Mumbai Indians extended their home domination in the Indian Premier League as they scrapped hard to upstage Royal Challengers Bangalore by 19 runs in a tense encounter last night.
Rohit Sharma (59 not out off 35 balls) and Kieron Pollard (43 off 31 balls) led the way with a 97-run fifth wicket partnership in 10 overs to lift the defending champions from a precarious 84-4 to a strong 187-5 in 20 overs.
The Mumbai bowlers then held their nerve in the face of a strong start by openers Parthiv Patel (26 off 19 balls) and Chris Gayle (38 off 24 balls), while Bangalore captain Virat Kohli’s fluent 35 off 28 balls meant Mumbai had to be at their best to restrict RCB to 168-8 in 20 overs.
Their brilliance with the ball was best exhibited by Pawan Suyal, who came back strongly after being carted by Gayle for two fours and two sixes in his second over.
The left-arm pacer, playing his second IPL match, had conceded 28 runs in that over but he returned in the 14th to claim the prized scalp of Kohli, giving away just one run in the process.
It was Mumbai’s second successive win and 10th on the trot at the Wankhede but, importantly, it lifted them from the bottom of the table to sixth position.
“It was by far the best game so far," said a delighted Sharma. "This is what MI is all about, we took some brilliant catches. Wankhede always has some dew and the bowlers did very well.
“Suyal came back very well and things slowed down for RCB. We kept taking wickets. It was important for me to step up and I’m glad I played an important knock.
“We’re keeping our heads up, we need to be positive.”
Kohli rued a lost opportunity but remained optimistic about the road ahead. Bangalore appeared to be on course at 94 for one in the 10th over but lost their way against some spirited bowling by the hosts.
“It was a very gettable (score), we could have batted smarter, one more partnership was needed. It was a dream start, we could not capitalise on it.
“If we had applied ourselves we could have crossed the line. Not losing hope though, we need to win at least five out of the next seven."
With one side of the ground smaller than the other, and a furiously quick outfield, both sides wanted to chase.
Mumbai’s top order of Ben Dunk, Chidamabaram Gautam and Ambati Rayudu could not really get going on a pitch with pace and bounce, but the numerous extras served up by the Bangalore quick bowlers ensured the run-rate stayed reasonably high.
The visitors hit back with quick wickets as the halfway mark of the innings approached, when Pollard joined Sharma at the crease.
With only Aditya Tare and the bowlers to come, the pair were forced to play cautiously for some time.
The first five overs of the partnership produced only 29, despite some poor fielding but, with about six overs left, the pair gradually opened up.
And it wasn't just the batting that got a little heated during Mumbai's innings with Pollard and Bangalore left-armer Mitchell Starc squaring up to each other.
The pair could both face strict disciplinary action for a nasty confrontation in the 17th over of the home side's batting.
Make your mind up on the incident by clicking on the following link: http://sport360.com/article/ipl-7/21062/starc-backs-bangalore-fire-mumbai
