Hardik and Krunal Pandya's fine stand preceded a superb showing with the ball from Rahul Chahar and Jasprit Bumrah as Mumbai Indians cemented their top-four spot with a comprehensive 40-run win over Delhi Capitals.

Only net run-rate separated these two sides in the Indian Premier League standings before Thursday's meeting in Delhi.

But it was the visitors who leapfrogged their opponents into second in the table with Hardik's 32 off 15 balls and Krunal's unbeaten 37 boosting Mumbai to a competitive 168-5 on a slow track.

The Capitals made a decent start in reply with Shikhar Dhawan (35 off 22) and Prithvi Shaw (20) putting on 49 for the first wicket.

Chahar (3-19) accounted for both men, though, and the wickets fell at regular intervals with Bumrah (2-18) playing his part in shutting out the hosts as the Capitals limped to 128-9.

SPINNERS GIVE CAPITALS A CHANCE

On a pitch that played slow and low, the spin of Axar Patel (1-17) and Amit Mishra (1-18) ensured the Capitals kept Mumbai's run-rate down.

Mishra took the crucial wicket of Rohit Sharma, who played around a delivery having struck three fours and a six in his 22-ball 30, which helped him past 8,000 T20 runs.

PANDYA BROS TAKE A STAND

Quinton de Kock's 35 off 27 and Suryakumar Yadav's 26 built on Rohit's early knock, before the Pandya brothers took Mumbai to a competitive score with a late flurry.

Hardik smacked three sixes in an electric cameo before edging Kagiso Rabada behind, while Krunal found the boundary on five occasions.

Together the duo put on 54, and 50 runs in the last three overs crucially boosted the tally.

CHAHAR, BUMRAH DO THE DAMAGE

The turning point of the Capitals' chase came when a Chahar delivery ricocheted off Dhawan's pads and onto the stumps.

Shaw then sent a catch off the same man to Hardik at long-on and Chahar also claimed Shreyas Iyer with a beauty that hit the top of off.

Bumrah snared the big wicket of Rishabh Pant with one that nipped back and he later took out Axar (26) as the Capitals were not given a sniff.