Resolute Mumbai prevail in a thrilling finish

Mumbai Indians duped fate to defend a less than ordinary score of 120 on a low and sluggish track in Pune to record their sixth win of the season and retain the third spot in the rankings. Batting first, Mumbai started fluently with Sachin and Franklin, who scored a half century for their opening partnership. Wickets of Franklin and Rohit Sharma fell quickly, but Mumbai still had the time and ammunition to set a good score. At 81/2 after 11.5 overs, Mumbai decided to interrupt the calm proceedings with a bewildering collapse, losing 5 wickets for 12 runs. They staggered to 120 with the efforts of Malinga and Kartik, but the score seemed too low to defend.

Pune started on a brisk note, but went from 40 for 1 to 47 for 4 in no time to make the chase look suddenly much more daunting. The Warriors still needed just over six per over to cross the line, but Pune failed to inject any momentum into the innings and left too much in the end for Mithun Manhas to do. Mumbai sneaked home with a one run victory to avenge their defeat to Pune in their previous encounter.

What went right: The Lankan’s final attack.

16 were required off 12 deliveries by the Warriors with Parnell and Manhas on the crease, when Malinga let loose his trademark yorkers and slower variations to give away just 4 runs and dismiss Parnell to tilt the match conclusively into Mumbai’s favour.

What went wrong : Ganguly’s approach to his innings.

Though his strategy to consolidate and avoid risky shots at the beginning was right, he could not elude a persistent problem of wasting deliveries and not taking quick singles. In the end, the losing margin of 1 run amplifies the contribution his innings of 16 off 24 made in helping Mumbai pull off the heist.

Where the teams stand now:

Mumbai continue to sit pretty on the third position, at 6 wins from 10 games, while Pune flounders at the second last position with only 4 wins out of 11 games, having lost 6 of the last 7 matches.

Batsman of the day:

In a low scoring game, batting brilliance was a sporadic sight, but Sachin scored a flowing 34 off 35 with some classy strokes that even the Pune crowd could not help applauding.

Bowler of the day:

Ashish Nehra was hammered by Franklin for 14 in his first over, but his accurate bowling yielded just 5 runs in his last 3 overs with two scalps that included Sachin Tendulkar. With one of the worst economy rates in the league and a devastating first over on his back, Nehra did exceptionally well to come back and deliver an incredible second spell.

Shot of the day:

There were some neat strokes from Tendulkar and clean hits from Franklin, but it was Robin Uthappa who came up with the shot of the day, lofting Munaf Patel straight over his head handsomely for a six.

Welcome back:

Harbhajan Singh has started showing shades of his former self with neat spells in his last two outings, giving away just 13 runs for two wickets against Deccan Chargers and 18 runs for two wickets against the Warriors.

Match meter:

A low scoring game that threatened to be over before dinner turned into a thrilling climax with Mumbai sneaking home by 1 run. Most batsmen struggled to force the pace off the ball on a sluggish pitch, but some classy strokes from Tendulkar, Uthappa and Manhas as well as good death bowling from Nehra and Malinga made the match an engaging one. Score: 8/10

The next step:

Pune Warriors are consistently failing to convert good starts into finishes. They have struggled to inject pace into their innings over the tournament, and Ganguly and Uthappa’s scoring rates have put pressure on their lower order batsman. Pune will have to go for the jugular and send Steve Smith up the order in the next game to exploit his natural hitting abilities and give the innings good momentum from the beginning.Mumbai’s batting has continued to disappoint, with the domestic talent still just filling the seats in the bus. The batting assets of Mumbai Indians will have to come good and score competitively sooner rather than later, because Lasith Malinga will not be able to single-handedly defend every average score.

Mumbai Indians will now face Chennai Super Kings on May 6th at home, while Pune Warriors will bump into Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on May 5th. Mumbai Indians will be looking to build on their consecutive wins, with a berth in the playoff stage vaguely visible in the distance. Pune Warriors though must be painfully aware that not only are they under pressure to win most of their next few games, but they also rely on the fate of other matches to hope for a ticket to the playoffs.