Mumbai Indians – chokers?

27th May 2008

Today's match between the Rajasthan Royals and the Mumbai Indians was a do-or-die battle for the latter, simply because a loss for the Mumbai Indians would almost mean curtains for them. On the other hand, if they did win today's match, then their chances would become that much brighter to reach the semi-finals of the DLF Indian Premier League (IPL).

Shane Warne won the toss and decided to field first, wanting to get back to their original formula of chasing in a match and winning. Both the captains made four changes to their teams. Mumbai brought in wicketkeeper Yogesh Takawale, middle-order batsman Manish Pandey, and medium-pacers Dilhara Fernando and Rohan Raje, whereas the Royals gave chances to Shane Watson, Niraj Patel, Siddharth Trivedi and Ravindra Jadeja.

The Mumbai Indians had a slow start to their innings, with both their openers finding it difficult to adjust themselves to the slow nature of the track. If Tanvir conceded 9 runs in his couple of overs, Watson gave away only 5, as Mumbai was only 16/0 in their first four overs. Pankaj Singh was the change the openers were waiting for, as he was caressed for 25 in his first two overs - which had no six in it - as Mumbai reached 42/0 in seven overs.

Jayasuriya continued to struggle against the bowling and a clear cut LBW went against the Royals. Trivedi came on to bowl, and bowled an excellent over first up. Shane Warne bowled the 10th over of the match - with Tendulkar still on - but it was Jayasuriya who hit the first four. Indians 60/0 in 10 overs, and in a little trouble.

The 11th over saw 11 come off it, but more importantly, Trivedi saw the back of Jayasuriya who had struggled to get going, his 38 coming off 37 deliveries. Abhishek Nayar came in next, but Trivedi had another success, getting rid of the danger man Tendulkar, caught and bowled for a 34-ball 30. In walked Robin Uthappa, but the runs just did not flow. In fact Yusuf Pathan gave away only four in the 15th over of the innings. Warne snapped up Uthappa - another failure for the Bangalore boy - as the Mumbai team reached 106/3 in 16 overs and then it was the turn of Tanvir to get two wickets off successive deliveries to stall the progress. If this set the Mumbai Indians back, then it got Tanvir the Purple Cap. But Tanvir was not done yet and he came back in his fourth over - and the 19th of the match to get two more to end with another bag of amazing figures, 4-0-14-4!

At 120/7, Mumbai looked dead and buried, but Yogesh Takawale filled a sense of relief in the Mumbai camp, by smashing 25 in the last over of the innings. The visitors finished with 145/7 in 20 overs, a fighting total in the circumstances.

Swapnil Asnodkar had a new opener in Kamran Akmal, and the two added 20 in 19 deliveries before Akmal was run out when he failed to ground his bat despite being in. Yusuf Pathan joined in, as Asnodkar found the timing to be difficult due to the pitch. Asnodkar, batting on 3, popped up a simple catch to Dilhara Fernando, who dropped it at mid-on, much to the chagrin of his teammates. He was almost repaid back in the same coin, when Ashish Nehra juggled a sitter before catching hold of a Yusuf Pathan chip to the mid-on. Royals 36/2 at the end of the sixth over.

Fernando's next over saw the end of Asnodkar finally, caught behind by the wicketkeeper after he was going on the wrong side, Royals 50/3 in 8. Rohan Raje bowled the 10th over of the innings, and Shane Watson took him for 13 runs, bringing the Royals back into the match. With the pitch helping the slower bowlers, Jayasuriya was called on to bowl and he conceded only five in the over, but it was the next over of Rohan Raje again, that changed the match in Mumbai's favour. First, Kaif was involved in a mid-pitch confusion and got run out by some distance, and then Watson - probably feeling the pinch - tried to hit one into the orbit only for Tendulkar to come up with a blinder. The hosts were struggling at 77/5 in 12 overs. Niraj Patel and Ravindra Jadeja were the two batsmen at the crease.

Royals needed some big overs, as the asking rate kept mounting, but they got only 26 runs in the next five overs and that upped the required score to 43 runs in the last three overs; Smith, Fernando, Raje and Pollock all bowling great lines and lengths. It was only in the 18th over of Ashish Nehra that the Royals managed to hit 11 to bring the equation closer. Raje was hit for a six and the rest of his over went for 11; 15 needed, one over in hand, Fernando with the ball in his!

And what a last over it was, the first three deliveries went for 10, the next two for one. Needing four off the last two balls, and then two off the last, Niraj Patel won it for the Royals by five wickets! This was their seventh consecutive win at home. The Player of the Match award went to Sohail Tanvir for his excellent spell of bowling.

Sachin's Mumbai Indians now need to hope and pray that Chennai Super Kings lose their match against the bottom-placed Deccan Chargers, and then go on to win their last match against Bangalore Royal Challengers, but that is for later!