From the iSport Cricket Pavilion: An inspired bowling performance from skipper Harbhajan Singh (3/20) helped Mumbai defend a meagre total of 139 and lift the Champions League T20 trophy beating Royal Challengers Bangalore by 31 runs in the final at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai.
Both teams went into the match with following line-ups:
Mumbai Indians: Harbhajan Singh (capt), AN Ahmed, AC Blizzard, YS Chahal, JEC Franklin, S Kanwar, SL Malinga, KA Pollard, AT Rayudu (wk), R Sathish, SA Yadav
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Daniel Vettori (capt), Mayank Agarwal, Sreenath Aravind, Arun Karthik (wk), Raju Bhatkal, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Chris Gayle, Mohammad Kaif, Virat Kohli, Dirk Nannes, Saurabh Tiwary.
Mumbai captain, Harbhajan Singh, won the toss, elected to bat, but got off to a bad start as Mumbai lost Blizzard in just the second over of the innings via a horrible run out. Blizzard smashed one straight down, the ball deflected off bowler, Nannes, to mid off, non striker Kanwar was caught ball watching, the fielder lobbed the ball to keeper who whipped off the bails with both batsmen at the same end.
Kanwar's uncharacteristic innings of 13, which included a humongous six off Dilshan in the first over, came to end when he was cleaned up by Nannes in the fourth over. With just 30 runs from five overs, Franklin tried to up the ante in the last over of the powerplay with a six and four off Aravind, scoring 13 runs from the over.
Rayudu looked solid at the other end as he lifted one over deep midwicket boundary off Vettori. Franklin and Rayudu added 41 from 31 deliveries before the latter hit one straight to Gayle at extra cover.
Franklin and Suryakumar Yadav added 11 runs off the next two overs before Yadav finally blasted Dilshan for back-to-back four and six to take the score to 96 for 3 from 13 overs. Franklin had settled in nicely by now and he took the aggressive approach, hitting Vettori for six over deep midwicket.
But disaster struck for Mumbai as they lost two wickets in three balls through run outs. Yadav was the first to depart, brilliantly run out by Vettori off his own bowling and a misunderstanding between Pollard and Franklin for the second run cost Mumbai their well set batsman, Franklin. Franklin made 41 from 29 balls with two hits to the fence and two over it.
Vettori got the big fish Pollard, caught at long off in the next over and a ball later had Harbhajan Singh trapped in front to reduce Mumbai to 109 for 7 in the 16th over. Wickets at regular intervals made sure that Mumbai could only manage 139 from 20 overs as they scored 24 run from the last four overs, losing three wickets.
In reply, Royal Challengers Bangalore got off to a good start as openers Gayle and Dilshan helped them to 38/0 from just four overs. Harbhajan played the gamble of giving Malinga his third over at a stretch and it worked wonders for Mumbai as Malinga got the important wicket of Dilshan (cleaned up with his trademark Yorker) off the first ball of the fifth over.
Harbhajan Singh then trapped Gayle, who was uncharacteristically slow, leg before wicket to reduce RCB to with sharp to 42 for 2 in the sixth over. Kohli and Agarwal added 25 for the third wicket but Agarwal couldn't last long as he hit one straight to long off off Chahal.
Harbhajan Singh then got the big wicket of Kohli who slog swept one straight down deep midwicket's throat. Last ball six hero, Arun Karthik, didn't last long as Chahal had him caught at long off for a duck in the 13th over to make it 75 for 5.
RCB managed just six runs from the next two overs which brought the equation to 59 from 30 balls. The pressure got to Kaif as he mistimed one into the hands of long off in the next over off Pollard. Saurabh Tiwary managed a rare six to bring the equation to 49 from 24 but two wickets in two overs made sure it was a cake walk for Mumbai from then on as Harbhajan had Vettori stumped in the 17th over and Abu Nechim removed Tiwary in the next to reduce RCB to 98 for 8. Maling and Nechim wrapped up the innings on 108 in the next two overs picking up a wicket each, helping Mumbai lift the Champions League T20 trophy beating Royal Challengers Bangalore by 31 runs.
Harbhajan Singh was named the man of the match for his inspired bowling spell of 3/20 from four overs.
Scores: Mumbai Indians: 139/10; Royal Challengers Bangalore: 108/10
Man of the Match: Harbhajan Singh
Player of the Tournament: Lasith Malinga
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