Mumbai eliminate Kolkata, storm into qualifiers
Mumbai made it two out of two against Kolkata with a thrilling 4 wicket win in the eliminator tie at the Wankhede Stadium. Mumbai now progress to the second qualifier against Bangalore while as it is curtains for Kolkata who have virtually gained nothing from the play-offs, finishing fourth. The Sachin led side have also assured themselves of a Champions League spot.
Kolkata after being put in were still ruing the dramatic Sunday loss as they looked lost and indulged in self-destruction from the very start. Save for a determined batting effort by their lower order led by Ryan ten Doeschate, Kolkata would have evaporated without a fight. In the end, their total of 147 was 10 runs short of the par.
Mumbai although began the chase in a spectacular fashion but the late order collapse provided lot of excitement as the game went down to the wire. Mumbai openers, Sachin Tendulkar and Aiden Blizzard got off to a blazing start, runs came thick and fast. 81 runs came in just under 8 overs, Blizzard particularly cashed in on some ordinary Kolkata bowling, in the process brought up his fifty. Meanwhile, Tendulkar played his own brand of cricket, picking up vacant areas in the field. In his 50th IPL appearance, the little master hit Pathan for four consecutive boundaries, all improvised shots to frustrate the visitors. Once, the openers were dismissed, wickets fell at regular intervals as Kolkata bowlers began to find their feet. Jacque Kallis’ nagging line and length combined with few loose strokes from the batters allowed Kolkata to claw back their way into the match.
At 133 for six with bowlers dictating the terms, the hero of last match James Farnklin took control, of faltering Mumbai innings and eventually saw them home with a gutsy 29. The winning shot, a six over cow-corner came form the bat of Harbhajan Singh in the last over.
Earlier, Kolkata tried to grab the initiative by aggressive stroke-play, instead paid a heavy price for over attacking. In thoughtless five and a half overs, the visitors were in dire straits at 20 for the loss of four wickets. Jacques Kallis was the first to go, smartly caught by Sachin at mid-off when he attempted to drive Munaf Patel through the covers. Skipper Gambhir opened his account with a trademark inside-out shot off Harbhajan but three balls later was castled as he went for a wild heave. Shreevats Goswami then had a brain fade, he could manage only a tickle to the keeper from an ugly slog and when Manoj Tiwary’s propensity to shuffle across the stumps got him in trouble, Kolkata were literally staring down the barrel. At this point, Mumbai bowlers were all over Kolkata, Slinger Malinga worked up some serious pace and Munaf was his usual self, on the money every time.
Dutch international, Ryan ten Doeschate who had not a lot to do in the IPL so far, played a superb knock to give his team something to defend. First he combined with Yusuf Pathan to get over the shock start with little nudges here and there. The duo targeted Pollard in the eleventh over as the run rate got a move on; ten Doeschate collected a boundary with a fierce square cut followed by a maximum over long-on; Pathan who had till then played the waiting game took a cue form his partner and tonked one over the bowler. They added priceless 60 runs in quick time. However, a couple of lapses by the Mumbai wicket keeper Ambati Rayudu allowed the batsmen to put in a fine recovery.A stumping was missed when ten Doeschate had made only 38 and Saqibul Hassan’s edge eluded the gloves when the score was reading 95 for 5. That apart, Saqib provided the Kolkata some impetus with a flurry of boundaries, the rub of the green going his way with some streaky shots. While he was deceived by a Malinga slower-one, ten Doeschate ensured that Kolkata were still in the game at the half-way mark. His 49 ball 70 was a good exhibition of controlled hitting, six boundaries and three huge hits. For the hosts, Malinga kept down the runs and Munaf grabbed three key wickets.
© eContent.in
