Mumbai top Gayle's RCB in final
Published:Monday | October 10, 2011 | 12:00 AM
CHENNAI, India (CMC-IANS):
Both West Indies players in the final of the Champions League Twenty20 under-performed, but Kieron Pollard got to bask in the thrill of the Mumbai Indians' 31-run victory and championship glory over Royal Challengers Bangalore, whose line-up included Chris Gayle.
After scoring just two in Mumbai's 139 all out off 20 overs, Pollard collected the scalp of former Indian national batsman Mohammad Kaif in four overs that cost 21 runs and held a catch to dismiss Mayanka Agarwal, as Bangalore were dismissed for 108 with Gayle getting five.
The victory was formalised with four balls remaining, when Abu Nechim had Raju Bhatkal caught inside the long-off, sparking a spectacular pyrotechnic display and wild celebrations among the Mumbai players, their management and supporters in the stands.
"We went out there and we played our hearts out and it ended up with us coming out on top," said Pollard.
"It was a total team effort. The support was there from each and every one of us believed from the time we hit the field, so well done to the guys."
It was an incredible climax for Mumbai. They went home US$2.5 million richer, after their chances of winning the CLT20 looked to have sunk, when batting legend Sachin Tendulkar and fellow India teammates Rohit Sharma and Munaf Patel were sidelined before the tournament started with injury.
Mumbai Indians turned on their spin power and RCB, who had successfully chased 200-plus targets in two consecutive matches coming into the final, faded in a very disappointing batting performance on a typically low, slow Chidambaram Stadium pitch that afforded turn.
Heading the victory
Spearheading the Mumbai victory was their captain Harbhajan Singh. The patka-wearing off-spinner came away with three for 20 from four overs and young leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal grabbed two for nine in three overs, while Lasith Malinga snared two for 23 from four overs and Nechim captured two for 26 from 3.2 overs.
Yet, Mumbai Indians' bowling was anything but disciplined, as they sent down 14 wides and a no-ball, with extras contributing 20 to RCB's effort.
The RCB chase began on a typical note with a flurry of boundaries off Tillkaratne Dilshan's bat, while fellow opener Gayle barely got a look. The pair put on 38 runs in four overs.
Harbhajan opted to bowl Malinga a third over and the move paid off, as the ace Sri Lanka fast bowler extracted Dilshan's off-stump to draw first blood, before the Mumbai captain brought himself on for the next over and trapped a tentative Gayle lbw.
The RCB batsmen appeared ill at ease when Harbhajan switched to an all-spin attack and sure enough, RCB lost Mayank Agarwal, Virat Kohli and Arun Karthik in quick succession.
RCB slid deeper into the quick sand, when Karthik departed, caught in the deep off Chahal in the next over.
Going into the final six overs, RCB needed 63 and their batsmen caved under the mounting pressure, as wickets continued to fall at regular intervals.
MUMBAI INDIANS (maximum 20 overs)
| A. Blizzard run out (Aravind/+Arun Karthik) | 3 |
| S. Kanwar b Nannes | 13 |
| +A. Rayudu c Gayle b Bhatkal | 22 |
| J. Franklin run out (Agarwal/Nannes) | 41 |
| S. Yadav run out (Vettori) | 24 |
| K. Pollard c Kohli bVettori | 2 |
| R. Sathish c Agarwal b Bhatkal | 9 |
| Harbhajan Singh lbw bVettori | 0 |
| L. Malinga c Aravind b Bhatkal | 16 |
| Abu Nechim not out | 2 |
| Y. Chahal c Gayle b Aravind | 2 |
| Extras: (lb1, w4) | 5 |
| TOTAL: (all out, 20 overs) | 139 |
Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Blizzard, 1.2 overs); 2-24 (Kanwar, 3.6); 3-65 (+Rayudu, 9.2); 4-105 (Yadav, 13.5); 5-108 (Franklin, 14.2); 6-109 (Pollard, 15.1); 7-109 (Harbhajan Singh, 15.3); 8-135 (Sathish, 18.3); 9-135 (Malinga, 18.4)
Bowling: Dilshan 4-0-34-0; Nannes 4-0-14-1 (w2); Aravind 4-0-33-1;Vettori 4-0-30-2; Bhatkal 3-0-21-3; Gayle 1-0-6-0 (w1)
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE (target: 140 off 20 overs)
| T. Dilshan b Malinga | 27 |
| C. Gayle lbw bHarbhajan Singh | 5 |
| V. Kohli c Blizzard bHarbhajan Singh | 11 |
| M. Agarwal c Pollard b Chahal | 14 |
| S. Tiwary cHarbhajan Singh b Abu Nechim | 17 |
| +Arun Karthik c Pollard b Chahal | 0 |
| M. Kaif c Kanwar b Pollard | 3 |
| D. Vettori st Rayudu bHarbhajan Singh | 1 |
| R. Bhatkal c Sathish b Abu Nechim | 6 |
| S. Aravind b Malinga | 4 |
| D. Nannes not out | 0 |
| Extras: (b4, lb1, w14, nb1) | 20 |
| TOTAL: (all out, 19.2 overs) | 108 |
Fall of wickets: 1-38 (Dilshan, 4.1 overs); 2-42 (Gayle, 5.6); 3-67 (Agarwal, 10.3); 4-73 (Kohli, 11.5); 5-74 (+Arun Karthik, 12.5); 6-81 (Kaif, 15.1); 7-92 (Vettori, 16.2); 8-98 (Tiwary, 17.3); 9-108 (Aravind, 18.5)
Bowling: Malinga 4-0-23-2 (nb1, w2); Abu Nechim 3.2-0-26-2 (w2);Harbhajan Singh 4-0-23-3 (w3); Pollard 4-0-21-1 (w2); Chahal 3-0-9-2; Franklin 1-0-4-0 (w1)
Result: Mumbai Indians won by 31 runs
Series: Mumbai Indians win Champions League Twenty20
Toss: Mumbai Indians
Man-of-the-Match: Harbhajan Singh (Mumbai Indians)
Player-of-the-Series: L. Malinga (Mumbai Indians)
Umpires: K. Dharmasena, M. Erasmus
TV umpire: B. Bowden
Matchreferee: R. Madugalle
Reserve umpire: B. Doctrove.