IPL: Mumbai Indians start slow but send off Pune; Sun setting on Kings XI

Mumbai Indians stumble but recover to see off Pune Warriors India with seven balls to spare. At Mohali, Kings XI Punjab's IPL campaign looks in dire straits after a 30-run loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Rohit Sharma, pictured batting with the Mumbai Indians last season, helped steady them against the Pune Warriors India to an eventual win with seven balls to spare.

PUNE WARRIORS INDIA 112/8 (20ov)

MUMBAI INDIANS 116/5 (18.5/20ov)

Pune

Yuvraj Singh 33, MK Pandey 29, RV Uthappa 11, AM Nayar 11; MG Johnson 4-8-2; AB Dinda 4-35-2, K Richardson 3.5-28-1, B Mendis 4-15-1, Y Singh 4-21-1

Mumbai

RG Sharma 37, AT Rayudu 26, KD Karthik 17, S Tendulkar 15, GJ Maxwell 13; AN Ahmed 4-27-2; SL Malinga 4-27-2; PP Ojha 3-28-0; H Singh 4-14-1

moved back into second in the

table after seeing off bottom-placed

with relative ease.

The early wickets of Aaron Finch and Robin Uthappa left Pune on 25 for two after five overs, from which they struggled to recover.

A regular flow of wickets stunted the run flow and they posted just 112.

In Mumbai's reply, the Indians were three down for 39 runs after seven overs but were steadied by

, right, whose 37 from 41 balls saw Mumbai reach Pune's total with seven balls to spare, for the loss of five wickets.

SUN MAY BE SETTING ON KINGS XI AFTER LATEST SETBACK TO SUNRISERS

SUNRISERS HYDERABAD 150-7

KINGS XI PUNJAB 120-9

Hyderabad

P Patel 61, Perera 32, Sharma 22; Steyn 4-20-2, Sammy 4-22-4

Punjab

Pommersbach 33, Gilchrist 26, Sathish 25; Sharma 4-21-3

Toss

Punjab, chose to field

delivered what was potentially the knockout blow to

's

campaign with a convincing 30-run win at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali on Saturday.

The win, which took them to fifth place - behind only

on net run rate - was set up by the batting of Parthiv Patel and Thisara Perera. Darren Sammy and

finished off the task with the ball.

On a day where both sides strengthened their bowling attacks, Punjab's knowledge of local conditions helped them torment the Hyderabad batting line-up.

Hyderabad, who have failed to establish any sort of momentum at the top of the order, were reduced to 52 for 5 after nine overs. Sandeep Sharma, on his IPL debut, did the bulk of the damage with three wickets.

It took a determined effort from Parthiv (61) and Karan Sharma (22) to lay the platform for the final onslaught that saw them finish with 150 for 7.

Parthiv, who batted through to the 19th over, and Karan stitched together a 42-run stand for the sixth wicket and gave their bowlers had some sort of total to defend.

A late blitz from Perera, dropped by Mandeep Singh on one, took the total from decent to imposing. He hit an unbeaten 19-ball 32 as Hyderabad took 74 off the last seven overs.

Steyn was expected to do maximum damage with the ball and he delivered almost immediately, dismissing Mandeep for a duck in the first over. Adam Gilchrist and Shaun Marsh upped the ante with an array of aggressive strokes, but Hyderabad found a hero in Sammy.

The West Indies Twenty20 captain, introduced in the seventh over, ripped through the heart of the batting with four wickets, including those of Marsh (18) and Gilchrist (26) off consecutive deliveries.

When David Miller fell two overs later, Punjab were 51 for four, with an inexperienced lower-middle order having to fend for themselves as the asking rate was surging past 11 an over.

R Sathish gave Punjab a glimmer of hope by smashing Amit Mishra for two sixes and a four in one over, but Luke Pomersbach's inability to produce the big shot bottled one end up, making a final surge.

- SHASHANK KISHORE

Shashank Kishore is a sub editor with Wisden India.

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