Pune Supergiant were the hot favourites to win the IPL 10 Twenty20 qualifier 1 as they edged out the home side, Mumbai Indians by 20 runs at the Wankhede Stadium. Mumbai Indians failed to achieve a quick breakthrough in breaking the second wicket stand of Rahane and Manoj Tiwari. Both played to a plan to build a decent total and Dhoni dominated the slog overs to make a match of it in the end. Rohit Sharma led side was weak against spin bowling failed once again to the wiles of Washington Sundar as he grabbed three vital wickets and won the Man of the match award also for his fine bowling. Mumbai Indians counted the chickens before they were actually hatched by putting the opposition into bat and paid heavy price as they could fair well against Pune’s pace cum spin bowling. Smith’s side showed supremacy and his captaincy and the two catches he took at mid-wicket changed the complexion of the game totally. Mumbai need to show stability in batting and penetrative bowlers if they really had any real chance of coming to the final.
Thus the so called mighty Mumbai Indians was unable to break Pune jinx and finished as a loser despite topping the IPL 10 table with 20 points from 10 wins. The team was done and dusted after the first wicket fell at 35 through a run out. Rohit, Rayadu and Pollard all perished to the wiles and guiles of Tamil Nadu off-spinner Washington Sundar. He is youngest IPL player to win the Man of the match award for his inspiring 4-0-16-3 wickets spell. S. Thakur the Mumbai bowler playing for Pune Supergiant claimed 3 for 37 to hasten the end with Unadkat and Ferguson chipping with a wicket each. Mumbai batsmen showed the weakness against spin and they lacked ammunition to spin out the opposition after first two wickets fell for 9 runs on the board. Rahane 56 (43 balls), M. Tiwary (58 of 48 balls) and Dhoni with an unbeaten 40 of 26 balls with 5 sixes stole the limelight in the end. Mumbai tail fail to live up to the mighty batting line up lost wickets at regular intervals and surrendered at the end. But for Parthiv Patel’s 52 of 40 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes, there was no substance in the batting line up. And for the third time in this season Mumbai Indians were priced out by the Pune Supergiant in a contest of neighbours. Much expected Mumbai batting line up fell like nine pins and lost the initiative in getting the opposition contained with the score of 162. For Mumbai Indians it is do or die situation from now on in I P L 10.
Mumbai Indians lacked application on uncharacteristic Wankhede pitch to lose to RPS for the third time. Pune played out the Mumbai spinners who were difficult to get away and ensured they kept wickets intact for a late surge. Mitchell McClenaghan, a bowler known for picking up wickets with the new ball, came into bowl in the 19th over and provided the Pune batsmen with just the right pace to time their shots. In addition, the Kiwi bowler was all over the place with his length allowing Dhoni to punish him. In the first innings spinners conceded runs at 6.49 runs per over compared to 8.57 runs per over for the pacers and that was the ultimate difference.
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