The clash between two of the bottom-placed teams in the IPL. KP is back for DD but he looked rusty in the last game. Mumbai's big batsmen haven't come to the party either and that makes for a very intriguing contest.
Time for the toss. Rohit: We have to do everything right today. Bat first, put up runs. Bowl first, take wickets.
TOSS, MI vs DD: MI have won the toss and will bat first.
MI XI: M Hussey, A Tare, C Anderson, RG Sharma, K Pollard, A Rayudu, CM Gautam, H Singh, Z Khan, P Ojha, L Malinga
DD XI: Q de Kock, M Vijay, K Pietersen, D Karthik, JP Duminy, K Jadhav, L Ratan Shukla, W Parnell, S Nadeem, M Shami, J Unadkat
Rohit Sharma is opening the batting today. The middle-order experiment is over.
After 1 over: MI 7-0. Rohit got off the mark quickly but didn't do any major damage.
WICKET! Rohit has been run out by Shami (off his own bowling). Bad call. He has no chance. MI 10-1 after 1.4 overs. Rohit made 4.
After 3 overs, MI 16-1. They have simply been unable to get going and the loss of Rohit's wicket has hit them hard. As things stands, they are playing according to form.
WICKET! Tare goes for the big shot, finds the only man in the deep. Tare made 8, MI 17-2.
No Sachin for MI is like Man United without Ferguson.
Rayudu and Anderson in the middle. Getting a feel of the conditions. MI 22-2 after 4.1 overs, they need to start playing their shots right about now.
After 5 overs, MI are 31-2. And that is about it. The cricket hasn't bee enthralling. They are just about staying afloat. Where in the Anderson who smacked India's bowlers all over the park in NZ?
Four! Shami drops it short and Corey wakes up and pulls it for four. Easily done. MI 36-2
After 6 overs, MI 37-2 and it doesn't look like they have much of a plan. Just trying to put a respectable total if possible. Makes one wonder how much they are missing home ground advantage...
WICKET! MI 39-3 after 6.4 overs. Corey once again tried to hit the short ball but it came off the bottom of the bat. Quinton de Kock gets another catch, Unadkat gets the wicket.
MI 41-2 after 7 overs. Hussey and Rayudu in the middle.
MI 42-3 after 8 overs. This isn't looking good. You have to wonder what has gone wrong...
No one in the MI team seems to be trying to hit the big shots. It is still along the ground, a wait and watch strategy. And we know that doesn't work in T20.
WICKET! MI 46-4 after 9 overs. Rayudu walking back, caught at long-on. Easy catch, bad shot.
Pollard comes in and MI will be desperately hoping he comes good today.
TV shows Tendulkar having a heart-to-heart chat with Rohit Sharma. Wonder what that's about...
After 10 overs, MI are 49-4. Pollard has just come in but if he stays for 10 overs, we could have a good match on our hands.
After 12 overs, MI are 54-4 thanks to some bad bowling by Parnell.
After 13 overs, MI 59-4. Pollard smashed a four straight down the ground but that was about it. What are these guys thinking... given the number of superstar mentors MI have... surely at least their thought process should be better.
WICKET! Slower ball yorker does the trick for Unadkat. Hussey didn't pick it, got clean bowled. MI sink deeper into the quicksand. MI 63-5
MI after 69-5 after 15 overs.
MI 71-5 after 15,2 overs, they have managed to go by RCB's disaster yesterday.
Pollard, Gautam and MI are finally getting a move on. MI 90-5 after 16.4 overs.
And we have another four. MI 94-5. Gautam is taking his chances and it's paying off for now. MI need a lot more of this.
After 18 overs, MI are 100-5. Another two big overs will give them a chance.... a good chance. The timing has been off for the batsmen.
WICKET! MI 103-6 after 18.4 overs. Gautam run out and this was silly cricket. He needed to run for it -- you want Pollard on strike for as many balls. What was he thinking. Bhajji walks in.
Pollard flicks it away for four and then follows it up with a 100m six. MI after 19 overs, 113-6.
SIX! Bhajji is showing his MI team-mates how it's down. MI 123-6 after 19.4 ovs. A few more big blows and they will have a decent chance. That was out of the park.
MI finish at 125-6 after 20 overs. 56 runs in the last 5 overs. Do they have enough? It is a slow wicket but MI will need early wickets.
DD are out in the middle and they are playing on a different pitch. MI batsmen struggled with their timing but DD have no problem thus far. De Kock and Vijay in the middle. After 2 overs, DD 12-0.
After 3 overs, DD 14-0. They know what they have to chase and don't need to push it.
After 5 overs, DD 30-0. Slow and steady. But as long as DD have wickets in hand, they will not be too worried.
WICKET! DD 34-1. De Kock walking back after being caught brilliant by Hussey at point. Not for nothing is he Mr. Cricket.
After 7 overs, DD 36-1. The slow pitch isn't helping matters. MI will believe they have a chance.
After 9 overs, DD 49-1. Slow going but you'd still back them to win. Vijay is looking pretty set but hitting the big shots has not been easy.
After 10 overs, DD are 55-1. Duminy is in the middle and he has been a star for them this season. Still no reason to hit panic stations.
After 12 overs, DD 78-1 and MI just seem helpless at the moment. They don't know how to take wicket and they don't know how to make runs.
WICKET! Rohit Sharma comes into the attack, Vijay brings out the slog, misses and gets bowled. DD 79-2. The right-hander made 40 off 34 balls.
With Pietersen at the crease, Rohit probably needs to turn into a pie-chucker.
After 15 overs, DD are 103-2 and firmly in command. No way back for MI at this stage. Pietersen took Ojha for two fours in the last over -- bringing back memories of the Mumbai Test that England won recently.
WICKET! DD 103-3. Full delivery from Malinga is hit straight to the substitute fielder in the 30-yard circle. Duminy walking back. Job almost done.
WICKET! Another wicket. Full once again and Karthik finds the fielder this time. Are we heading for a thriller? DD 105-4.
21 runs off 24 balls. That is equation for DD -- KP still in the middle.
After 17 overs, DD are 112-4. 14 runs to win off 18 balls. KP has 21 off 23 balls.
DD are 118-4 with 12 balls to go. 8 runs off 12 balls. Sounds easy enough.
Jadhav tucks one away towards the fine leg boundary. DD win by 6 wickets. This was easy. Very poor cricket by MI -- they are rock bottom now.
"Batting [was the problem] 126 was not a score we were looking for. We needed to post something for the bowlers to defend," says Rohit Sharma. "We are looking forward to going to Bombay and playing but I hope the batters will step up here in our last game in Dubai."
This year, Mumbai Indians got rid of Glenn Maxwell & Mitchell Johnson. In another IPL era, they'd have traded Viv Richards for Madan Lal.by Alt Cricket via twitter 4/27/2014 10:59:31 AM
