An all-round clinical display saw the Mumbai Indians storm into the final of the IPL 8 with a comprehensive 25-run win over the Chennai Super Kings in the first qualifier at the Wankhede on Tuesday. Chasing a stiff target of 188, Harbhajan Singh tore the heart of the CSK batting order when he picked the wickets of Suresh Raina and captain MS Dhoni off successive deliveries.
As it happened | Scorecard
Raina, looking to narrow down the asking rate at the half-way stage, spooned a simple return catch to the off-spinner and captain Dhoni fell leg-before for cipher trying to sweep the ball. CSK needed at least one of them to stay in the middle to give them a chance, but apart from Faf du Plessis, who made 45 (35b), the rest of the batting didn’t have enough fight in them as they were bowled out for 162.
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The two-time champions will now travel to their captain’s home town Ranchi, where they’ll play the winner of Wednesday’s eliminator between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore, while MI will wait for their opponents for Sunday’s final in Kolkata.
Earlier, MI were provided with yet another solid start by their opening pair of Lendl Simmons (65) and Parthiv Patel (35). The duo powered the hosts to a formidable 187 for six with a 90-run partnership that came off just 60 deliveries.
Their opening salvo set the tone for power hitter Kieron Pollard who slammed five sixes in his entertaining innings of 41 which took just 17 deliveries coming. Dhoni’s ploy to rely mostly on his Indian bowlers backfired. Experienced off-spinner R Ashwin, who finished with 0-22 from three, was again under-utilized as was Ravindra Jadeja who disappeared for 18 from the two overs but he did pick Simmons’ wicket.
The third spinner, Pawan Negi, who bowled his full quota of overs, was hammered for 46 runs.
Simmons didn’t look fluent to begin with as Dhoni chose to start the proceedings with Ashwin on a track that was being used for the first time this season. But the Trinidadian battled his way through to reach his fifth fifty in 12 games from 38 balls (3×4, 4×6).
Even though Dwayne Bravo bowled CSK back into the game twice, first when he got rid of Parthiv and then Sharma in the 16th over when the MI skipper and Pollard where threatening to run away with game, Ashish Nehra bowled a lot more sensibly to record figures of 1-28 from his four.
Bowling the 17th over, the left-arm seamer conceded just two runs and took his wicket tally to 19 by dismissing the dangerous Hardik Pandya. Bravo, who usually comes on to bowl after 13 overs, was summoned in the 11th over by Dhoni as things had started to look ominous for the two-time champs.
Bravo picked Parthiv’s wicket, which was his 100th scalp in the IPL. Incidentally, the West Indian is the only player to have over 1000 runs and 100 wickets in the competition playing in his 89th match. Simmons, however, continued in a similar vein, launching Mohit Sharma over his head as MI hurdled to 100 in the 12th over.
But things changed suddenly for MI with two quick wickets that of Sharma and Pandya leaving the innings’ fate on Pollard’s broad shoulders.
The all-rounder didn’t disappoint as he climbed into Bravo to hit him for a huge six over cow corner in the 18th and Rayudu helped himself with a four off a misdirected full-toss. That over cost CSK 15 and the following one, bowled by Mohit Sharma, 19.
Bravo didn’t help matters when he bowled an untidy last over, bowling a couple of wides, as he leaked 16 runs.