Skipper Rohit Sharma continued to lead by example as Mumbai Indians outclassed Pune Supergiants by eight wickets on Sunday. The below-par score of 159/5 was never going to pose any problems for the defending champions who surpassed the target in only 18.3 overs with skipper Rohit smashing an unbeaten 85 off 60 balls.
Earlier, Rising Pune Supergiants scored 159 for five in 20 overs against Mumbai Indians. Saurabh Tiwary top scored with 57 off 45 balls while Steve Smith contributed 45 off 23 balls. M.S. Dhoni scored a run-a-ball 24.
For MI, Harbhajan Singh bowled splendidly to finish with 1/25 in 4 overs while Jasprit Bumrah finished with best figures of 3/29 in 4 overs.
Commentary:
M. Ashwin's here. Sharma picks the googly and slogs it over midwicket for a six -- that seals it for MI. They've chased the target down with 8 wickets and nine balls to spare.
MI 153/2 after 18 overs, need 7 off 12 balls (Rohit 78*, Buttler 26*)
Can Dinda put the brakes on MI? The batsmen are going after Dinda -- he's bowling them quick and full and that's exactly what they're looking for. Three fours, two from Sharma's willow and one off Buttler's. Too easy for MI now, target's just two big hits away.
MI 138/2 after 17 overs, need 22 off 18 balls (Rohit 68*, Buttler 22*)
An important over from Boland coming up. They're keeping the scoreboard ticking -- and with a lot of ease. Sharma tries the scoop but manages to get an under edge and somehow gets it in the third man region. A lucky boundary, that. Eleven runs came off this one.
MI 127/2 after 16 overs, need 33 off 24 balls (Rohit 63*, Buttler 19*)
M. Ashwin to bowl the 16th. He's ripping them with lot more control today. Buttler's had enough of this -- effortlessly lofts one over long on for a six. There's no panic among the batsmen and they're getting the runs with minimum risks. RPS need a wicket quickly. Another costly over, 12 off this one.
MI 115/2 after 15 overs, need 45 off 30 balls (Rohit 61*, Buttler 9*)
Perera to bowl his last. Buttler gets the scoop shot now, and manages to get a boundary. And another one, but this time it's from Sharma's willow -- he brings the bat down at the right time a wide delivery. Terrific timing that! Good one for MI, 11 off this one.
MI 104/2 after 14 overs, need 54 off 36 balls (Rohit 55*, Buttler 4*)
Bhatia bowls another tight over, bowling stump-to-stump and mixing up the pace. Six off this one -- RPS bowling some tidy overs, here. The 100 also comes up MI in that over.
MI 98/2 after 13 overs (Rohit 52*, Buttler 2*)
The other Ashwin will bowl the next over. He's getting prodigious turn on this Pune wicket. But still bowling them short and wide -- no damage done though. Five off the leggie's first. Required run rate is nearing 9 now, 8.85 to be exact.
R. Ashwin gets a wicket; MI 93/2 after 12 overs, need 67 off 48 balls
Ashwin's finally among the wickets! Rayudu (22 off 19 balls) steps down and tries to muscle on over the long on boundary but there's more elevation than distance on that one. Rahane catches it inches away from the boudnary rope. Jos Buttler's next man in. Top over from the TN spinner -- seven runs off his third over.
After 11 overs, MI 86/1
Rayudu's made some room and slashed that over the point region. No pace or swing for Boland -- the ball's moving in straight lines and coming on to the bat nicely. They're slowly chipping away at the total here -- nothing fancy but effective.
MI 76/1 after 10 overs
Ashwin to continue.A steady over, this -- only 4 runs off it. The equation still remains in favour of the chasing team, who need 84 runs from 60 balls.
MI make steady start in chase of 160, 72/1 after nine overs
Rohit Sharma's deposited Bhatia's third ball into the stands -- that went at 136 kmph off this willow! He clears his front leg and smashes that. As expected, the next three balls are slower ones -- the batsmen are happy picking singles off the three. They're going at 8 RPO now.
MI 61/1 after eight overs
And spin's introduced for the first time. It's R. Ashwin. Rayudu steps down and lofts one over midwicket for six -- the first one to cross the ropes in 17 balls. And that six also spoils Ashwin's figures -- 10 came off Ashwin's first.
MI 51/1 after seven overs
Rajat Bhatia's here. RPS playing cautiously here, the wicket of Parthiv Patel has definitely slowed the pace of scoring runs. Bhatia's slower ones not helping them either, only 4 off this one.
Perera to continue. A better over from the Sri Lankan, this. Runs coming only in singles -- four of them. Mumbai Indians 47/1 after six overs.
MI 43/1 after five overs, require 117 runs from 15 overs
Scott Boland, who's making his IPL debut, is here. And, there are observations already.
Scott Boland resembles Cumberbatch >#RPSvsMI
— Bhavia Velayudhan (@BhaviaV) >May 1, 2016
The first balls yield no runs but the last one is dispactched for a boundary. He strays a bit on the lag side and Sharma's happy with it -- slogs it over square leg. Good start to Boland's spell.
MI 39/1 after four overs
Dinda continues. Patel digs out a yorker and there's enough power behind it to take it past the bowler -- a superbly timed boundary. And two more fours off Patel's bat here. He's loving the width Dinda's giving him -- threads them through a packed off side field. And Dinda has his man -- he persists with the same line and Parthiv, sensing another boundary, throws his bat at it and edges it to Dhoni. An eventful over, this -- 15 runs and a wicket.
MI: 24/0 after three overs
Sharma's going after Perera. A six off the first ball over the midwicket region and a boundary, an even better looking one -- a front foot pull. And another one, this time an edge that flies over the vacant third man region. 16 runs off the third!
MI 8/0 after two overs
Dinda to bowl the second. Parthiv's on strike and the first one is clipped off this hips for a boundary -- Dinda needs to get his radar sorted out. He's come back well, here -- no runs off the next five balls. He's hitting the bat hard and bowling them on the right lengths. RPS make a good start.
MI 4/0 after the first over
Perera will open the bowling for RPS. He's getting some swing here, taking it away from Rohit Sharma. A tidy start by RPS and the Sri Lankan all-rounder -- only 4 runs off the first one.
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RPS fritter away good start, finish at 159/5
Dhoni's gone in the process of upping the tempo. He's pulled it straight to Rayudu who manages to take a sharp catch. He's gone for 24. And Perera manages to finish the innings with a six, taking the score to 159/5
RPS 148/4 after 19 overs
McClenaghan to bowl his last over. A terrific over for Mumbai - everything's been going straight to the fielders. They've been middling them but the boundaries have not materialised. Six runs off this one. Only six balls remain, can they get to 160?
Mclanegan is bowling the same balls Watson did the other day to parera. Good thinking >#RPSvsMI>#IPL2016
— Shrikant Shinde (@shri_qpro) >May 1, 2016
RPS 142/4 after 18 overs
Tiwary (57 off 45 balls) swings and there's no timing on that one -- a tired shot, that one. He's been trying to slog for most part of his innings, this one's managed to fall short of the ropes and into Pandya's waiting hands. Mumbai have managed to reduce the no. of boundaries and pick up wickets at regular intervals. RPS were targeting over 180 but now have to settle for something way less than that. Thisara Perera's here.
RPS 135/3 after 17 overs
Finally, a good start to an over. Dhoni manages to get Southee's first ball down the fine leg region for a boundary. They're pushing the fielders near the rope, picking 2s with ease. The bigger dimensions of this ground also not helping their cause. Three 2s and single too, in that one.
Hardik Pandya continues the good effort put in by the Mumbai bowlers in the last 5-6 overs. Again, no boundaries in this one -- they're made to stretch and run for every run here. Mumbai's slowly clawing back into the game. Four overs remain, RPS need to get a move on soon, 124/3
Run rate's dropped below 7.5 now -- RPS 120/3 after 15 overs
Bhajji to bowl his last over. The boundaries have dried and runs are coming only in singles. Harbhajan finishes his quota of four overs, giving away only 25 and picking one wicket. Tiwary brings up his half-century too. The Jharkahnd left-hander will look to go after the bowling now.
RPS 113/3 after 14 overs
Purple Cap holder Mitchell McClenaghan's here. Wow! Dhoni smashes a wide ball over the umpire's head -- he's hit the first ball for a four! McClenaghan's bowling at brisk pace, hitting the 140s consistently. Six runs have off this one. RPS need to get a move on here. Forty-two balls remain in the innings.
The Jharkhand boys are at the middle - RPS 107/3 after 13 overs
Bhajji's got the wicket of Handscomb. Another soft dismissal -- Handscomb (6 off 12 balls ) tries to sweep that one but only manages to top edge it. Buttler settles under that and take it comfortably. M.S. Dhoni walks in. Back-to-back terrific overs for Mumbai. Three off the last and only two off this.
RPS 105/2 after 12 overs
Southee bowls a tidy over -- only three off this one .The run rate's dipped below 9 now. Tiwary needs to stay till the 15th over and anchor this innings and get the team to at least 180.
RPS 102/2 after 11 overs
What's happening here? Bhajji, Rayudu have a heated conversation after the off spinner expresses his displeasure clear over Rayudu's fielding. Harbhajan quickly runs up to Rayudu and tries to manage the situation. The Hyderabadi is clearly no happy here -- the two could've easily avoided this. An eventful over, this. Nine runs came off this.
The situation getting to two:
Respect to bhajji for how he handled the situation....silly n foolish from rayudu.....he doesn't deserve to play..... >#RPSvsMI
— Mudit Arora (@muditforguitar) >May 1, 2016
MI manage to break the partnership, RPS 93/2 after 10 overs
Bumrah's got Smith (45 off 23 balls) edging one to the 'keeper! He tries to dab that one thorugh the thirdman region but it's too fine -- a soft dismissal. Another Aussie replaces him -- Peter Handscomb, who didn't get to bat last time, makes his way to the pitch. This is a terrific comeback by Bumrah -- only two runs and the important wicket of Smith.
After nine overs, RPS 91/1
Bhajji's here. Can he provide a breakthrough? A quiet one, a good one from India's formner premier spinner. Only seven came off this one. They can afford to take a breather here, the run rate's still over 10!
Super start, this. RPS 84/1 after 8 overs
Another Pandya, this time, Hardik's into the attack. These two have put together 74 runs in quick time -- off 36 balls! And the sixes continue to rain, this time, from Smith's willow. Another two-digit run over -- 10 runs.
After seven overs, RPS 74/1
Tiwary's making them regret, big time! This time a six -- he fetches a wide one and slogs one over midwicket. Another six! This time it's much cleaner striking and it's gone flat into the stands. He's muscling them now. Superb over for RPS, this. Twenty came off Krunal's second.
>#RPSvsMI it's raining sixes in pune!!! Hope the people of pune will get the actual rain soon
— satish kumar reddy (@iamsatish1) >May 1, 2016
Bumrah will look to make amends here. He's welcomed with a boundary -- a good length ball is smashed back with some pace. Tiwary's on the move, here. He's making the most of the reprieve he's got -- this time clobbers a low fulll toss for a boudnary. RPS will be delighted with this start - at the end of powerplay overs, score is 54/1
RPS 44/1 after five overs
Krunal Pandya's introduced into the attack. Smith toying with the bowling here, he clips a fuller delivery for a six -- looked a bit awkward but very effective. Eight runs off Krunal's first.
RPS cash in on some poor fielding: 36/1 after four overs
Tiwary survives -- Bumrah misses an easy one at mid on. And Smith does what he does best, moves to off side and clips it neatly for a boundary in the square leg region. McClenaghan's not liking this one bit -- this time a six from Smith. He makes room and imparts some direction on a ball that is short and wide. Oh no! Bumrah's not going to like this when he gets back to the room. Another misfield and they're giving away easy runs.
RPS 22/1 after three overs
A couple of handy inside edges for Smith -- he won't mind that. Eight easy runs for the Aussie captain. More authoritative this time, Smith throws his arms on a wide one and that races towards the point boundary. 14 runs off Southee's second over.
Smith's in the middle now, RPS 8/1 after two overs
MI's top wicket taker McClenaghan will share the new ball. Tiwary's struggling to connect here, couple of attempts to cut the ball but it's gone past the edge on both occassions. Rahane's gone early! He tries to smash a wide one but only manages to get a thick edge and slices it to thirdman Krunal Pandya. Steve Smith has to come in early, again.
RPS 7/0 after the first over
Saurabh Tiwary and Ajinkya Rahane make their way to the middle.
Tim Southee's getting the ball to move in to the left-hander, and away from Rahane. The NZ pacer is also bowling quick -- in the high 130s and a couple over 140 kmph. A tidy start here from Southee. Seven runs off the first.
Our match preview : Maharashtra derby-2 to mark Maharashtra Day
Just like Mumbai Indians, the host is also desperate for a win. In what will be its fourth and final game in Pune before Supergiants also adopt Visakhapatnam as home, M.S. Dhoni’s men will be eager to give their fans something to cheer. All three of their home games so far have resulted in losses. > More...
1933 hrs | Mumbai Indians wins the toss and chooses to bowl first.
Dhoni says they need to identify the chinks in their bowling armoury. Injury list mounts for Rising Pune Supergiants. Mitchell Marsh is out. This affliction has spared not even their coach! Stephen Fleming is also on the plane back home. Looks like Scott Boland is in for Albie Morkel. Mumbai is unchanged.
Rising Pune Supergiants Team
AM Rahane, SS Tiwary, SPD Smith, MS Dhoni*†, NLTC Perera, PSP Handscomb, R Bhatia, SM Boland, R Ashwin, AB Dinda, M Ashwin
Mumbai Indians Team
RG Sharma*, PA Patel†, AT Rayudu, KH Pandya, JC Buttler, KA Pollard, HH Pandya, Harbhajan Singh, JJ Bumrah, TG Southee, MJ McClenaghan
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Rising Pune Supergiants Squad
MS Dhoni*, Ankit Sharma, B Aparajith, M Ashwin, R Ashwin, AK Bains, R Bhatia, SM Boland, DL Chahar, AB Dinda, PSP Handscomb, Jaskaran Singh, UT Khawaja, MR Marsh, JA Morkel, IC Pandey, IK Pathan, NLTC Perera, AM Rahane, I Sharma, RP Singh, SPD Smith, SS Tiwary, A Zampa
Mumbai Indians Squad
RG Sharma*, CJ Anderson, JJ Bumrah, JC Buttler, UBT Chand, M de Lange, S Gopal, MJ Guptill, Harbhajan Singh, K Kamath, SD Lad, MJ McClenaghan, HH Pandya, KH Pandya, PA Patel, KA Pollard, DS Punia, N Rana, AT Rayudu, JM Sharma, NB Singh, TG Southee, J Suchith, JE Taylor, R Vinay Kumar, AA Wakhare
