Sunday, April 11, 2010

Mumbai Indians make semis

Sachin Tendulkar was the artist and the muse, inspiring the Mumbai Indians to invade the impregnable fortress of the Rajasthan Royals and hand the hosts their second home defeat by 37 runs at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium here on Sunday.

This win makes Mumbai Indians the first team to make it to the semi-finals.

Inspired by the Tendulkar innings, the Mumbai Indians put up a spirited performance on the field. Zaheer Khan bowled with passion and the Rajasthan Royals seemed to collapse under the pressure of the chasing a big total.

Tendulkar seemed to have been inspired by his face-off against old nemesis Shane Warne. The little genius [89*] lit up the night with his varied shot selection. 

The last over saw a new Tendulkar, one who hit two humungous sixes and a boundary to earn back the Orange Cap from Jacques Kallis and take Mumbai to a solid total of 174. Warne would be upset that his bowlers gave away 68 runs off the last five overs.

Ultimately, in the battle of the Masters, Shane Warne lost the plot while Sachin Tendulkar played the lead role in a memorable win.

Mumbai Indians 174 for 5 (Tendulkar 89*, Watson 3-37) beat Rajasthan Royals 137 for 8 (Dole 30, Zaheer 2-17) by 37 runs
Player of the match SR Tendulkar (Mumbai Indians)

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