Mumbai Indians fight till the end in IPL-7

Mumbai Indians celebrate the wicket of Delhi Daredevils skipper Kevin Pietersen at the Wankhede yesterday. Pic/Suresh KK.

Irrespective of whether Mumbai Indians make the play-offs or not, their players are proud of the way they have bounced back after losing their first five matches played in the United Arabs Emirates.

Mumbai Indians celebrate the wicket of Delhi Daredevils skipper Kevin Pietersen at the Wankhede yesterday. Pic/Suresh KK.

The defending champions won their third match on the trot yesterday, beating Delhi Daredevils by 15 runs to move to 12 points with a game in hand. MI's fate now hangs on the result of the Kings XI Punjab versus Rajasthan Royals match which was played later yesterday. RR's win will put an end to MI's hopes.

Michael Hussey, who was awarded the man-of-the-match for his 33-ball 56, said it was easy for MI to give up. "Guys have shown character. We take pride in our performance. It would have been easy to just give up (after five straight losses in UAE). But we held our heads high. We took responsibility for our performances. It is never easy to bounce back," he said in the post-match media conference.

Hussey also credited the legends in the support staff (Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble and Ricky Ponting) for keeping the dressing room atmosphere positive. "They have been very supportive. They have been through such tough times in their careers as well, so they understood the situation well. They kept the atmosphere upbeat particularly for the young players," said the former Australian star.

Against DD, Mumbai Indians were off to one of their best starts at the Wankhede Stadium this season. But the high-flying hosts, who were 136-2 after 14 overs, crashed to 173, not even completing their full quota of overs with three balls to spare.

DD skipper Kevin Pietersen came out all guns blazing in their chase, bringing back memories of his match-winning knock of 186 for England during a Test match here.