Pollard blast takes Mumbai to No. 1

MUMBAI, May 13 : A Kieron Pollard special saw the Mumbai Indians climb to the top of the Indian Premier League table.
Chasing a daunting 179 for victory, Mumbai opener Dwayne Smith hit 4 boundaries before being clean bowled by Ishant Sharma.
Dinesh Karthik came to the middle and the batting run rate reduced as Sachin and Karthik attemped to consolidate. Mumbai’s fifty came up in the seventh over and from then on Sachin and Karthik let loose.
Just as Sachin and Karthik were looking to up the ante, Mumbai were struck a double blow. After hitting Karan Sharma for a four and a six in the 12th over, Sachin retired hurt on 38 with a hand injury.
A couple of balls later Dinesh Karthik top-edged a Karan Sharma delivery to Cameron White at extra cover.
Rohit Sharma and Ambati Rayudu were the two new batsmen at the crease, and Rayudu was stumped in Karan Sharma’s next over.
Sharma was then partnered by the dangerous Kieron Pollard but were thwarted by Dale Steyn. A fearsome 16th over by the South African yielded just 4 runs with the batsmen struggling against his pace and ferocity.
But it took just 1 over for the match to turn in Mumbai’s favour. Thisara Perera conceded 29 runs in the 17th over, as Kieron Pollard smacked him for 3 sixes.
Pollard hit a sensational 3 more sixes in the 18th over, as Amit Mishra conceded 21 runs. Pollard also brought up his match-winning half-century in just 20 balls as Mumbai needed just 12 to win in the next two overs.
Dale Steyn bowled the penultimate over of the match and conceded just 5 runs, finishing with figures of 0/23 in his 4 overs. But with seven required in the last over it was Mumbai’s game. Pollard hit a six in the first ball of the last over and followed it up with another to end the match.
Kieron Pollard hit a sensational 27-ball 66, which included 8 sixes, as Mumbai chased down 179 with 3 balls to spare.
Earlier in the match, Parthiv Patel got Hyderabad off to an excellent start in their innings, hitting 5 boundaries in the first 7 balls he faced. Mitchell Johnson was punished in the first over itself, conceding 18 runs.
Parthiv smashed 5 boundaries in an entertaining 26 before he pulled a Lasith Malinga to deep square leg.(Agencies)

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