for them.

"The kind of cricket we are playing gives us a lot of confidence. It's important to have momentum with us, and it was a perfect day for us, getting those crucial two points. We did everything right, but there are still some things we can improve on. We were good with the ball and restricted them to 160-odd. Clinical with the bat, but not so much towards the end. We need one set batsman to finish off the game in general, and some set batsmen got out today, but I don't want to point fingers because chasing has been difficult in this tournament. Given the conditions, we need to come out and play good cricket and keep a calm head while chasing. It's important to have partnerships and we did that today, which got us over the line", said Rohit Sharma.

Proteas wicket-keeper batsman Quinton de Kock who was adjudged the Man of the Match for a brisk 50 that eventually sealed the game in Mumbai's favour said that he enjoyed the win at the end of the day.

"I enjoyed the win at the end of the day. I just kept it simple. I've been batting well in the nets, and it was just a matter of doing well in the game. I knew eventually I would get a score, just had to capitalise on the opportunity. I don't think it's getting any cooler, compared to South Africa. We are getting used to the weather, but it does get quite difficult in this heat and humidity", the southpaw said.

(Image Courtesy: @IPL)