Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], May 21 : Delhi Capitals seasoned opener Faf du Plessis became the fourth-oldest player to captain a side in IPL history, while the franchise's premier spinner Kuldeep Yadav entered the 100-wicket club in the cash-rich league.
Delhi squared off against Mumbai Indians, the last two sides in the race for the final spot in the playoffs on Wednesday at the Wankhede Stadium. With designated skipper Axar Patel ruled out of the clash due to illness, Faf took the mantle of leading the side in Delhi's high-stakes fixture.
At 40 years and 312 days, the experienced South African became the fourth-oldest player to captain a side in the IPL. The record belongs to Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni, who came out to captain the five-time champions at the age of 43 years and 317 days against Rajasthan Royals at the high-scoring Arun Jaitley Stadium on Tuesday.
As the game went underway, Faf effectively rotated the bowlers at his disposal and kept a lid on Mumbai's scoring rate. In the seventh over, he struck gold and arrived at the milestone. Ryan Rickelton (25) went for a slog sweep but holed it straight into the hands of Madhav Tiwari.
With the dismissal, Kuldeep entered the 100-wicket club in the IPL. He accomplished the feat in 97 matches and is the fourth-fastest to script the feat to his name. The spin troika of Amit Mishra, Rashid Khan and Varun Chakaravarthy are at the top as they raced to 100 IPL wickets in 83 matches.
Rickelton's scalp was the sole wicket Kuldeep could scythe in his four-over spell. At Wankhede, a venue known for its high-scoring nature, Kuldeep maintained his economical nature and returned with figures of 1/22.
Mumbai needed inspiration and found it in the dynamic Suryakumar Yadav. The 34-year-old, who had fortune on his side, delivered a swashbuckling display with the bat and hammered an unbeaten 73 in 43 deliveries, laced with seven boundaries and four towering maximums. His efforts raised Mumbai to 180/5.