Mon, 02 May 2011 - IP Mumbai vs IP Punjab, IPL 2011, 40th Match - Bulletin

Mumbai reclaim top spot after easy win

Mumbai yet again proved that they possess the best and most varied bowling attack in the IPL not letting Punjab anywhere near the target of 160. By virtue of this 23-run win at their home ground, Mumbai reclaimed the top spot in the IPL points table.

Punjab never looked threatening during the chase against a quality Mumbai bowling attack which was well complemented by their agile fielders who took as many as three superb catches. For the visiting team, there was a lone warrior in the form of Shaun Marsh but his classy 61 went in vain as wickets fell around him like a pack of cards.

Mumbai needed a solid foundation at the top to threaten the target but Gilchrist’s dismissal in the very first over dented the visitors heavily. Paul Valthaty, the man who has done most things right this year in the IPL failed to get the ball off the square. For the first 24 balls he faced, Paul couldn’t find a single boundary. That pegged back the Punjab chase and, with the asking rate climbing all the time Punjab’s chances in the match were diminishing rapidly. He finally found the hitting form launching a couple of balls into the crowd but soon had to return to the hit courtesy a running catch by Pollard at deep long-on.

David Hussey and Dinesh Karthik followed Valthaty in quick succession and the chase began to fall apart. By the time, Abhishek Nayar hit a boundaries the chase was all but derailed. Nayar’s brief heroics were scuttled by a superb diving catch by Andrew Symonds off the bowling of Harbhajan Singh. Though there were no demons in the pitch, Punjab btasmen lmade it look like a mine-field.

With the kind of partnerships they had Mumbai should have finished with a lot more on the board. Sachin batted until the 17th over but managed only 51 runs at little over run a ball. He never got going and his batting effort lacked any aggression. Ambati Rayudu combined with Sachin for the most substantial partnership of the innings, the duo put on 95 runs in 12 runs.

Like he has played all season, Rayudu took the attack to the Punjab bowlers and hit some lusty blows. Praveen Kumar came in for some stick in the 12th over when Rayudu hit him for a huge six followed by two hits to the fence. Rayudu completed yet another half century in the IPL off 37 balls peppering the boundary on nine occasions.

The Punjab slow bowling effort was the lone bright spot for the visiting team during the first half of the game but the shoddy show by the fielders continued. Young leggie Bipul Sharma bowled an economical line and length conceding only 22 runs in his full quota.Two chances of Rayudu went begging none easier than the one by Ryan Harris at long-off, when he failed to fathom the trajectory of the ball.

Kieron Pollard however gave the home fans some joy be hitting a couple of huge hits into the crowd. His quick fire 20 runs of just 11 balls helped Mumbai cross the psychological mark of 150.