Two-time champions Mumbai Indians thrashed Rising Pune Supergiants by eight wickets in their IPL clash in Pune yesterday to move up to second in the table, with captain Rohit Sharma leading the way with an unbeaten 85. It was their third consecutive win.
Man-of-the-match Sharma shared in two half-century stands as Mumbai cruised to their victory target of 160, ending on 161 for two with nine balls to spare in reply to the Supergiants, who posted 159 for five after being sent in.
Sharma, who faced 60 deliveries with eight boundaries and three maximums, registered his fifth IPL fifty of the season and also passed the 6000-run mark in T20s to guide his side to their fifth victory in nine starts.
Sharma and Parthiv Patel (21) gave the visitors a good start with an opening stand of 39 from 25 balls as Patel struck four quick boundaries in 15 balls before MS Dhoni took a good catch behind the stumps off Ashok Dinda (3-0-33-1).
Sharma was then joined at the crease by Ambati Rayudu (22) and the pair set about adding 52 for the second wicket at a steady pace.
Earlier, Pune were restricted to 159 for five by a collective effort from the Mumbai bowlers.
Mumbai were led from the front again by Jasprit Bumrah (4-0-29-3) after winning the toss and electing to field first.
But the visitors were on the back foot midway through the innings as Steven Smith smashed a quickfire 45 off 23 balls with four boundaries and three maximums before offering Parthiv Patel a simple catch behind the stumps off Bumrah, ending a productive second-wicket stand of 84 from 48 deliveries.
Mitchell McClenaghan (4-0-27-1) made the early breakthrough when he had Ajinkya Rahane (4) caught by Krunal Pandya on the third man boundary at the end of the second over.
Smith and Saurabh Tiwary (57) then set about laying the foundation for an above-par score as Smith began his innings with two fortuitous boundaries off the inside edge of his bat.
Tiwary, who began his innings slowly then fed off the Australian right-handed batsman, started opening up himself as the pair raised their half-century stand for the second wicket off just 28 balls but once Smith departed, the Supergiants’ innings fell away.
Tiwary struggled to find the middle of the bat, looking rather tired and was eventually caught by Hardik Pandya off the bowling of Bumrah after facing 45 balls and striking four boundaries and two sixes.
Captain MS Dhoni struck just two fours before being caught on the mid-wicket boundary by Ambati Rayudu, also off Bumrah, for a run-a-ball 24.
Harbhajan Singh (4-0-25-1) accounted for Peter Handscomb (6), who struggled from the moment he walked in, facing 12 deliveries without a boundary.
Thisara Perera (12 not out) did manage to end the innings off on a high when he smashed Bumrah’s final ball of the innings for six over mid-wicket.
Mumbai have now played nine games while Delhi Daredevils, at No. 3 in the table, have only played six. It’s that time of the IPL when teams move up and down the table like they’re playing snakes and ladders, but there’s a clear whiff of momentum about Mumbai at this moment.
Pune, on the other hand, need to find some form, and find it soon as they languish at sixth spot with just two wins from their eight games so far.
Brief scores
Rising Pune Supergiants 159 for 5 in 20 overs (S Tiwary 57, S Smith 45, MS Dhoni 24; J Bumrah 3-29) lost to Mumbai Indians 161 for 2 in 18.3 overs (Rohit Sharma 85*, J Buttler 27*, A Rayudu 22) by 8 wickets