Mumbai Indians got their Champions League Twenty20 campaign back on track with a rousing nine-wicket victory against Southern Express at the Chhatisgarh Stadium, Raipur last night.
The Mumbai batting, which had faltered against Lahore Lions leading to a six-wicket defeat in their opening game on Saturday, put up a strong display yesterday to stay alive in the competition.
Openers Lendl Simmons (76 not out off 51 balls) and Michael Hussey (60 off 40 balls) raised 139 runs in 14.4 overs as the defending champions chased down a stiff target of 162 in the 17th over.
Simmons and Hussey started cautiously, playing mostly along the ground but finding the gaps to score 39 in the first six Powerplay overs. Once both batsmen were set and the ball stopped moving around as much, they started taking more risks and were rewarded with quicker runs.
Both batsmen were aided by a lack of discipline from the Southern Express bowlers – who sent down eight wides – and they feasted on the loose deliveries that came their way. Boundaries were a regular feature of their partnership as they hit 15 fours and four sixes.
Both openers went on to their half-centuries but couldn’t finish off the chase themselves, as Hussey fell in the 15th over to a slog sweep. With net run-rate likely to play a big role, Kieron Pollard promoted himself up the order and hit a six off his first ball before finishing the game off with two more in the 17th.
Hussey hit five boundaries and three sixes while Simmons smashed 11 fours and a six.
The 39-year-old Australian revealed batting was not easy with the dew and the wet ball made life difficult. “It was a bit frustrating at the start when the ball was nipping around. Once the ball gets a bit wet it skids on a bit more.
“You’ve got to cash in on the good days. I really enjoyed my partnership with Simmons.”
Earlier, aided by Mumbai’s shoddy fielding and Farveez Maharoof’s 22-ball 41 not out, the Sri Lankan domestic Twenty20 champions raised 161 runs.
Maharoof, who struck three fours and two sixes, was also involved in a 58-run partnership off 5.5 overs with Angelo Perera (28 off 28 balls).
He didn’t hit a boundary in his first 14 deliveries, was dropped on 6, and then targeted Pragyan Ojha and Lasith Malinga.
Maharoof felt the bowlers let the team down after the batsmen had raised a decent total on board.
He said: “I think we got a par score under the conditions. We bowled well in the first six overs but couldn’t get any wickets.
“Not taking anything away from the Mumbai Indians; they batted well according to the situation.
“We played our part with the bat but didn’t put our best foot forward in the bowling department,” he added.
Mumbai were very rusty on the field, letting slip three catches, a stumping opportunity and conceding several runs through misfields.
Harbhajan Singh, who started proceedings with the new white cherry, was the best bowler on the night, finishing with outstanding figures of 4-1-18-0.
Despite the big margin of victory Mumbai captain Pollard was worried about the fielding and demanded quick improvements to ensure their progress in the tournament.
“It was a much better performance tonight. We need to improve our fielding, If we field like that against better teams, they’re going to kill us.
“We made it hard for ourselves by giving them 160. It could have easily been 120. Congratulations to Simmons who got some runs, but there’s a lot of room for improvement.”
Mumbai and Lions now have four points each, behind Northern Knights’ eight, and while Express are at the bottom, all four teams still have a chance of qualifying to the next stage. The group stage comprising 10 teams, including two from the qualifiers, begin from Wednesday.
