Mumbai Indians dished out the perfect formulaic fare - win toss, score enough runs and throttle the opponent in the field - to subdue Chennai Super Kings by 25 runs and march into the final
| 1W | ||||
| 1W | ||||
| 1W | ||||
| 1W | 1W | |||
| 1W | ||||
Scorer: Chandan Duorah | Commentator: Vishal Dikshit
11.48pm Look how Mumbai have turned things around, from first four losses to being the first team to make the finals! They started a bit cautiously and put on a competitive score with the help of Simmons and Pollard. Then it was the experience of Malinga and Harbhajan that did the rest. Malinga stifled CSK early and Bhajji removed Raina and Dhoni on consecutive balls which pretty much sealed the win for them.
Dhoni: We were soft on our batting. It's always difficult to chase 180+. We lost momentum in the middle, and not to forget Smith got a horrible decision. We need to lift our game and it would have been better to take a wicket by the sixth over but I was quite happy with our bowling. 180 was close to par on this pitch here but we needed to bat well. We were in a good position after the 10th over. We have always done well with our back to the wall, so that's what we can go to Ranchi with. We haven't played too much there, there will be a mixed support but they would want me to do well.
Rohit Sharma: I couldn't have asked for anything better. Our performance right form the start was good and defending the total was amazing. Not just this match, we have been consistent once we started winning. We know the job is not done as we go to Calcutta. The support staff has held the team together because it's easy to drift away after a few losses. Kolkata will be a different ball game, Mumbai was brilliant and I loved coming and playing here.
Man of the Match Pollard: Happy birthday to my mom today and my friend's mom as well. Being able to hit sixes is always thrust on me and credit goes to the openers for laying the foundation. It was a good total, just above par. But CSK is a dangerous team and we had to play well in all three departments. We'll try to relax for a couple of days and come back right into it.
That's all from us from the qualifier which has taken Mumbai Indians forward. The eliminator will be played tomorrow now, between RCB and Rajasthan Royals so join us for that as well. Until then, good bye and good luck!
Shripad: "It was surprising to see that MSD mentioned the Smith decision! Such decisions should be taken sportingly and they even out in the end!"
A Nehra c Simmons b Malinga 0 (1m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0
Last wicket left
R Ashwin c Rayudu b Malinga 23 (19m 12b 2x4 1x6) SR: 191.66
Malinga for his final over. CSK need 31 from 12
Prem Tripathi: "More than Pollard, Harbhajan changed the fate of this match"
MS Dhoni, the Chennai Super Kings captain, has been fined 10% of his match fee for making an inappropriate public comment with respect to an umpire's decision
Kieron Pollard said even though it is not easy to adapt immediately to the demands of franchise cricket, Mumbai need to work on winning in the early stages of the IPL
Harbhajan Singh has expressed his desire to play international cricket for India again and feels he is doing everything he can to make a comeback
Technically, it wasn't a home game for Mumbai Indians but the Wankhede Stadium was a sea of blue almost an hour before the start and played its role to help Mumbai turn the playoff tide against Super Kings
