Images from the IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, in Delhi, on Saturday.
Kieron Pollard came up with a scintillating innings to steer Mumbai Indians to a four-wicket victory over Chennai Super Kings in the IPL match, in Delhi, on Saturday.
The West Indies all-rounder, who took two crucial CSK wickets earlier, hammered 6 fours and 8 sixes in a hurricane, unbeaten on 87 off just 34 balls, scoring the winning run off the last delivery as the defending champions chased down 219 off the last ball.
Earlier, Chennai Super Kings, rode on an unbeaten 72 off 27 balls from Ambati Rayudu and blazing knocks from Moeen Ali and Faf du Plessis at the top of the innings to post 218 for 4.
The victory swelled Mumbai’s points tally to eight after seven matches and kept them in fourth spot.
Chennai Super Kings retained the top spot in the eight-team league with 10 points despite their second defeat in seven matches.
Mumbai Indians got the innings underway with regular openers Quinton de Kock and Rohit Sharma, while Deepak Chahar bowled CSK's first over.
The opening pair went about their task admirably, taking nearly ten an over as the defending champions ended the powerplay with 58-0.
All the CSK bowlers were at the receiving end, with Lungi Ngidi punished the most, conceding 14 runs from the sixth over. Deepak Chahar also came in for rough treatment, going for 15 in the fourth over before finishing with 0 for 37 runs in his four overs.
CSK skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni brought in Shardul Thakur for the eighth over, with Mumbai well-placed at 68 without loss. The right-arm pacer struck with his fourth delivery, dismissing Rohit.
The Mumbai Indians captain tried to go over the off-side, but couldn't time it well and Ruturaj Gaikwad took the catch.
Rohit was out for 35 off 24 balls, which included 4 fours and a six, as Mumbai were reduced to 71 for 1 in the eighth over.
There was another wicket for CSK soon after, as Suryakumar Yadav (3) was caught by Dhoni off Ravindra Jadeja's fourth delivery in the ninth over. Mumbai were 77 for 2.
Moeen Ali came into the attack and got another one for CSK. He had de Kock caught and bowled for 38 off 28, which included 4 fours and a six, and Mumbai Indians were in a spot at 81 for 3 in the 10th over.
However, Kieron Pollard came to the crease and steadied the rocking ship with Krunal Pandya. The West Indian hit three sixes off Jadeja in the 13th over to get Mumbai Indians 20 runs from it and help them move to 114 for 3.
Pollard continued to deal in sixes and hit Lungi Ngidi for successive maximums in the 14th over to get to 35 off 13 balls.
Mumbai picked 16 from the over to get to 130 for 3.
The 50-run partnership between Pollard and Krunal was brought up by a wide from Thakur off the first ball of the 15th over. Pollard hit a six off the resultant free-hit, then followed it up with three fours. The third boundary took him to 53 off 17 balls.
Thakur was hit for 23 runs in the over and Mumbai were 153 for 3 at the end of the 15th.
Sam Curran, who conceded 17 runs from his first two overs, returned to the attack for the 17th over and ended the 89-run partnership, dismissing Krunal leg before wicket for 32 off 23.
The England bowler conceded just two runs from the over as Mumbai got to 171 for 4.
Mumbai Indians needed 48 runs off 18 balls, with Pollard on 56 and Hardik Pandya on 1.
Pollard hit Thakur for 14, including six and four, before du Plessis dropped him off the penultimate ball of the 18th over as 17 runs came off it.
Hardik hammered two sixes off Curram in the 19th over before du Plessis caught the batsman to keep CSK's hopes alive.
Curran picked another one, dismissing James Neesham with the last delivery of the over.
Mumbai needed 16 off the last six deliveries, bowled by Ngidi.
However, Ngidi flopped big time.
After a dot off the first ball, Pollard hit Ngidi for two fours, a six off the fifth and two off the last delivery to seal victory for Mumbai Indians.
16 runs came from the over as Pollard was unbeaten on 87 off 34 balls, which included 6 fours and 8 sixes.
Earlier, blazing knocks from Moeen Ali and Faf du Plessis at the top of the innings, and Ambati Rayudu later, enabled Chennai Super Kings post an imposing 218 for 4.
Ali and du Plessis scored 58 and 50 respectively in a 108-run partnership for the second wicket before Rayudu, who notched his fifty off just 20 balls, fired 72 runs off just 27 to give the three-time champions their highest total against the defending champions.
Ravindra Jadeja also chipped with a handy knock of 22 runs.
For Mumbai Indians, Kieron Pollard bagged two wickets for 12 runs in two overs.
Jasprit Bumrah went for 56 runs in his four overs, while Trent Boult took one wicket for 42 runs.
Mumbai Indians won the toss and decided to bowl first. They made two changes to the side that beat Rajasthan Royals in the previous match. Dhawal Kulkarni came in place of Nathan Coulter-Nile and Jimmy Neesham for Jayant Yadav.
Chennai Super Kings chose to go in with same eleven that trounced SunRisers Hyderabad in their previous match.
The in-form pair of du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad opened the batting for CSK, but it was pacer Boult who gave Mumbai Indians a dream start, dismissing Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Gaikwad scored a four off second delivery, but got a leading edge off the New Zealand pacer's fourth ball, which carried to Hardik Pandya at backward point.
Gaikwad was out for 4 off 4 balls, and CSK were 4 for 1 after the first over.
New batsman Moeen Ali watched from the other end as Du Plessis took on Dhawal Kulkarni in the next over, hitting him for a four and six as 11 runs came from the second over.
Moeen then sent Boult for a six and four in the next over as CSK took 12 runs from it to get to 27 for 1.
The two batsmen guided the Super Kings to 49 for 1 at the end of the powerplay overs, with Moeen scoring 26 off 19 balls and du Plessis 17 off 13.
The 50 of the innings came up in the seventh over, from which only four runs were scored. But the duo went on the rampage after that, getting 16 from the ninth, bowled by Rahul Chahar.
Moeen brought up his 50 with a single off the second delivery of Neesham's second over and then hit two fours off the bowler to take CSK to 95 for 1 at the end of the 10th, which fetched 18 runs.
Moeen was batting on 58 off 35 and du Plessis on 31 off 21.
Du Plessis then hit Jasprit Bumrah for two successive sixes and a four before the pacer ended the 108-run partnership for the second wicket by dismissing Moeen with the fifth delivery of the 11th over.
The England batsman tried to guide the ball behind the wickets but could not get enough power and wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock easily gloved the offering.
Moeen was out for 58 off 36 balls, which included 5 fours and 5 sixes. 17 runs came from the over as CSK were reduced to 112 for 2.
Kieron Pollard was introduced in the 12th over and he struck immediately, dismissing du Plessis and Suresh Raina, playing his 200th IPL game, off successive deliveries.
He had du Plessis caught by Bumrah at short fine leg off the penultimate delivery of the 12th over and Raina caught by Krunal Pandya off the last ball.
Du Plessis was out for 50 off 28 balls, while Raina 2 off 4. Suddenly, CSK were reeling at 116-4 after 12 overs.
Ambati Rayudu, who came in at the fall of du Plessis's wicket, took a few balls to settle down before launching into the Mumbai bowlers. He hit Dhawal Kulkarni for two sixes in the 16th over as CSK collect 17 runs to get to 153-4.
16 runs came off the 17th over, bowled by Bumrah. Jadeja hit two fours and Rayudu two sixes to take CSK to 174 for 4.
Boult returned for his last over in the 18 and conceded just three runs off the first three balls before Rayudu hit him for a six, his fifth off the innings, off the next delivery. A four off the fifth ball brought up his 50 off just 20 balls. He ended the over with a six as Boult bled 20 runs and CSK were 194 for 4 at the end of the 18th.
Jadeja brought up the 200 of the innings with a four as Bumrah conceded 10 runs in the penultimate over and CSK were 204-4.
Rayudu hit a six and four off the last to balls of the final over, bowled by Kulkarni, to enable CSK finish with 218-4, their highest total against Mumbai Indians.
He was unbeaten with 72 off 27 balls and Jadeja 22 not out off 22.
- IPL 2021
