Mumbai Indians returned to winning ways on their return to the Wankhede Stadium, where they remained unbeaten in eight games last season.
The Indian Premier League defending champions, who had been winless in the five matches they played in the UAE, held their nerve while chasing 169 runs against eearly pace setters Kings XI Punjab to win by five wickets yesterday.
Mumbai needed 41 off the last three overs but Kieron Pollard (28 not out off 12 balls) and Aditya Tare (16 not out off six balls) catapulted their side home with five deliveries to spare. It not only ended Punjab’s five-game winning streak but also removed them from the top of the table.
Tare began the charge by first lofting medium-pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji for four before pulling him over the rope for a maximum in the 18th over. Pollard then took over, taking 20 runs off Mitchell Johnson in the penultimate over of the innings, including two fours and a six. The giant West Indian then finished off the game by carting pacer Sandeep Sharma’s first ball of the final over for a six.
Earlier, Mumbai were put on the victory path by significant contributions from opener Chidambaram Gautam (33), skipper Rohit Sharma (39) and all-rounder Corey Anderson (35). The dismissal of Sharma and Anderson in successive overs brought Punjab back into the game but Pollard and Tare shattered their hopes of victory.
Tare believes the 15-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last UAE fixture in Dubai last Wednesday had given them the belief that a win was around the corner. Chasing 172 for victory, Pollard had raised hopes by cracking a superb 48-ball 78 but he had little support from the other end.
“That (against Hyderabad) was the best game of cricket we played in the UAE. That was our first performance this season that we were proud of as a team," said Tare.
“It was unfortunate the result didn’t go our way and we lost narrowly. Also, that knock brought Polly (Pollard) back in form, which is very critical for us because we bank heavily on him when the chips are down and when we need to score heavily in the last crucial overs. It is great to have him back in form.
“I played a few shots and got out, leaving Polly to do all the work (in Dubai). Had I not got out, the result might have been different. So, today when I remained unbeaten until the end, it meant a lot to me.
“To contribute and to arrest your team’s five-game losing streak is bound to give you a lot of satisfaction and confidence. Hopefully, we will carry on this momentum that we have created and move forward.”
The biggest inspiration for the hosts came in the form of 18,000 underprivileged children between the age of seven and 14 years, who cheered the team at the Wankhede. The children were part of the franchise’s Education For All (EFA) initiative spearheaded by team owner Nita Ambani.
“The presence of the young kids was a big boost. They were absolutely vibrant and buzzing throughout the four hours of the game. That made us know that there is a lot of support behind us,” added Tare.
Earlier, the Punjab openers Cheteshwar Pujara (19) and Virender Sehwag (1) failed to contribute before Glenn Maxwell and Wriddhiman Saha revived the innings by putting together 69 runs from 51 balls.
Even as Saha struggled to rotate the strike, Maxwell kept hitting fours and sixes with ease, and had motored to 45 off 26 before he mishit Harbhajan Singh to long-on.
George Bailey’s move to promote himself ahead of David Miller did not work. Saha took over now, moving from 12 off 23 to 59 off 47, sweeping and pulling Pollard for three fours in the 14th over. His acceleration wasn’t enough in the end as Punjab settled at 168-5.
Maxwell, who had played for Mumbai last season said: “It was unfortunate to end on the losing side, but it was also nice to see a couple of friends there.”
