Delhi Capitals stand-in skipper Faf du Plessis on Thursday said that his team missed their regular captain Axar Patel more than Australian left-arm quick Mitchell Starc against Mumbai Indians on a dry Wankhede surface.Du Plessis’s remark came after Mumbai Indians left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner returned with figures of 3/11 from his four overs.Delhi Capitals were dealt a severe blow with regular skipper Axar Patel missing the game due to illness.“Especially Axar on a wicket like that,” Faf said at the post-match presentation.“If you look at the way that Mitch Santner bowled, they are very similar bowlers. To bowl four overs, I think he went for around 10 runs. Axar is that kind of class bowler, international proven left-arm spinner.“On a wicket like that, he would have loved to bowl. Unfortunately, he was very sick the last two days. Starc is a fantastic bowler, but especially a spinner on a wicket like that is worth gold.”With a 59-run win over Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians sealed the final playoff spot at Wankhede on Wednesday.Who’s that IPL player?Delhi, which needed a win to keep its playoff hopes alive, folded for 121 in 18.2 overs on a tricky wicket in reply to Mumbai’s competitive total of 180/5.Delhi had kept Mumbai in check before Suryakumar Yadav (73 not out) and Naman Dhir (24 not out) excelled in the final two overs, which produced 48 runs for the home team.Mitchell Santner then ran through the middle-order, and Jasprit Bumrah picked up 3/12 to seal Mumbai’s place in the final four with 16 points.Gujarat Titans, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and Punjab Kings have already qualified for the playoffs.
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