25th match: Mumbai Indians v Delhi Daredevils at Mumbai - Apr 22, 2017

Have a sense of confidence, not arrogance - McClenaghan

After Mumbai Indians laboured to a sub-par 142 against a quality effort from Delhi Daredevils' bowlers, a lot had to go their way in their defense. Small dimensions of the field and the onset of dew late in the evening makes Wankhede Stadium a favourable ground for chasing - the last time a score of under 150 was defended in the IPL at this ground was in 2013.

Mumbai's defence began a lot better than they would have expected. Lateral movement and some shoddy decisions from Daredevils' batsmen gave a confident team a glimpse of an unlikely victory, and they caught Daredevils by the throat. Mumbai's bowlers, powered by Mitchell McClenaghan's three early wickets, reversed the momentum and confidence from the first innings by ripping Delhi's top six within 24 runs.

"When you think you have a sub-par score on a pretty good wicket, the tendency is to go out and be too aggressive with the ball and think you have to make things happen from the outset," McClenaghan said at the post-match press conference. "We worked hard with the analysts and got the right plans in place. We bowled with control, but with a nice presence. As you saw from Rohit's reaction on losing the toss, if the dew sets in, it can be incredibly hard to restrict guys who are chasing. It wasn't as dewy as the first games that were here.

"We've played a lot of games where we didn't think we were going to win. We have a nice sense of confidence, but not arrogance, which is nice in a group like this because you know you can back the skills of the bloke next to you and he's going to give his 100 percent for you."

Before his 3 for 24 against Daredevils, McClenaghan was struggling for control in this IPL. In six games, he had taken nine wickets at an economy rate of 9.12. That equates to an average of 36.48 runs conceded and 1.5 wickets per game. Such returns from one of the four overseas players is inferior for most franchises. Mumbai, though, persisted with McClenaghan and reaped the rewards of a confident bowler.

"Good leadership. Rohit [Sharma] has been fantastic on and off the field, understanding in terms of knowing a lot of bowlers, in this tournament in particular, have gone for runs," McClenaghan said. "He knows some days it may not be your day. He instills you with an incredible amount of confidence. You're never worried, you're never thinking 'If I don't bowl a good over, I'm going to get dropped."

Mumbai have made their best start in IPL history, winning six straight games after a loss in their tournament opener. With this record, Mumbai may not have to make a last-ditch effort to make the playoffs, but McClenaghan said they aren't taking any chances.

"As soon as you underestimate someone, that's when you're going to get kicked in the teeth," McClenaghan said. "We've got a very level management and a level team. Fresh start every time. The key for us is not to get too high or get too low. Be consistent because there are ups and downs in T20 cricket."