IPL 2022, DC vs MI: Was good to see the back of Pollard early, says Seifert

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Lalit Yadav (48*) and Axar Patel (38*) guided Delhi Capitals to a stunning four-wicket win over Mumbai Indians in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 opening clash at the Brabourne Stadium on Sunday. 

After winning the toss, Rishabh Pant opted to bowl first against the five-time champions, Mumbai Indians. Openers Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan provided MI with a fine start. The wicketkeeper-batter went on to make a remarkable 81 not out and took the team to a massive total of 177 for the loss of five wickets in 20 overs.

Chasing a challenging 178, Delhi were down 72 for five inside ten overs, but the lesser-known Delhi all-rounder Lalit Yadav stayed calm during his 38-ball unbeaten knock to take his side home.

While Lalit Yadav's partnership with Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav's 3/18 spell was lauded by fans of Delhi Capitals, another moment that went viral was Tim Seifert's flying catch to dismiss the explosive Mumbai Indians batter Kieron Pollard for just three runs early on in the day.

Also read: IPL 2022, DC vs MI: Sehwag, Harbhajan and more hail Man of the Match Kuldeep Yadav

With their Australian star recruit David Warner unavailable for the initial few matches, Kiwi recruit Seifert sizzled in his new opening role for Delhi. Seifert built a platform for the Delhi-based franchise with a gritty 21 off 14 balls when his team came in to chase 178. Following Delhi Capitals' win, the New Zealander expressed joy over his team's performance and also spoke about his catch that sparked a meme fest on Twitter.

"Everything is good. Great way to start the campaign, for me and the team. It was an entertaining (game), T20 cricket. We showed fighting courage. Sometimes you got to stick the mitts out," the Kiwi said. 

"It was good to see the back of him early (on Pollard's catch). We have been here for a week. It has been excellent. The cricket we have been talking (with Ponting) has been excellent. Looking forward to the next few months with him," Seifert added.

Here's a look at some of the reactions that flooded micro-blogging site Twitter after Seifert's flying catch to dismiss Pollard:

Mumbai looked ordinary in their pace attack, with Jasprit Bumrah returning wicketless (3.2-0-43-0). They were also sloppy on the field as Patel made full use of his dropped catch by Daniel Sams on 15. Sams also leaked 24 runs in the 18th over, with Yadav hitting him for back-to-back four and six, while Patel hammered a monstrous six in the final ball to seal the chase, reaching 179 for 6 in 18.2 overs.

Also read: IPL 2022, DC vs MI: Delhi steals a win away from Mumbai; Twitter unhappy with Bumrah