In the clash of the titans, Mumbai Indians survived the Super Kings scare as their bowlers improved their good performance of the last match lost against RCB, and won the game by 9 runs. Ponting tasted success and was even awarded Innovative thinker of the match. Chennai would wonder why they could not chase a total below 150 runs at their home ground. In the end Super Saturday saw both the home teams losing, as Delhi Daredevils lost the first match of the day.
IPL 2013 Schedule and Results
Match Preview
Match Facts
- Pollard was declared MOM for his half-century and the match saving catch of Dhoni.
50+ wicket takers in IPL: 73 (4th Munaf Patel), 71 (5th Pragyan), 57 (Harbhajan), 50 (Ashwin)
Final Score: 148/6 (MI), 139/9 (CSK)
6 overs: 41/2 (MI), 36/2 (CSK)
10 overs 72/4 (MI), 58/3 (CSK)
50 runs: 7.1 ov (MI), 9.1 ov (CSK)
100 runs: 15.5 ov (MI), 16.1 ov (CSK)
6s/4s: 7/10 (MI), 4/11 (CSK)
Best Bowling: 16/2 Ojha, 22/1 Johnson, 29/3 Munaf, 31/2 Harbhajan (MI), 18/1 Nannes 21/1 Ashwin(CSK)
Best Batting: 57* Pollard (MI), 51 Dhoni (CSK)
MIs Innings
The intention was clear as soon as the first ball was bowled. Knock, Knock and Knock. Wickets kept tumbling but hitting did not stop unless Harbhajan has to come and the innings was in danger of folding before 20 overs. The elite opening couple was separated as Nannes sent Tendulkar to pavilion on 5th ball of the first over and Tendulkar got the golden duck. Score read 3/1. Ponting was joined by Karthik, the hero of their last match. Rajpoot bowled a tidy line from the other end and Ponting, under pressure already was surprised by his bounce and gave a simple catch to Ashwin in slip. Rajpoot has all the reasons to remember his debut IPL wicket. Score readh 17/2 in 3.2 overs as Ponting went on 6 runs facing 10 balls.
The walking wicket Rohit Sharma joined Karthik andd started with a boundary. Following the foot steps of Rajasthan’s bowling from the first game of the day, CSK let Nannes and Rajpoot bowl the first 6 overs. Here too the resut was satisying as they had scored 41/2. Dwayn Bravo started the 7th over and had Rohit caught behind on first ball. Like his captain Ponting, he also faced 10 balls but scored 8 runs with a boundary. Score read 41/3. Karthik rushed to 37 runs (25 balls with a six and four boundaries) when he was caught leg before by Bravo in 9th over. Mumbai were 55/4.
Despite all criticism, Pollard again came at number 6. But thankfully he has 12 overs to face today. It proved useful for MI and may be he gets a promotion now as he shouldered the innings to the decent total of 148 runs, as all others fell again. Rayudu went to Laughlin in the 11th over scoring 7 runs, and became third MI batsmen to face 10 balls only. Dwayn Smith has replaced Jacob Oram for some reasons, but he lasted only 5 balls and scored 3 runs before giving his wicket to Ashwin in the next over. Score read 83/6 after 12 overs and MI tail has showed up with Harbhajan coming on crease. From then on the recovery started and their unbroken partnership took MI to 148/6. Pollard was again unbeaten, now on 57 runs (38 balls, 5 sixes, 4 boundaries) and Harbhajan scored run-a-ball 21 runs with a six and a boundary. Both added 65 runs.
CSK bowlers were bang on target giving nothing. Despite all the heroics of Pollard, the CSK bowlers Nannes (18/1), Rajpoot (25/1 in 3 overs), Laughlin (25/1 in 3 overs), Jadeja (12/0 in 2 overs), Ashwin (21/1) kept the run rate low. Only Bravo (44/2) was taken to cleaners may be because of his extra tantrums with Pollard.
CSKs Chase
If CSK bowlers were good, MI bowlers were exceptional at least in the first 15 overs. Johnson (22/1), Munaf Patel (29/3), Harbhajan (31/2), Pragyan Ojha (16/2) stuck to their planned guns. And the wickets kept tumbling. CSK were 6/97 in 15.2 overs opening their tail. In between Vijay (5 runs in 8 balls) was bowled in 2nd over by Patel, Raina and Bravo scored 10 runs each. Raina went to Johnson after facing 7 balls, while Bravo took painful 17 balls before being stumped on the bowling of Ojha. Hussey (20 runs in 23 balls) fell in 8th over to Harbhajan. Badrinath scored run-a-ball (16 runs) but was trapped by Ojha in 13th over. Jadeja (16 runs in 11 balls) hit a six and a boundary but Patel bowled him in 16th over. In the meantime coming at number 6, like Pollard, Dhoni took time to settle and rushed to take CSK to the brink of victory scoring 260ball 51 runs with 3 sixes and 5 boundaries, while in between Ashwin (2 runs in 5 balls) fell to Harbhajan Singh in 17th over, Laughlin (0) to Pollard in 18th over.
With 12 runs required in the last over, Munaf had MIs fate in his hand. CSK had Dhoni on strike with 2 wicketd remaining. Munaf must have done something right as Dhoni’s strike looked well sailing for a clean six, but suddenly that man Pollard was sighted somewhere in between tumbling with the ball on boundary and the teams swapped their fate, as with 5 balls remaining Rajpoot could not connect and Nannes remained unbeaten on the other end as 139/9 by CSK fell short by 9 runs.
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