Mumbai Indians secured the third position on the Indian Premier League’s points table after sealing an emphatic five-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the final round-robin match on Sunday, May 22, 2011.
Having been asked to bat first, the Knight Riders posted a mammoth score of 175, courtesy of fantastic batting by Jacques Kallis and Yusuf Pathan.
Later in the match, James Franklin and Ambati Rayudu chipped in with valuable runs and took their side home through a nail-biting situation. Needing 21 runs in the final over, Franklin slapped Laxmipathy Balaji for four successive boundaries before Rayudu hit the last ball out of the park for a mighty six.
The defeat pushed KKR down to the fourth spot in the standings which means that the two will have to face each other once again in the eliminator clash on Wednesday, May 25, 2011.
Though visibly delighted over his team’s improbable last ball triumph, Mumbai Indians’ captain, Sachin Tendulkar, warned his teammates to gear up for the tough clash ahead as the Kolkata side will come back hard on them in the elimination round.
"Knowing KKR, they will come back hard, they are a good side and we are prepared for them," Tendulkar said on meeting Gautam Gambhir and company in the playoff.
Heaping special praise on Franklin and Rayudu for their fantastic batting effort in the pressure situation, the Master Blaster added, “We batted really well. Kept up the run rate that was needed. Great work by Rayudu and Franklin.”
"You can lose the momentum but it is important to regain it. We got the momentum going," uttered the MI skipper, who set a solid foundation with an excellent knock of 38 at the opening position.
On his team’s astonishing victory, Tendulkar spelled out, "Anything is possible in this game. If you have the luck the edges go to the boundary. Franklin hit some good shots in the final over."
When asked about sending Harbhajan Singh up in the order, the little master explained that it was team management’s decision and fortunately the strategy worked as the turbantor added some crucial runs at the top.
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