IPL 2014 Highlights MI vs RR: Corey Anderson's 44-ball 95* Fires Mumbai Indians Into Playoffs

Mumbai Indians defeated the Rajasthan Royals and booked a playoffs berth in the Indian Premier League 2014: (Scorecard | Commentary | Points Table | Fixtures)

 

Mumbai Indians won by five wickets. Set 190 to chase, the defending champions blazed down the target in 14.4 overs to edge the Rajasthan Royals on the basis of a better net run rate. Corey Anderson, the man who hit the fastest ODI century earlier this year, took on the Royals on his own and hit sixes and boundaries at will. Not one bowler was spared and when Ambati Rayudu took Shane Watson apart for three successive boundaries, RR would have known they were out of the contest.

 

That's the end of this match and the group stages.

22:48 IST: Anderson is doing it all on his own, much like Yusuf did for KKR last night. RR are certainly looking worried now; as Rayudu joins in the carnage. It could be all over for the Royals very soon.

 

22:40 IST: Anderson slams Kulkarni for SIX to bring up his maiden IPL half-century as MI continued to plunder the runs and looked good to chase it down in 14.3 overs.

 

22:36 IST: WICKET! Another blow for MI as Kulkarni removes Rohit Sharma for 16 off 11. Corey Anderson is waging a lonely battle for the defending champions. MI 108/4 off 9.4 overs.

 

22:27 IST: Pravin Tambe is difficult to score off under normal circumstances but Anderson threw caution to the wind and clobbered Tambe for a four and six off successive balls as the leggie went for 14 in his first over. MI 89/3 off 8.

 

22:14 IST: WICKET! Cooper gets another and what's more, he sees off Kieron Pollard who had just hit a massive six. RR are back in it and how. MI of course are in with a chance still with Rohit Sharma in now.

 

22:09 IST: WICKET! Kevon Cooper has struck in his first over to remove the dangerous Michael Hussey for 22 off 11 balls as MI slip to 53/2 off 4.2 overs as Kieron Pollard joins Anderson in the middle.

 

22:06 IST: Anderson and Hussey helped themselves to a SIX each as Kulkarni leaked 19 runs from his second over, with MI on 53/1 off 4.

 

22:00 IST: Shane Watson brought himself on but ran into Corey Anderson, who hammered his first two balls for four and six. Hussey then charged down the pitch but an outside edge carried the ball to the fence. MI 34/1 off 3 overs

 

21:52 IST: Mumbai Indians have made their intentions clear. After Simmons carted Faulkner for three fours, Hussey took Dhawal Kulkarni on for a SIX. And just a few balls later, Dhawal struck to remove Lendl Simmons as MI were 19/1 off 1.5 overs.

 

Rajasthan Royals score 189/4 off their 20 overs. After a slow start, where they lost Shane Watson, the Royals rode on a stunning 100-run stand off 57 balls between Sanju Samson (74) and Karun Nair (50) as Mumbai Indians' star-studded bowling attack struggled to find answers. After the duo departed, James Faulkner (23) and Brad Hodge (29 not out) blazed cameos to help the Royals post a massive total. MI need to get these runs in 14.3 overs.

 

21:18 IST: Another big over for the Royals; they take 18 off Harbhajan's last and move to 161/3 off 18. Faulkner hammered the offie for two sixes and a four.

 

21:10 IST: WICKET! The mayhem has come to an end. Shreyas Gopal, who has been at the receiving end tonight, picked up the wicket of Sanju Samson for 74 off 47 balls as RR reached 136/3 off 15.3 overs.

 

21:06 IST: WICKET! That's the end of Karun as he perishes to Bumrah for 50 off 27 balls. This partnership brought RR right back into it, especially after a slow start which saw the downfall of Watson. But Karun and Samson added 100 from 9.3 overs to deflate the Mumbai Indians attack.

 

21:00 IST: Karun Nair blasts his third IPL half-century, off only 26 balls as RR move to 114/1 off 13.4 overs and soon after Samson slams Harbhajan for SIX as RR move to 121/1 off 14 overs.

 

20:53 IST: Samson races away to his third IPL fifty, the second of the season while Karun gets after Ojha to hit a SIX and two FOURs as RR move to 106/1, with seven overs to go.

 

20:59 IST: After Gopal went for 19, Pollard was taken apart for 12 as the Royals continued to build a strong platform for a late-order assault from the likes of Faulkner and Hodge. RR 90/1 off 12 overs.

 

20:45 IST: RR are gaining some much-needed momentum as Karun gets after Gopal. They are going to need a few more overs like these.19 runs came off the over with RR on 78/1 off 11 overs.

 

20:38 IST: Samson blasts Sheyas Gopal for a SIX as RR get a move-on; they are 53/1 off nine overs. They need Samson to stay in the middle and get a big one here.

 

20:32 IST: Harbhajan and Ojha, the MI spinners have tied the Royals down. RR 43/1 after 8 overs.

 

20:24 IST: Just when Tendulkar had started to praise Harbhajan on how well he has bowled this season, the discarded India off-spinner struck to remove Watson as RR reached 34/1 off 5.3 overs.

 

20:20 IST: Mumbai Indians have kept the Royals silent with 30/0 off five overs and Sachin Tendulkar, the team mentor is a happy man. "This is a fantastic start for us. Bumrah has done well at the top and has been ably supported by Anderson." Just then Samson hit Ojha for SIX and he drew immediate praise from the Little Master.

 

20:12 IST: Samson strikes Anderson for two successive boundaries as RR move to 15/0 after three overs.

 

20:08 IST: Excellent first over from Jasprit Bumrah as he delivers a maiden to Shane Watson; the ball was moving a bit. RR 5/0 off 2 overs.

 

20:04 IST: Sanju Samson creams Corey Anderson for a boundary as RR move to 5/0 off 1 over.

 

19:39 IST: Here are the playing XIs:

 

MI: LMP Simmons, MEK Hussey, RG Sharma (Captain), KA Pollard, AT Rayudu, CJ Anderson, AP Tare (WK), Harbhajan Singh, S Gopal, PP Ojha, JJ Bumrah

RR: AM Rahane, KK Nair, SR Watson (Captain), SV Samson (WK), BJ Hodge, AM Nayar, JP Faulkner, KK Cooper, Ankit Sharma, PV Tambe, DS Kulkarni

 

19:34 IST: Mumbai Indians decided to bowl against Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede. MI have brought in Corey Anderson while RR have made three changes, bringing in Abhishek Nayar, Dhawal Kulkarni and Ankit Sharma.

Preview

Still in with a chance to make the playoffs, title-holders Mumbai Indians will take on former champions Rajasthan Royals here on Sunday in what would be a virtual knock-out game to make the playoffs of the Indian Premier League.

The rival teams will go into the game after knowing whether the third team still in the running to nail the fourth and last spot in the four-team playoffs, Sunrisers Hyderabad, would be standing or have fallen by the wayside after their last round-robin game against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday.

Rajasthan are the front-runners to make the knockout stage with 14 points in their kitty and a win will take them through. But it would be difficult task in the Mumbai's fortress which has been breached just once by Chennai Super Kings, going back to last season.

Rajasthan, who were beaten by table-toppers Kings XI Punjab on Friday at Mohali, have a better net run-rate of + 0.247.

Mumbai, on 12 points, seem to be on a roll after convincing back to back wins over Kings XI Punjab on May 21 and Delhi Daredevils last night. They have a Net Run Rate of -.086 and would not only have to win but do it with a handsome margin to make the grade. (Read more)

Pragyan Ojha in PETA Ad as Caged Tiger

Cricketer Pragyan Ojha has figured as a caged tiger in the latest advertisement of People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Ojha, a left-arm spinner, playing for Mumbai Indian in the Indian Premier League (IPL) took time out of his busy schedule to speak up for animals who suffer every day of their lives locked up in zoos, a press release issued by PETA said. (Read more)

Squads

Rajasthan Royals: Shane Watson (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, James Faulkner, Stuart Binny, Sanju Samson, Brad Hodge, Steven Smith, Abhishek Nayar, Ben Cutting, Kane Richardson, Tim Southee, Unmukt Chand, Ankush Bains, Vikramjeet Malik, Rahul Tewatia, Ankit Sharma, Amit Mishra, Deepak Hooda, Rajat Bhatia, Kevon Cooper, Iqbal Abdulla, Dhawal Kulkarni, Pravin Tambe, Karun Nair, Dishant Yagnik.

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (captain), Corey Anderson, Jasprit Bumrah, Marchant de Lange, Ben Dunk, Chidhambaram Gautam, Shreyas Gopal, Harbhajan Singh, Josh Hazlewood, Michael Hussey, Praveen Kumar, Sushant Marathe, Pragyan Ojha, Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Krishmar Santokie, Lendl Simmons, Pawan Suyal, Aditya Tare, Apoorv Wankhade.