IPL 4 Match 44: Mumbai Indians Cruise as Pune Warriors India Fail to Avoid Exit

The Pune Warriors India had their moments. However, there just did not seem enough of a drive, not like the Mumbai Indians anyway which meant that the Sachin Tendulkar led team were able to bounce back to score an easy win in the end at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.

lasith malinga kieron pollard mumbai indians

The Mumbai Indians batsmen were getting starts but failing to kick on. The Pune Warriors could have capitalized on that fact. Sachin Tendulkar and Ambati Rayudu held fort briefly. But it was not until Tirumalasetti Suman and Kieron Pollard made it count that Mumbai Indians were able to progress from three down for sixty-nine to 160 in their twenty overs.

Suman was the surprise package as he was reportedly promoted up the order by the Mumbai Indians captain himself and he repaid the faith with thirty-six valuable runs off only sixteen overs, scoring three tremendous sixes along the way. Pollard did his bit, making twenty-eight runs from twenty-one balls as Mumbai Indians reached a score that certainly left the more confident when they started, Rahul Sharma yet again impressing for the Puen Warriors with figures of two wickets for seven off his four overs, a tremendous feat that earned him the Man of the Match.

Manish Pandey made a strong impact, having missed the start of the IPL 4, with fifty-nine runs. But what the Pune Warriors needed for a couple of strong partnerships. But that has not been Pune Warriors' forte which has been their bane, and which has also led to their exit from qualifying for the IPL 4.

Pandey's half century was thwarted by the Mumbai Indians making inroads, Lasith Malinga in particular hurting the Warriors badly with a bouncer that Yuvraj Singh, the Pune Warriors captain, tired to fend away, but only ended up being dismissed. Yuvraj's wicket left them weaker at seventy-seven for four which worsened to five down for 119 with the exit of Pandey as the target began to get away from them.

Malinga eventually picked up three overs as Pune Warriors could only manage 139 runs, losing the match and the opportunity to qualify for the final four in the IPL 4 points table by twenty-one runs.