IPL-2:Splendid batting by Sachin and Sanath take Mumbai to their second victory beating Kolkata knight riders

 

Mumbai captain Sachin Tendulkar won the toss and elected to bat first. Mumbai and Kolkata made one change each in their team. Arindam Ghosh replaced Ajit Agarkar in the Kolkata team while Mumbai included Saurabh Tiwary in the place of Dhawal Kulkarni.
Tendulkar took Mumbai to a blazing start with boundaries and sixers flowing off his bat. Jayasuriya, on the other hand, was slower than his usual self, rotating the strike. At the completion of 5 overs, Mumbai had scored 45 runs at a runrate of 9 runs per over. Jayasuriya got back to his usual self after blasting Ganguly for two consecutive sixers in the sixth over.
As soon as the spinners were introduced into the attack, it was raining sixers and fours. Mendis and Gayle were thrashed by the explosive combo of Sachin and Sanath.

Sachin went on to score his fifty with a six off Mendis. His fifty came up off just 34 balls while Mumbai reached their hundred in just the 9th over. At the end of 10 overs Mumbai were at a commanding position having scored 111 runs. Tendulkar and Jayasuriya remained unbeaten at the crease. While Tendulkar was on 60 off 39 balls, Jayasuriya was also going strong at 43 off just 21 balls.
Post break, Jayasuriya got to his first fifty in IPL 2009. He got his fifty off just 26 balls. Kolkata tasted their first bit of success when Tendulkar was out LBW to Laxmi Ratan Shukla. Tendulkar managed to score 68 runs off just 45 balls which included 6 fours and 4 sixers.

Much to everybody's surprise, Harbhajan was sent it at number three to continue the carnage on Kolkata. He got off the mark immediately with a boundary off Shukla. The run feast continued as Harbhajan scored two consecutive sixers off Hodge. However, a third attempt by him did not clear the ropes but found the hands of Ajantha Mendis at deep mid-wicket. Kolkata got the big wicket of Jayasuriya in the 15th over. Shukla got his second wicket when Jayasuriya, after scoring 52 runs, held out to Arindam Ghosh at point. The big hitting Abhishek Nayar came in at the loss of that wicket but could not capitalize on the good start provided by the openers. A confusion with JP Duminy resulted in his run-out. With 3 overs remaining, Mumbai lost another wicket. Dwayne Bravo attempted a big hit but could not clear the field. He was caught  by Gayle as Shukla picked up his third wicket.
The explosive Shikar Dhawan was the next man to come in. After hitting Ishant Sharma for a six, he gave his wicket to the same bowler. Attempting a shot over point, Dhawan nicked the ball and was caught by the keeper. Having scoring 111 runs in the first 10 overs thanks to the experienced pair of Tendulkar and Jayasuriya, Mumbai lost quick wickets in the middle overs. At the end of their innings they managed a score of 187 runs after losing 6 wickets.

Mumbai started off with Zaheer and Malinga. The bowlers maintained a tight line and length making it difficult for the batsmen to score. Malinga got the first breakthrough for Mumbai by dismissing McCullum in the second over. Gayle was the next man to be dismissed by his West Indian counterpart, Dwayne Bravo after edging the ball to Tendulkar at the slips. The 'Prince of Kolkata' walked in to join Hodge. Together they put on good partnership, chipping away singles and twos. They ended the 10th over at 70 runs after losing two wickets.
Once again, the 'Strategy Timeout' came to the favour of Mumbai when Hodge faced his first ball after the break. Playing down the wrong line, Hodge was comprehensively bowled by Nayar. After a good innings, Ganguly was the next man to go when he held out to Bravo. Nayar picked up his second wicket as Ganguly was out on 34. A third wicket for Nayar came in the same over when he sent Ghosh back to the dugout. Kolkata were down and almost out.
Malinga was brought back into the attack and he finished up the cleaning job when he dismissed Mendis and Dinga off consecutive balls. In the process, he picked up the 'Purple Cap' for being the highest wicket taker. However he was denied a hat-trick because an injured Anureet Singh did not walk into the middle. All in all, it was a comprehensive victory for the Mumbai team thanks to the efforts of the veterans Tendulkar and Jayasuriya. Meanwhile, Kolkata are on the verge of hitting rock-bottom with their batting and bowling letting them down miserably.

Interesting facts:
Mumbai Indians were 61/0 at the end of the powerplay, which is their highest total after 6 overs.
The 127-run opening stand was the highest partnership for any wicket in IPL 2009.
The opening stand between Sachin and Jayasuriya was only the second hundred-plus partnership of the season.
Chris Gayle hit the 150th six of IPL 2009 when he hit Bravo over long on in the 3rd over of the innings.
This is the biggest margin of victory in IPL 2009 (in terms of runs).
This was the second time that Kolkata were dismissed under 100 against Mumbai. They were dismissed for 67 against Mumbai in IPL 2008.

Man of the match:

Sachin Tendulkar was awarded the Man of the match for his 68 runs off just 45 runs.