(L) SIMMONS… hit a poweful 65 off 51 balls. (R) POLLARD… supported countryman with 41 runs.
MUMBAI, India (CMC) — A powerful half-century from opener Lendl Simmons and an influential innings of 41 from his Trinidadian colleague Kieron Pollard lifted Mumbai Indians to a 25-run win over Chennai Super Kings in Qualifier One of the Indian Premier League (IPL) yesterday.
Simmons slammed a top score of 65 from 51 balls, while Pollard hit a 17-ball 41 to push Mumbai to a competitive 187 for six from 20 overs at the Wankhede Stadium.
However, after an encouraging start to the chase the Super Kings batting collapsed and they were all out for 162 in 19 overs as Mumbai qualified for their third IPL final.
Simmons continued his good run of form picking up three boundaries and hitting five sixes while sharing a solid 90 run opening stand of 90 with Parthiv Patel who scored 35.
However CSK, inspired by another Trinidad and Tobago player, Dwayne Bravo, managed to claw their way back into the game as MI lost four wickets for 39 runs in six overs.
Bravo grabbed three of those frontline wickets to finish with figures of three for 40 from four overs including three wides in the last over which cost him 16 runs.
But Bravo’s three wicket haul also brought him to a significant milestone- his 100th IPL wicket.
The Pollard assault came when it was most needed with Mumbai Indians at 139 for four in the 17th over.
Maintaining his cool throughout, Pollard picked his opportunities to score, hitting five sixes and a four, an innings which aided MI to 187.
CSK lost West Indies opener Dwayne Smith in the fourth ball of the innings amid controversial circumstances.
Smith was given LBW by umpire Richard Illingworth to a delivery from Lasith Malinga which replays showed struck him well outside the leg side.
However, Faf De Plessis with a top score of 45 attempted to keep CSK within sight of the target and featured in a 46 run stand with Mike Hussey for the second wicket and a 40 run partnership with Suresh Raina for the third wicket.
But Harbhajan Singh’s dismissals of Suresh Raina for 25 and MS Dhoni off consecutive deliveries in the 11th over helped Mumbai make the decisive surge.
Bravo scored two fours and a six on his way to 20 as he tried to script a recovery but was run out in the 15th over to leave CSK with dashed hopes.
CSK have another chance to qualify for the final as they will play the winner of the Rajasthan Royals-Royal Challengers Bangalore game.