11.35 pm Knight Riders had a dreadful start to the match - McCullum got the worst lbw decision I have seen and Kallis was bowled first ball. They managed to huff and puff to 140, and very few thought that would be enough. Knight Riders, however, had packed their side with spinners, as opposed to Mumbai's pace strategy, and it worked a treat for them. A 32-run victory. It's a whopper. Knight Riders have moved to on to 19 points and a net run-rate of +.478. That will be enough to guarantee them a place in the top four even if they lose their final game.
I cannot stress enough how bamboozling Narine was. He had Tendulkar in knots. No one seems to be able to pick him from the hand, and his pace doesn't allow the batsman much time to read him off the pitch.
Mumbai Indians will wonder where it all went wrong. Their openers were slow and steady, and then the innings just never took off. Once Tendulkar was foxed by Narine, it was all downhill for the hosts.
cricketsimpleton: "T&T is like a match-winner production factory i guess. Pollard for MI , Bravo for CSK, Kevon cooper for RR, Narine for KKR. isnt this the real avengers team!"
Ricky: "Daft cricket by MI, when they knew Sunil Narine is going to be difficult to pick/hit why didn't they attack the other bowlers. Balaji went for 11 runs in his 4 overs!! Don't mind them losing but no semblance of a fight disappoints me."
Mazhar: "Every bowler got a wicket today except for poor bhajji..."
Suva: "Narine is extraordinary again, but let´s not forget Balaji´s spell as well as Kalis´s last over back to back wickets, which I think is the turning point."
The presentation is beginning ...
Gambhir: "I don't think we had enough, but after losing two wickets early then 140 was a good total ... If we win the next one we'll be in the top two. If we had lost this we would have been under pressure. Today's win will give us confidence."
Harbhajan: "I don't think there was much fault in the wicket, I think we need to sort out our technique ... and how to bat in the first six overs." Harbhajan was quite vocal in his assessment of how Mumbai batted in the first six overs being crucial to their loss. "We haven't been playing grate cricket, good and bad in patches ... boys need to pick up their game ...me as well."
The Man of the Match is Sunail Narine. "I'm having a dream at this moment, hard work is paying off. Hopefully it will continue. I wasn't too worried about the wickets, knew they would help me, but not as much as this ..."
Thank you for all your emails today. I've had a lot of fun bringing you the commentary. Do join us tomorrow as well. Cheers.
RP Singh c Iqbal Abdulla b Narine 3 (7m 5b 0x4 0x6) SR: 60
Narine to finish what has been an awesome bowling performance.
END OF OVER:19 | 3 Runs 1 Wkt | MI: 108/9 (33 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 5.68, RRR: 33.00)
- RP Singh3 (4b)
- Lakshmipathy Balaji4-0-11-2
- Sunil Narine3-0-15-3
SL Malinga c Tiwary b Balaji 8 (10m 6b 0x4 1x6) SR: 133.33
Adityan: "Hardly anyone noticed that Sunil Narine would be stealing the purple cap from Malinga if he gets one more wicket."
Vikas: "But for the 6 Narine's figures would have been 3-0-8-4....Zipcodisque !!!"
Sudhir: "Gambhir has shown himself as a MUCH better captain than Kohli or Sehwag. His bowling changes today has been stupendous, reading every single MI batsman's weakness before they even took guard and choosing the bowler's accordingly. Great to watch."
Balaji from over the wicket ...
END OF OVER:18 | 8 Runs 2 Wkts | MI: 105/8 (36 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 5.83, RRR: 18.00)
- RP Singh1 (1b)
- Lasith Malinga7 (3b)
- Sunil Narine3-0-15-3
- Jacques Kallis4-0-32-2
RG Sharma c †McCullum b Narine 12 (38m 14b 1x4 0x6) SR: 85.71
Malinga enters with Mumbai sinking quickly.
Harbhajan Singh c Tiwary b Narine 1 (1m 2b 0x4 0x6) SR: 50
Karn: "Okay, the law of averages is true: Mumbai might actually lose a close game." Three overs to go, of which Narine has two. 44 runs to get for Mumbai.
END OF OVER:17 | 7 Runs 2 Wkts | MI: 97/6 (44 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 5.70, RRR: 14.66)
- Harbhajan Singh1 (1b)
- Rohit Sharma12 (13b)
- Jacques Kallis4-0-32-2
- Shakib Al Hasan4-0-25-1
Harbhajan is the new batsman.
DR Smith lbw b Kallis 0 (1m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0
Dwayne Smith is the last of the recognised batsmen.
KA Pollard c †McCullum b Kallis 8 (7m 5b 1x4 0x6) SR: 160
