Mumbai prevail in last-ball thriller

Harbhajan & Co eke out one-run win over Pune to maintain third spot

Mumbai Indians dished out a superlative bowling performance to eke out a one run win over Pune Warriors in a nail-biting Indian Premier League match here on Thursday.

Set to defend a modest 120 for nine, Mumbai bowlers rose to the occasion to restrict Pune to 119 for six in their 20 overs, thereby winning by just a run.
Skipper Harbhajan Singh led from the front picking up two wickets for just 18 runs, while Lasith Malinga (2/25) was as usual at his lethal best towards the death.
Munaf Patel and Pragyan Ojha also did their bit ending up with identical figures of one for 24.

Mithun Manhas scored an unbeaten 42 off 34 balls to keep Pune in the hunt but in the end it was not enough.

Earlier, asked to bowl, Pune produced a clinical bowling and fielding display to restrict Mumbai to a paltry score at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium.

Young Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Ashish Nehra shared four wickets between them as Pune bowlers stuck to their task from the onset, barring a few overs in the middle.
Pune bowlers were complemented well by their fielders as they inflicted as many as four run outs.

Sachin Tendulkar top-scored for Mumbai a 35-ball 34 and together with James Franklin (25) added 50 runs for the opening stand, which was the only highlight of the visitors’ innings.

Chasing 121 for win, Robin Uthappa scored a run-a-ball 18 before he fell lbw to Patel.

Jesse Ryder and Michael Clarke then added 20 runs for the second wicket before the fomer holed out of the bowling off Harbhajan. The off-spinner brought Mumbai back into the contest in his next over when he dismissed Clarke lbw.

Ojha then went through the defence of in-form Steven Smith in the next over as Pune slumped to 47 for four at the halfway mark.

Skipper Sourav Ganguly (16) and Manhas stitched 47 runs off 42 balls for the fifth wicket to take Pune closer. But Malinga broke the partnership when he bowled Ganguly and then dismissed Wayne Parnell in his next over to raise Mumbai’s hopes.
Needing 12 runs off the last over, Manhas and Kumar could manage only 10 as Pune remained at eighth place.

MUMBAI INDIANS:
James Franklin c Manhas b Kumar 25,
Sachin Tendulkar c Uthappa b Nehra 34,
Rohit Sharma (run out) 3,
Robin Peterson c Ganguly b Nehra 13,
Dinesh Kaarthick (not out) 18,
Ambati Rayudu b Kumar 1,
Thisara Perera (run out) 0,
Harbhajan Singh c Parnell b Dinda 0,
Lasith Malinga (run out) 14,
Pragyan Ojha (run out) 1.
Extras (B-1, LB-3, W-5, NB-2) 11. Total (for 9 wkts, 20 overs) 120.

Fall of wickets: 1-50, 2-56, 3-81, 4-88, 5-92, 6-93, 7-93, 8-119, 9-120.

Bowling: Murali Kartik 3-0-27-0, Ashok Dinda 4-1-34-1, Wayne Parnell 4-0-18-0,
Bhuvneshwar Kumar 3-0-9-2, Ashish Nehra 4-0-19-2, Michael Clarke 2-0-9-0.

PUNE WARRIORS:

Robin Uthappa lbw Munaf 18,
Jesse Ryder c Perera b Harbhajan 9,
Michael Clarke lbw Harbhajan 14,
Sourav Ganguly b Malinga 16,
Steven Smith b Ojha 2,
Mithun Manhas (not out) 42,
Wayne Parnell c Peterson b Malinga 2,
Bhuvaneshwar Kumar (not out) 10.
Extras (W-6) 6. Total (for 6 wkts, 20 overs) 119.
Fall of wickets: 1-20, 2-40, 3-44, 4-47, 5-94, 6-105.

Bowling: Lasith Malinga 4-0-25-2, Munaf Patel 4-0-24-1, Harbhajan Singh 4-0-18-2, Pragyan Ojha 4-0-24-1, James Franklin 3-0-20-0, Tisara Perera 1-0-8-0.