IPL 2025: Rohit Sharma’s Tactical Brilliance Turns the Tide for Mumbai Indians Against Delhi

Veteran’s on-field call to change the ball in second innings sparks game-changing collapse, as MI clinch 12-run win despite Karun Nair’s blazing fifty.

New Delhi, April 14: Rohit Sharma may be enduring a lean patch with the bat, but the seasoned Mumbai Indians opener proved once again why his cricketing mind remains invaluable to the franchise. On Sunday evening at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, it was Rohit’s off-field tactical brilliance that sparked a dramatic turnaround, helping MI break Delhi Capitals’ four-match winning streak with a gripping 12-run victory.

Facing a daunting 206-run target, Delhi looked poised for a comfortable chase after Karun Nair’s fiery 89 off 40 balls, including a 22-ball half-century — his first IPL fifty in seven years. With Delhi cruising at 135/2 in the 12th over, Mumbai’s hopes appeared slim despite picking a couple of wickets.

But Rohit, watching the game unfold from the dugout, made a match-defining intervention.

At the start of the 14th over, Rohit signalled to change the ball, invoking the new IPL rule allowing a replacement ball after 10 overs in night games to counter dew. The swap proved crucial. With the new ball, leg-spinner Karn Sharma struck immediately, dismissing Naman Dhir and following it up by removing the in-form KL Rahul in his next over. Delhi’s chase, once flowing at over 11 runs an over, sputtered — yielding just 22 runs in the next 24 balls.

Despite a late scare from Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Santner removed him in the 18th, before a dramatic hat-trick of run-outs in the 19th over sealed the deal for Mumbai. Delhi collapsed to 193 all out, falling short by 12 runs.

Interestingly, this wasn’t Rohit’s first such masterstroke this season. In an earlier match against Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Stadium, though not in the XI, Rohit had advised the bowler to use a slower delivery against Nicholas Pooran — who was dismissed shortly after.

While his bat may be quiet, Rohit Sharma’s strategic acumen continues to deliver for Mumbai — and perhaps more importantly, reminds the cricketing world that his influence on the field remains as sharp as ever.