Mumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders, IPL 2012, Mumbai,Cricinfo

Kolkata Knight Riders 140 for 7 (Tiwary 41) beat Mumbai Indians 108 (Narine 4-15, Balaji 2-11) by 32 runs

It had all built up to that one moment. Gautam Gambhir, playing three spinners against the home side's decision to stick to three fast bowlers at the Wankhede Stadium, had hoped at the toss that the pitch would turn later. Kolkata Knight Riders had just about recovered from a horror start to post a decent 140. Mumbai Indians had found run-scoring as difficult as Knight Riders had, but had lost only two wickets at the halfway stage.

The last ball of the 11th over, Sunil Narine bowled a good length delivery to Sachin Tendulkar, who went for the cut. The ball spun in a mile and cannoned into off stump off bat and pad. Had both not come in the way, it would have taken out leg stump. With one of the game's greats not being able to pick Narine, the rest of the Mumbai Indians line-up had little chance. He finished with 4 for 15; had Lasith Malinga not got six off a dropped catch on the straight boundary, Narine could have had 5 for 9.

The 32-run margin was substantial in the end, and it was down to how swiftly Knight Riders barged in to the opening created by Tendulkar's dismissal. The pressure was already on Mumbai Indians after Herschelle Gibbs had crawled to 13 off 24 deliveries, four of those runs being overthrows. When Tendulkar fell, the asking-rate had touched nine. Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard had hunted down a much stiffer target against Royal Challengers Bangalore a couple of day ago. It wasn't to be today. Not on this pitch.

The Wankhede crowd waited for their all-star line-up to fire. They waited for the big hits to come. In vain. With 58 needed off 28, Shakib Al Hasan lured Rayudu out with a wider one to give Brendon McCullum an easy stumping. Jacques Kallis, who had got a ripper from RP Singh first ball, had Pollard edging a slow bouncer to McCullum. Next ball, he trapped Dwayne Smith in front with a skiddy delivery which nipped in. Rohit Sharma was Mumbai Indians' only hope now; Narine had him caught by a diving McCullum off a leading edge. The rest caved in.

Smith's fall had made it 96 for 6, exactly the same perilous position Knight Riders had found themselves in after being stunned early by an atrocious umpiring decision and a terrific ball from RP Singh. Their lower order and Yusuf Pathan rode on some fortune, though, to take 44 off the final 26 balls.

Stroke-making was hard as the usual Wankhede bounce combined with the ball not coming on. The pitch did not have any role to play in the first dismissal, though; umpire Subroto Das had. He adjudged McCullum lbw though the batsman was at least two metres out of his crease to a ball that pitched outside leg and would have missed off. Knight Riders were to get another rough one later, when Tendulkar was caught plumb in front first ball by Shakib, only to be denied by umpire Billy Doctrove.

RP Singh followed up the McCullum wicket by uprooting Kallis' off stump with a ripper, getting a short of a length ball to swing in and zip through the gate. A stunned Knight Riders tamely allowed the home bowlers to build up the pressure.

Even Gautam Gambhir, who has had a golden run this season, found it difficult to score, and could not capitalise on two let-offs. He was dropped by the wicketkeeper and by Tendulkar at third man, but was bowled on 27 as he missed a Pollard cutter.

Knight Riders continued to struggle to time their shots, with Tiwary pottering to 17 off 27 deliveries at one stage. An inside edge off Pollard brought him four, and he hammered the next ball past mid-off for another. Harbhajan Singh and Malinga were hit down the ground for sixes.

From 6 for 2 to 89 for 3 seemed a creditable recovery, given the pitch, but three wickets for seven runs nearly undid Tiwary's efforts. Yusuf, caught off a RP Singh no-ball, could not do much to break his poor run, but along with the lower order, managed to get Knight Riders to 140.

It hadn't looked to be a challenging total at the break, it turned out to be a match-winning one, and all but took Knight Riders to the playoffs.

Mumbai Indians v Royal Challengers Bangalore, IPL 2012, Mumbai

Royal Challengers Bangalore 142 for 1 (Gayle 82*) beat Mumbai Indians 141 for 6 (Karthik 44) by nine wickets

It wasn't the easiest of pitches to bat on at the Wankhede Stadium, and Mumbai Indians possess the most potent bowling attack in the competition, but none of that mattered to Chris Gayle as he swung sixes on his way to the orange cap, 500 runs in the tournament and an unbeaten 82 that propelled Royal Challengers Bangalore to the fourth spot.

Victories for Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab on Tuesday and Royal Challengers' win today has tightened the table again, with only three points separating the five teams in the middle.

Mumbai's batting has rarely been at its best this season, and continued to struggle today. The Royal Challengers bowling has had some off days this year, but turned in one of their more impressive performances as Vinay Kumar's double-strike in the second over and Muttiah Muralitharan's two wickets off successive deliveries later in the innings limited Mumbai to 141.

With the ball nipping around, it seemed a competitive score, particularly given the strength of Mumbai's bowling. Gayle and Tillakaratne Dilshan watchfully played out the main threat, Lasith Malinga, and focussed their energy on scoring plenty off the rest.

As he has been all season, Gayle was relatively cautious early on. Mumbai had two gilt-edged chances to dismiss him within the Powerplays: first, in the second over when a direct hit would have caught him well short, and then in the sixth over when Dwayne Smith put down a skier at cover. That potentially game-changing drop rounded off a horror outing for Smith, who also flopped with the bat a mere three days after his final-over heroics against Chennai Super Kings.

Dilshan was dismissed in the ninth over, and the asking rate began to climb towards nine, but it only took Gayle three deliveries to transform the match. Pragyan Ojha gifted him two friendly full tosses on leg stump which were contemptuously dispatched over the leg side; the second of those had been a no-ball as well, and Gayle dismissed the extra delivery for another six, over long-off for a change. That 22-run over brought the required rate closer to seven. Mumbai were never in the game after that as Virat Kohli found some form and helped Gayle finish it off with two overs to spare.

It hadn't begun well either for Mumbai with Zaheer Khan and Vinay troubling their top order. James Franklin upper cut a catch to third man, and Rohit Sharma was plumb lbw later in Vinay's over as Mumbai stuttered to 5 for 2 - the lowest score in the IPL after four overs.

Sachin Tendulkar then survived a close call for lbw, and was again reprieved when a Kohli throw from backward point was wide. Mumbai finally got some momentum in the sixth over as Tendulkar struck three successive boundaries - the first off the bat in the innings. Just as Mumbai were getting some stability, 21-year-old seamer Harshal Patel dismissed Tendulkar getting him to top-edge a pull.

The signing of Smith and the return of Kieron Pollard made the Mumbai batting seem more solid, and when Ambati Rayudu and Dinesh Karthik added 44 quick runs, the stage seemed set for a late onslaught from the two West Indians. Murali, though, removed both the well-set Karthik and Smith in the 16th over, seemingly denting Mumbai's recovery. Harbhajan, however, swung a couple of boundaries off Zaheer and Pollard powered two sixes in the final over from Vinay to lift Mumbai, but not to a total that was beyond Gayle's reach.

Pune Warriors v Mumbai Indians, IPL 2012, Pune,Cricinfo

Mumbai Indians 120 for 9 (Tendulkar 34, Bhuvneshwar 2-9, Nehra 2-19) beat Pune Warriors 119 for 6 (Manhas 42*, Harbhajan 2-18, Malinga 2-25) by one run

In the end, Mumbai Indians deserved two points for having rendered a target of 121 so difficult that Pune Warriors played catch-up for most of the chase. And the one-run margin magnified the impact of Sourav Ganguly's crawl in the final analysis. There were other Warriors batsmen who found run-scoring difficult on the low pitch, but they did not hang around for as long as Ganguly did and consequently, did not make it as difficult for the doughty Mithun Manhas as Ganguly did.

When Ganguly arrived at 40 for 2 in the seventh over, the asking-rate was just over six runs an over. By the time he was bowled for 16 off 24 by Lasith Malinga off the last ball of the 17th over, slogging and missing tamely, the asking-rate had climbed to nine. Manhas tried to make the most of the strike he got in a 47-run fifth-wicket stand in which Ganguly contributed 13. But he was up against a class Mumbai Indians attack, and with Malinga to bowl two overs at the death, Warriors' chances diminished even further. They needed 12 off the final over, but Munaf Patel managed to hold them off, just about.

The early damage had been done by Munaf when he trapped Robin Uthappa lbw, after the batsman had kickstarted the chase with some big strokes. Mumbai Indians' battery of specialist spinners - though one of them, Robin Peterson, was never used - then broke the back of Warriors' chase. Jesse Ryder chipped Harbhajan Singh to long-on, Michael Clarke got a rough lbw decision and Steven Smith walked past a Pragyan Ojha delivery to be bowled. Warriors had slipped from 40 for 1 to 47 for 4 but with 74 needed from 61, they were right in the game still.

Ganguly's innings ensured they slowly went out of it. He was on 12 off 22 at one stage, unable to earn anything more than singles. He managed to make room and lift Malinga down the ground for a four, but was bowled in the same over.

Manhas wasn't giving up, though. Backing himself to cut almost everything, he and Wayne Parnell took 11 off Pragyan Ojha in the 18th over. But Harbhajan had another over from Malinga left, and it did what Morne Morkel's penultimate over had done for Delhi Daredevils against Rajasthan Royals. Malinga gave just four runs, and left Warriors with too much to do in the last over.

With eight needed off the last two balls, Bhuvneshwar Kumar drilled Munaf over extra cover for four, but could only hit a low full toss - the final ball - to deep midwicket as Warriors ended agonizingly short.

That Mumbai Indians managed even 120 was down to the opening partnership between Sachin Tendulkar and James Franklin. Mumbai Indians did not begin badly for a side that has now changed its opening combination seven times in ten matches. Well past the halfway stage of the tournament, they might have finally even found the combination that clicks. Tendulkar and Franklin added fifty-plus runs for the third time in as many matches, but Mumbai Indians could not build much on that base, losing 5 for 12 from a position of 81 for 2 after 12 overs.

Warriors were accurate with their fast bowlers. Smith led the way in the field with three run-outs, two of them at crucial junctures. He first ran out Rohit Sharma to dent Mumbai Indians after the steady start, and then caught Thisara Perera short to hurt their hopes of a lower-order fightback.

Ashish Nehra recovered from an expensive first over to go for just five runs in his next three overs. It was Nehra who triggered the collapse, getting Tendulkar to edge a steer to the wicketkeeper in the 12th over. He then surprised Peterson with a skiddy short delivery in the 14th, and the top-edged pull was taken by Ganguly.

The middle-order implosion undid the decent start from Tendulkar and Franklin. The duo were kept quiet by Warriors but took Nehra and Ashok Dinda for an expensive over each to ensure the run-rate did not suffer much. Bhuvneshwar got the breakthrough in the eighth over when Franklin top-edged a pull.

Tendulkar could not pick up his scoring-rate beyond a run a ball, and after he fell, Mumbai Indians stalled. Ganguly could not score at remotely close to a run a ball, and after he finally fell, it was too late for Warriors, who have now lost six of their last seven games.

Nokia Champions League Champions Mumbai Indian's

Mumbai Indians reigns supreme

The Mumbai Indians team celebrates its triumph against Royal Challengers in the final of the CLT20 on Sunday. Photo: K. Pichumani

Royal Challengers Bangalore has no answers to Harbhajan and Chahal's guile

Mumbai Indians spun a web of deceit around Royal Challengers Bangalore to win the Champions League T20 title at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, here on Sunday.

Skipper Harbhajan Singh's off-breaks and Yuzvendra Chahal's leg-spin accounted for five RCB wickets, while giving away just 29 runs in a total of seven overs, as Mumbai defended its modest 139, restricting the pursuer to 108 all out.

The winning side became the second Indian team, after Chennai Super Kings in 2010, to claim the CLT20 crown.

RCB had scored in excess of 200 in its last three matches, but found the going tough on a track that didn't quite assist shot making. Its star cast of Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli aggregated 43 runs in 51 balls, and the remaining batsmen, smothered by accurate bowling, never got the chase on track after the marquee names departed.

RCB made the early push through Dilshan (27, 20b, 5x4) who picked boundaries off medium-pacer Abu Nechim before losing his off-stump to country man Lasith Malinga in the fifth over.

GAYLE GOES

RCB was 38 then, and four runs later, in the last over of the Powerplay, Harbhajan snared the first of his three wickets, trapping dangerman Gayle in front with straighter one from around the wicket.

After the first six overs, RCB was 42 for two, eerily similar to the 43 for two that Mumbai had found itself on at the same stage.

Chahal accounted for Mayank Agrawal, who lofted to long-off with unfortunate precision, and a fell blow was landed when Harbhajan picked up Kohli in the 12th over, the petulant batsman's slog-sweep coming to rest with Aiden Blizzard at mid-wicket.

Kohli's exit was an ominous portent as the batsmen that followed looked to hit out of trouble, ending only in squandering their wickets.

The noose tightened further when Arun Karthik lofted Chahal to Pollard. Mohd. Kaif was out next, slicing Pollard's slower ball to cover and leaving RCB 49 to get off the last four overs.

Skipper Vettori became his counterpart's third victim when he was stumped, and all pretences to a realistic chase were snuffed out when Saurabh Tiwari's struggling knock was cut short on 17. RCB's innings ended in the last over, when R. Sathish held Raju Bhatkal at long-on off the bowling of Abu Nechim.

THREE RUN-OUTS

Earlier, Mumbai Indians elected to bat on a pitch expected to keep low and endured three run-outs and a mid-innings collapse to stutter to 139 all out in 20 overs.

The first wicket came about in farcical circumstances: Blizzard clobbered Dirk Nannes to mid-off and took off, even as his partner Sarul Kanwar refused to budge from the non-striker's end.

The throw to the ‘keeper caught both batsmen at the same end, necessitating Blizzard's long walk back to the pavilion.

By the time the Powerplay was over, Mumbai had lost its other opener — Kanwar, bowled by Nannes — with the left-right combination of James Franklin and Ambatti Rayudu taking things forward. The two constituted the most productive part of Mumbai's innings, adding 41 in 5.2 overs for the third wicket.

Rayudu got out when he tried forcing all-rounder Bhatkal through the off-side field, but found the huge clasp of Chris Gayle stationed at the edge of the circle.

New man Suryakumar Yadav joined Franklin in the middle and moved around in the crease to hit Dilshan for four and six in the 13th over.

Yadav was content thereafter to run the singles and it was one such cheeky attempt that cost him his wicket. A ball after the innings 100 came up, an alert Vettori lobbed Franklin's return shot to the stumps and caught Yadav backing up a yard too far.

The wicket initiated Mumbai's slide into mediocrity as it lost three more wickets — including Franklin (41, 29b, 2x4, 2x6) to another run-out, and the dangerous Pollard, who was pouched by Kohli at long-off — for just four runs.

The innings descended from 105 for three to 109 for seven, and it required another Malinga cameo, inclusive of two sixes, to allow the team to 139. Mumbai scored 30 runs in the last five overs and lost five wickets.

Expensive throughout the tournament, Nannes redeemed himself with match figures of 4-0-14-1, while Vettori pitched in with two wickets and a run-out.

The scores: Mumbai Indians: A. Blizzard (run out) 3 (4b), S. Kanwar b Nannes 13 (14b, 1x4, 1x6), A. Rayudu c Gayle b Bhatkal 22 (21b, 1x4, 1x6), J. Franklin (run out) 41 (29b, 2x4, 2x6), S. Yadav (run out) 24 (17b, 2x4, 1x6), K. Pollard c Kohli b Vettori 2 (5b), R. Sathish c Agarwal b Bhatkal 9 (9b, 1x6), Harbhajan lbw b Vettori 0 (2b), L. Malinga c Aravind b Bhatkal 16 (11b, 2x6), A. Nechim (not out) 2 (4b), Y. Chahal c Gayle b Aravind 2 (4b); Extras (lb-1, w-4): 5; Total (in 20 overs): 139.

Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-24, 3-65, 4-105, 5-108, 6-109, 7-109, 8-135, 9-135.

RCB bowling: Dilshan 4-0-34-0, Nannes 4-0-14-1, Aravind 4-0-33-1, Vettori 4-0-30-2, Bhatkal 3-0-21-3, Gayle 1-0-6-0.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: T. Dilshan b Malinga 27 (20b, 5x4), C. Gayle lbw b Harbhajan 5 (12b,1x4), V. Kohli c Blizzard b Harbhajan 11 (19b, 1x4), M. Agarwal c Pollard b Chahal 14 (19b, 1x4), S. Tiwary c Harbhajan b Nechim 17 (22b, 1x6), Arun Karthik c Pollard b Chahal 0 (3b), M. Kaif c Kanwar b Pollard 3 (7b), D. Vettori st Rayudu b Harbhajan 1 (2b), R. Bhatkal c Sathish b Nechim 6 (8b), S. Aravind b Malinga 4 (4b), D. Nannes (not out) 0 (1b), Extras (b-4, lb-1, w-14, nb-1): 20; Total (in 19.2 overs): 108.

Fall of wickets: 1-38, 2-42, 3-67, 4-73, 5-74, 6-81, 7-92, 8-98, 9-108.

Mumbai Indians bowling: Malinga 4-0-23-2, Nechim 3.2-0-26-2, Harbhajan 4-0-20-3, Pollard4-0-21-1, Chahal 3-0-9-2, Franklin 1-0-4-0.

Nokia T20 Champions League Finals RCB vs MI Cricinfo

Clash of two IPL teams in final

Two IPL sides will battle for the Champions League T20 title for the first time when Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians tilt lances at each other on an M.A. Chidambaram Stadium track that has shown minimal allegiance to the shortest format. 

Batting heavyweight Challengers will start on the back foot, having spent the entire league phase feasting on a belter at the relatively smaller M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, while Mumbai will look to turn into success its greater acquaintance with the two-paced conditions at Chepauk. 

Challengers started the tournament with two losses and needed to win its last couple of league games to make it to the knock-out stage. 

The team accomplished this in style — defending a score in excess of 200and following it up with a dramatic chase of 214 that was decided by K.B. Arun Karthik's last-ball six.

Daniel Vettori's men turned in another scorching performance in the semifinal when they gunned down New South Wales' 203, thanks to Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli, making it the third successive over-200 score for the team.

Challengers' run glut has been realised chiefly through the top three — Chris Gayle (252 runs at an average of 50, SR: 190), Virat Kohli (221 runs at 55, SR: 158), and T. Dilshan (119 at 30, SR: 128).

But unless the track for the final is the one which was used for the Chennai Super Kings-NSW game (the site of David Warner's riot act), Challengers' rampaging frontline is likely to meet with stiffer resistance for scoring, especially when pitted against the likes of Mumbai's Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh.

Standout bowling spell

RCB's bowling line, plying its wares on a batting-friendly home wicket, has done nothing special yet and the standout performance has been Dilshan's 4-0-10-1 in the semifinal against NSW that produced 407runs in 38.3 overs. 

Vettori (five wickets, ER: 6.9) has been his usual tight self, but the team's titular lead bowler, left-arm paceman Dirk Nannes, has picked a solitary wicket in five games, while leaking runs in excess of ten per over.

Mumbai's performances have been anything but batting-centric. The Harbhajan Singh-led team began with two victories in matches in which it had been given up for dead, the first success facilitated by Malinga's unlikely cameo, and the second by Trinidad & Tobago's frustrating tendency to choke. A wash-out against Cape Cobras was followed by a loss to NSW, but T&T's defeat of the South African outfit saw Mumbai become the first team — albeit the most unconvincing — into the semifinals.

How much of an advantage Mumbai's relative familiarity with the conditions remains to be seen.

Although nobody has had a defining outing, none of Mumbai's bowlers has been taken to the cleaners, and in Harbhajan and Malinga it possesses two match-winners on a track that favours scoring so long as the ball is new.

Patchy batting

Mumbai's batting has been patchy. Kieron Pollard and Aiden Blizzard have scored the only two half-centuries for the team, and left-hander James Franklin has been cautiously sedate. The reinstated Suryakumar Yadav and all-rounder R. Sathish had a bit of a hit in the semifinal against Somerset.

Maybe, as skipper Harbhajan remarked the other day, it's time for Mumbai's young Indian players to stand up and be counted. 

Either way, the trophy will remain in India.

Mumbai Indian's Goes to Finals

Malinga does it for Mumbai Indians

 

The Hindu DEMOLITION MAN: Lasith Malinga of Mumbai Indians was at his fiery best, picking up four wickets and taking his team to the finals. Photo: K. Pichumani

Mumbai Indians' imports Lasith Malinga (four for 20) and Aiden Blizzard (54, 39b, 5x4, 3x6) made it an all-IPL final, helping their side to a 10-run win over Somerset in the semifinal of the Champions League T20 at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday. 

Malinga picked up two wickets in his first spell and two more in the final over of the match to ensure Somerset never gained the upper hand in its chase of MI's Blizzard-propelled score of 160 for five. MI will now face fellow IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore in the final on Sunday.

Early wickets

Somerset was always going to struggle in its pursuit after two of its top-three scorers in the tournament were sent packing within the third over. The Sri Lankan fired in a trademark yorker past a clueless Peter Trego on the second ball, and in his next over sent down a straight full-toss that landed on the base of Roelof van der Merwe's wicket. 

From 17 for two at the end of the third over, Craig Kieswetter (62, 46b, 7x4, 1x6), the last of the English side's in-form trio, was first required to steady the rocking boat.

This he accomplished in the company of James Hildreth (39, 33b, 6x4), as Somerset got to a run-a-ball only in the eighth over of the chase. 

Hildreth then collected two boundaries of Yuzvendra Chahal in the ninth over and when Kieswetter hit R. Sathish for two more boundaries in the eleventh, Somerset had clawed its way back.

Harbhajan hits back

Harbhajan Singh hit back with the wicket of Hildreth, but Kieswetter countered, taking Abu Nechim for 16 runs in the 17th over. 

The skipper's move to give James Franklin, who has done little bowling so far this tournament, the penultimate over, proved successful, with the Kiwi picking up the wickets of both Kieswetter and Jos Buttler, conceding just seven. 

With 15 needed of six deliveries, Malinga finished the job he started in his first over, knocking over Nick Compton and Murali Kartik with fuller deliveries to give Mumbai the win.

Blizzard shines

Earlier, it was left to Aiden Blizzard to shovel in the coal as Mumbai Indians chugged along in the early stages of its innings, almost entirely banking on the opener's ability to subvert the slowness of the track.

Somerset had clearly identified the short-pitched delivery (which barely climbed) as the one that would be the most difficult to put away, and operated throughout on this premise. 

Blizzard resisted the temptation to slog the drooping half-trackers, waiting instead for the odd full ball, and cashed in each time one was served up. 

The southpaw did most of the IPL side's boundary hitting, coming up with all but two of MI's 4s and 6s in the Power Play (at the end of which MI was 51 for one) — a stat that, incredibly, stayed the same until the last ball of the 14th over when Kieron Pollard dumped van der Merwe over mid-wicket. 

Blizzard's continued presence also had the effect of delaying the onset of Somerset's premier containing option, its slow left-arm bowlers. 

Murali Kartik was held back from bowling inside the field restrictions, while van der Merwe came on only after the southpaw's dismissal in the 13th over (bowled off Kartik). 

The opener's exit at 92 for four set the stage for the final push, which, despite the presence of Pollard, looked like would never arrive. 

The Trinidadian picked up his second six from another full ball, the first of the 16th over, but for the next 16 deliveries stretching across the 16th, 17th and 18th overs, MI went boundary-less.

For all the controversies surrounding MI's allotment of overseas cricketers, it was left to Suryakumar Yadav (23 n.o., 19b, 3x4) and R. Satish (25 n.o., 12b, 2x4, 1x6) to take MI to 160, their death-hitting proving to be the difference between the sides. 

The scores:

Mumbai Indians: A. Blizzard b M. Kartik 54 (39b, 5x4, 3x6), S. Kanwar c Butler b Kirby 2 (6b), A. Rayudu c Kieswetter b Dibble 19 (19b, 2x4), J. Franklin lbw van der Merwe 6 (9b), K. Pollard b Thomas 24 (18b, 2x6), S. Yadav (not out) 23 (19b, 3x4), R. Sathish (not out) 25 (12b, 2x4, 1x6); Extras (b-1, lb-3, w-1, nb-2): 7; Total (for five wkts. in 20 overs): 160. 

Fall of wickets: 1-19, 2-62, 3-86, 4-92, 5-117. 

Somerset bowling: Thomas 4-0-34-1, Kirby 3-0-31-1, Dibble 4-0-20-1, M. Kartik 4-0-30-1, van der Merwe 4-0-32-1, Trego 1-0-9-0. 

Somerset: P. Trego b Malinga 0 (2b), C. Kieswetter c Pollard b Franklin 62 (46b, 7x4, 1x6), R. van der Merwe b Malinga 10 (9b, 2x4), J. Hildreth b Harbhajan 39 (33b, 6x4), J. Buttler b Franklin 19 (22b, 2x4), N. Compton b Malinga 5 (3b, 1x4), A. Suppiah (not out) 0 (2b), M. Kartik b Malinga 0 (1b), A. Thomas (not out) 3 (2b); Extras (b-7, lb-2, w-3): 12; Total (for seven wkts. in 20 overs): 150. 

Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-17, 3-100, 4-141, 5-142, 6-147, 7-147. 

Mumbai Indians bowling: Malinga 4-0-20-4, Nechim 4-0-31-0, Chahal 3-0-26-0, Harbhajan 3-0-25-1, Pollard 2-0-10-0, Sathish 1-0-13-0, Franklin 3-0-16-2.

MI Says On Semis Match

We need to adjust on the day: Pollock

Mumbai Indians coach Shaun Pollock (right) feels Harbhajan Singh has remained calm and focused in his new role. Photo: K. Pichumani 

Shaun Pollock, currently in his role as the mentor of Mumbai Indians, dubbed the re-laid Chepauk wicket ‘interesting,' while also giving credit to Harbhajan Singh in his role as the skipper for the Champions League T20.

“It (the wicket) has been interesting, to say the least. In our game against NSW Blues the batsmen found it difficult (201 runs for the loss of 12 wickets over 37 overs) to get going, but Chennai's game against NSW (365 runs were amassed in 38.5 overs) was very different.

“We've had two games here (in Chennai) and we need to adjust on the day, see how the first five or six deliveries behave and adapt accordingly,” said Pollock, ahead of his side's semifinal clash against Somerset on Saturday.

MI was one of the teams to make early headway in the tournament, and Pollock praised Harbhajan's role in the side's progress.

“Harbhajan has done well; he thrives on responsibility both on the field as a bowler and as a captain. He has been good for us, calm, relaxed and focused, keen to listen to the advice of guys on the field and to the coaching staff. A lot of credit for our performance should go to Bhajji in his role as the captain,” said the former South African all-rounder.

Pollock also said he wasn't very concerned about his side's batting failures, and that the past counts for very little once the side has made it to the last four. “You can look at it (the batting failures) two ways, you can either be concerned or excited and I would say the cup is half full. The top order hasn't clicked, but it is exciting. If we can get them going like in the rained out game against Cape Cobras, it should do. What matters is what happens on the semifinal and final days,”

What could, however, add to MI's woes was the sight of Kieron Pollard walking off Thursday's practice with icing on his wrist. The MI team management said it was awaiting the results of a scan on the left wrist, which the all-rounder injured while batting in the nets.

Rain scuttles MI's hopes

 

Mumbai Indians will have to wait until Sunday for a chance to enter the semifinals of the Champions League T20 after inclement weather forced it to share points with Cape Cobras in their Group B fixture here on Friday.

Rapid knocks by Sarul Kanwar (45, 21b, 3x4, 5x6) and Kieron Pollard 58 (37b, 6x4, 3x6) had helped Mumbai post 176 in 20 overs before rain intervened at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

In fact the heavens opened up in the final over of the first innings, ground staff scurrying on with the covers the moment the last ball had been bowled.

Though it never really came down in torrents, a steady drizzle remained, scuppering the possibility of any further play. Match referee Roshan Mahanama officially declared the match abandoned a little after 11 p.m.

If Mumbai's top order had been guilty of misfiring earlier, there was little cause for complaint on this occasion. Twentytwo-year-old Kanwar, making his debut for the team in place of T. Suman, led off, picking Charl Langeveldt up over deep-midwicket (a shot he was to play twice more) in the second over.

At the other end, Aiden Blizzard — though not entirely comfortable against Dale Steyn's pace — took 10 runs off him. J.P. Duminy was brought on in the fifth over but went for 17; Kanwar followed up a sixer with two boundaries, driving Mumbai's total up to 50.

Delightful driving

Kanwar welcomed Robin Peterson with his fifth six, delightfully driving ‘inside out' over long off, but was caught attempting the same shot the delivery immediately after.

Blizzard fell in Peterson's next over and it appeared Cape Cobras had managed to put the skids on. Over a four-and-a-half over period — that also included Ambati Rayudu's dismissal — Mumbai had gone from 65 for no wicket to 78 for three, but Cobras had only been lulled into a false hope.

Pollard, promoted up the order ahead of Andrew Symonds, rose from the slumber he had seemingly been in earlier in the tournament, commencing his assault in the 12th over with two colossal hits over long-on off Duminy.

Peterson had returned two for 13 from his first three overs but James Franklin tarnished his pristine figures with consecutive sixes.

Pollard ripped into Langeveldt next, powering a ball from outside off-stump into the stands over midwicket before battering two fours.

However, the hulking West Indian proved he was endowed with more than just muscle, raising his half century in the 18th over with a delicately-guided boundary to third-man.

Desperate to stem the haemorrhage of runs, captain Justin Kemp had bowled himself an over earlier, and removed Franklin. Sixtynine runs (43b) had been added for the fourth wicket.

Pollard finally perished at the hands of Steyn — the most economical of Cobras' bowlers on the night — holing out to Owais Shah at long-off.

Mumbai would have wished for him to carry on, but Symonds ensured there was no let-up. The side would have fancied its chances of defending 176 but the weather gods had the final say.

The scores: Mumbai Indians: A. Blizzard c Shah b Peterson 19 (24b, 1x4, 1x6), S. Kanwar c Shah b Peterson 45 (21b, 3x4, 5x6), A. Rayudu c Shah b Duminy 6 (7b, 1x4), J. Franklin c Levi b Kemp 18 (18b, 2x6), K. Pollard c Shah b Steyn 58 (37b, 6x4, 3x6), A. Symonds (not out) 14 (8b, 3x4), Harbhajan (not out) 3 (5b); Extras (b-2, w-11): 13; Total (for five wickets in 20 overs) 176.

Fall of wickets: 1-65, 2-69, 3-75, 4-144, 5-165.

Cape Cobras bowling: Steyn 4-0-24-1, Langeveldt 4-0-45-0, Duminy 3-0-38-1, Philander 4-0-36-0, Peterson 4-0-29-2, Kemp 1-0-2-1.