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Navi Mumbai: Pollard's late flourish with the bat followed by Lasith Malinga's three wickets helped table-toppers Mumbai Indians beat Pune Warriors by 21 runs in IPL match.
If Tendulkar doesn't get you, Kieron Pollard will. If Malinga doesn't get you, Harbhajan will. Unfortunately, the Pune Warriors learnt this lesson the hard way as they managed 139/7, 21 runs short of the target at the DY Patil stadium on Wednesday.
Mumbai thus handed Pune their seventh successive loss in the IPL. The Warriors are now at bottom with 4 points from nine matches, while MI top the table with 14 from 9. Harbhajan (1/17) and Munaf (1/30) cracked open the game in their opening spells. Harbhajan nailed Jesse Ryder for a first ball duck and Munaf got Graeme Smith (6) with a bouncer that the South African mistimed.
At 17/2, Tendulkar smelt blood, and went for all-out attack. Munaf bowled with two slips, while Harbhajan trotted in with a slip and a silly point.
New man Abhishek Jhunjhunwala (10; 15b, 2x4s) looked uncomfortable, but Manish Pandey (59; 47, 4x4s, 3x6s) managed to sneak a couple of boundaries.
Pollard, who replaced Harbhajan, kept the pressure on Jhunjhunwala, who in his bid to up the scoring rate, went for the slog, top-edged it and was lapped up by keeper Ambati Rayudu.
Earlier, Warriors bowling spearhead Alfonso Thomas was butchered by Kieron Pollard (30; 21b, 2x4s, 2x6s) and Harbhajan Singh (8; 3b, 1x6). Thomas, 34, gave away 27 off his last over and ended with figures of 4-0-54-1.
Brief scores
Mumbai Indians 160 for 7 (Suman 36, Rahul 2-7)
Pune Warriors 139 for 7 (Pandey 59, Malinga 3-25)
Results Mumbai Indians by 21 runs
MOM Rahul Sharma (Pune Warriors)
Points Mumbai Indians 2, Pune Warriors 0
