Mumbai v Rajasthan - Mumbai Indians collapse at 94, Rajasthan Royals in command

The Mumbai Indians barely managed to score 94 runs against the Rajasthan Royals in the 34^th match of the Indian Premier League being played at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on 29 April, 2011.
Shane warne won the toss and invited Mumbai to bat first. The Mumbai Indians opened with their usual pair, Sachin Tendulkar and Davy Jacobs.
 Ashok Menaria and the seamer Amit Singh took charge of the Rajasthani bowling attack.
Mumbai’s opening pair only managed 11 runs in the first two overs. Jacobs was the first to go, bowled by Amit on the first ball of the fourth over with the Mumbai total at 22 runs.
Tendulkar was the next one to leave, adding only six runs to the total. Dishant Yagnik stumped Sachin out off the bowling of Ashok.
Ambati Rayudu and Rohit Sharma were to lead Mumbai next, the duo could only manage to add 18 runs in the total before Rayudu was caught and bowled by Menaria. The third wicket fell at the total of 46 runs in 8.4 overs and Andrew Symonds was next on the crease.
Sharma tried to accelerate the innings but was caught at long off by Johan Botha on the last ball of the 10^th over. Mumbai Indians lost their fourth wicket when their score reached the 50-run milestone.
Pollard was the next man in but he was dismissed early as well, contributing just 18 runs for the fifth wicket. The Rajasthan bowlers were pressing down hard on the struggling Mumbai batsmen.
Symonds was the sixth batsman to return to the pavilion after accumulating 17 runs off 26 balls.
Mumbai Indians could manage only 94 runs in the allocated 20 overs, losing eight wickets in the process.
Botha was the highest wicket taker for Rajasthan Royals with three wickets, Menaria and Amit took two wickets each while Warne scalped one.
Mumbai’s performance was dismal and unexpected, however, fortunately for Rajasthan, this may just be their day.

Read More

HARBHAJAN SINGH HAPPY WITH WINNING STREAK OF MUMBAI INDIANS

The Indian off-spinner, Harbhajan Singh, who is representing Mumbai Indians in the latest edition of the Indian Premier League, on Thursday expressed satisfaction over the way things have gone for the franchise so far.

When asked about the winning streak of the Mumbai Indians, the 30-year-old off-spinner said he was happy with team’s performance in the tournament so far and hoped they would continue the form in the remainder of the league.

He also singled out Rohit Sharma and Andrew Symonds for their match winning performances in the previous games.

"I am happy with the way things have gone till now,” said Singh. “We have been through rough patches but one or the other has been able to pull us through. Like in the last match Rohit Sharma and Andrew Symonds batted well to help us to reasonable score which could be defended," he added.

The Sachin Tendulkar-led Mumbai Indians side is leading the points table with five wins from six games. Their only defeat in the ongoing edition was against Kochi Tuskers Kerala on April 15.

Talking about the good form of Rajasthan’s skipper Shane Warne, Harbhajan said, "He is great cricketer and greatest spinner. I myself would be talking to him and get tips so that I can prolong my international career."

The 30-year-old Punjab spinner also hailed Ambati Rayudu of Mumbai Indians and termed the youngster as a special talent. He said that facing legendary Australia spinner would be a challenge for the youngster.

When asked about his role in the side, the right-arm spinner said that it had not changed as such.

"I and seniors like Sachin try and build the team like a unit and instill confidence in the youngsters by telling them to be part of think tank," Harbhajan said.

The Mumbai Indians have been remarkable in all the three departments of the game, including batting, bowling and fielding in the tournament so far. Harbhajan gave credit of the sharp fielding of his side to the amazing fielding coach Jonty Rhodes.

Read More

Sachin Tendulkar and Mumbai Indians record impressive win over Deccan Chargers

MI 172/4 20 overs DC 135/8 20 overs

Mumbai Indians gave their team captain, Sachin Tendulkar, the perfect birthday gift as they trounced the Deccan Chargers in a crucial match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) played at the least favourite venue for the hosts, Uppal Stadium.

In four years the Chargers have hardly ever won at the venue and once again a capacity crowd was left disappointed due to a poor performance from the hosts, who allowed the Indians to post a big total of 172 before succumbing to a meagre 135 run total themselves.

The Indians opted to bat first and the opening pair of Tendulkar and Davy Jacobs got the team off to a flying start as they scored 47 runs in 5.1 overs before Jacobs fell for a well made 32 that came off a mere 20 balls. Tendulkar tried to up the tempo after his demise. However, the birthday boy fell to left arm spinner, Pragyan Ojha, after scoring 28 runs off 24 balls.

Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard were soon sent back as the Indians wobbled at 70/4, the Chargers were revved up and looked set to choke the visitors for runs. The morale didn’t last for long and things changed at this stage as the Indians made an astonishing comeback through an unbeaten 102 run stand between Rohit Sharma and Andrew Symonds.

The two big-hitters laid into the hosts smashing them to all parts of the ground at the end of the innings, Sharma scored a dazzling 56 off 34 balls while Symonds smashed 44 off 33 balls.

The hosts were hit hard by the unexpected assault at the end of the Mumbai innings and captain Kumar Sangakkara tried to revive their hopes after an early loss of a wicket. However he failed to make most of his own start and perished for 34 runs as the rest of the batting line-up also failed to inspire much with Amit Mishra and Daniel Christian the only two batsmen to cross the 20 runs mark late in the order.

The listless batting performance saw the hosts end 37 runs short of the target. For the Indians, Lasith Malinga the man with the most potent yorker in modern cricket snared three wickets for a mere nine runs of four fantastic overs.

He was named man of the match as the Indians celebrated another important win and solidified their position in the league.

Read More