Mumbai snaps 3-match losing streak

CAUGHT SHORT: Rahul Dravid’s desperate attempt to regain the crease goes in vain as Harbhajan Singh whips off the bails at the bowler’s end on Sunday.

Port Elizabeth: Riding on twin unbeaten half-centuries from Jean-Paul Duminy and Ajinkya Rahane, Mumbai Indians snapped its three-match losing streak with a convincing 16-run victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore in their Indian Premier League match here on Sunday.

Electing to bat, Mumbai posted a challenging 157 for two from its 20 overs, thanks to Duminy (59 not out) and Rahane (62 not out), and then restricted Bangalore to 141 for seven to record its fourth win from 10 matches and keep its semifinal hopes alive.

Mumbai’s good batting performance was complemented by its bowlers who bowled a tight line and length. Harbhajan Singh was the most successful bowler with two for 15 while Dhawal Kulkarni, Lasith Malinga, Dwayne Bravo and debutant Chetanya Nanda took a wicket apiece.

Quick wickets

Bangalore was never in the run chase, losing wickets in quick succession in the early overs and no substantial partnership to boast of — the highest being the 23 between openers Jacques Kallis and Virat Kohli.

Wicket-keeper Mark Boucher waged a lonely battle with a valiant unbeaten innings of 33-ball 48 which was the highest for Bangalore.

Bangalore looked like to be off to a good start with Kallis finding a few boundaries early on but gradually it lost momentum with wickets falling in quick succession.

Kallis was first to go for a 10-ball 12 in the fourth over, holing out to Kulkarni at third man while trying to cut Bravo.

Uthappa’s poor form continued as he was out cheaply for just four next over, offering an easy catch to Tendulkar at mid-wicket off Kulkarni.

The crawl

From 31 for two after the fifth over, Bangalore clawed to 58 for four after the 10th with Kohli and Dravid falling during that period.

The former India captain was well short of his crease while running for a second run with Harbhajan dislodging the bail after picking a Malinga throw from the deep.

Bangalore batsmen tried to accelerate the run rate which has shot up to over 10 after the 10th over and over 11 after the 15th, and they fell one by one in doing so.

Taylor fell to Malinga while playing a big shot, Roelof van der Merwe (3) was brilliantly stumped by wicketkeeper Yogesh Takawale off an impressive Harbhajan who also claimed Vinay Kumar’s (7) wicket.

Boucher and captain Anil Kumble (seven not out) needed 40 off the last two overs but that was too tough a task and they could score only 23.

Earlier, Duminy and Rahane shared 104 runs from 72 balls for the third wicket, the highest for that wicket in the IPL, after openers Sachin Tendulkar and Sanath Jayasuriya had departed by the eighth over at team total of 53.

The duo scored 53 from the last five overs.

Duminy hit two fours and three sixes in his 41-ball innings to notch up his fourth IPL 50, while Rahane, who scored his maiden IPL half century, struck four fours and a six from 49 balls.

The Mumbai innings, however, began on a disastrous note with captain Tendulkar out for a duck after facing three balls in the second over.

Tendulkar, without a half century in his nine innings so far, continued his poor run in the IPL having scored just 63 from his last six innings.

Jayasuriya and Rahane then shared 48 runs for the second wicket to take Mumbai to 53 for two before the former was trapped by van Merwe for a 27-ball 29, studded with four fours.

scoreboard

Mumbai Indians: S. Jayasuriya lbw b van der Merwe 29 (27b, 4x4), S. Tendulkar c Boucher b Vinay 0 (3b), A. Rahane (not out) 62, (49b, 4x4, 1x6), J.P. Duminy (not out) 59 (41b, 2x4, 3x6); Extras: (w-7) 7; Total: (for 2 wickets in 20 overs) 157.

Fall of wickets: 1-5, 2-53.

Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling: Kallis 3-0-23-0, Vinay 4-0-30-1, Mithun 4-0-42-0, Kumble 4-0-32-0, van der Merwe 3-0-17-1, Appanna 2-0-13-0.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: J. Kallis c Kulkarni b Bravo 12 (10b, 2x4), V. Kohli c Duminy b Nanda 20 (22b, 4x4), R. Uthappa c Tendulkar b Kulkarni 4 (5b, 1x4), R. Taylor b Malinga 16 (16b, 1x6), R. Dravid (run out) 10 (12b), M. Boucher (not out) 48 (33b, 1x4, 2x6), R. van der Merwe st Takawale b Harbhajan 3 (4b), R. Vinay Kumar st Takawale b Harbhajan 7 (12b), A. Kumble (not out) 7 (6b, 1x4); Extras: (lb-6, w-8) 14; Total: (for 7 wickets, in 20 overs) 141.

Fall of wickets: 1-23, 2-31, 3-40, 4-58, 5-73, 6-90, 7-114.

Mumbai Indians bowling: Kulkarni 4-0-24-1, Malinga 4-0-37-1, Bravo 4-0-27-1, Nanda 4-0-32-1, Harbhajan 4-0-15-2. — PTI