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Best innags Mumbai Indians beat Chennai Super Kings by Pollard's explosive innings |
Offensive batsman Kieron Pollard played an unbeaten 87-run innings to give Mumbai Indians a thrilling four-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings in the IPL match played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium here on Saturday. Chennai made a difficult 218 for four in 20 overs with the help of openers Faf du Plessis (50), Moin Ali (58) and Ambati Rayudu (not out), but Pollard hit six fours off 34 balls. He scored 87 not out with the help of 8 sixes to give Mumbai victory. Mumbai won by 219 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in 20 overs. Pollard was named Player of the Match for his match-winning innings.
In pursuit of a big target, captain Rohit Sharma and Quinton de Kock got off to a great start with 71 runs. Rohit was caught out by Shardul Thakur at the hands of Raturaj Gaikwad. Rohit hit four fours and a six in 35 off 24 balls. Surya Kumar Yadav scored three runs and was caught by wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni off Ravindra Jadeja. De Kock made 34 off 28 balls with the help of four fours and a six before giving a return catch to off-spinner Moin Ali.
After losing three wickets for 81, Kieron Pollard and Kronal Pandya counter-attacked Chennai's bowling and hit four sixes. Pollard completed his half-century off just 17 balls, setting a record for the fastest half-century of the season. Pollard hit six sixes in that period. Chennai's fourth win came on the team's score of 170 when Sam Karen LBWed Kronal Pandya. Cronell hit two fours and two sixes in 32 off 23 balls.
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Pollard hit a straight six off Shardul Thackeray's ball in the 18th over and a four off the next ball. Faf du Plessis dropped an easy catch to Pollard on the fifth ball of the over. Hardik Pandya hit two sixes off the first two balls of Karen's 19th over. Pandya was caught by Faf du Plessis on the fourth ball of the over. Hardik hit two sixes in 16 runs off seven balls. On the last ball of Karen's over, Jimmy Nesham was caught by Thakur near the boundary.
Mumbai now needed 16 runs off the last six balls to win. Pollard hit two fours off Longi Engedi's second and third balls. Pollard did not take a single off the fourth ball but hit a six off the fifth ball and scored two runs off the last ball to give Mumbai the victory.
Raturaj Gaikwad hit a four off the first ball of Trent Bolt but caught Hardik Pandya on the fourth ball of the same over. But then Du Plessis and Moin Ali put on an impressive 108-run stand for the second wicket. Ali hit some great sixes during this time. DuPlace also left no stone unturned in hitting fours and sixes.
Ali hit five fours and five sixes for 58 off 36 balls while Du Plessis hit two fours and four sixes for 50 off 28 balls. Moin Ali caught wicketkeeper Quetin de Cock off Jaspreet Bumrah, while Karen Pollard bowled Do Place and Suresh Raina in the next over. Reena, playing her 200th IPL match, was unable to take any advantage of it and was dismissed for two off four balls.
Chennai lost three wickets for 112 to 116 runs. But then Ambati Rayudu batted uniquely and scored 72 not out off just 27 balls with the help of four fours and seven sixes. Rayudu got the best of Ravindra Jadeja, who scored 22 off 22 balls with the help of two fours. Rayudu and Jadeja added 102 runs for the fifth wicket not out partnership to take Chennai to 218 runs.
Bumrah took one wicket for the most 56 runs in four overs. Dhawal Kalkarni scored 48 runs in four overs and Trent Bolt took one wicket for 42 runs in four overs. Karen Pollard took two wickets for 12 runs in two overs.
