Mumbai Indians dent Rajasthan Royals' top-two prospects

AHMEDABAD: They are the defending champions and Mumbai Indians played like one on Monday as they thrashed the high-flying Rajasthan Royals by 25 runs at the latter's 'home' ground Motera Stadium in an encounter they dominated throughout.
MI batsmen justified skipper Rohit Sharma's decision to bat first as openers Lendl Simmons and Mike Hussey gave their team the best start of this season so far.
The left-right combination put together 120 runs off just 87 balls and prepared the perfect launch pad for their team to reach a formidable 178 for three. This was MI's second-highest total while batting first this season (the highest being 187 for five vs RCB at the Wankhede).
The Royals' chase never got going and the batsmen succumbed under the pressure of a huge target. Their batting fell apart and a rearguard action by Brad Hodge and James Faulkner, who added 69 runs for the eight wicket, only delayed the inevitable. The Royals were restricted for 153 for eight in 20 overs, well short of the 179-run target.
With a victory being the only option for survival, MI put up a clinical show with the team working well as a unit. They now have eight points from 11 matches and need to win the remaining three ties and hope for other results to fall in their favour for a miraculous qualification to the play-offs.
Sounds like a fairy tale but miracles do happen in cricket and MI's positive approach on the field reflected their positive attitude.
Mumbai's slow bowlers - Pragyan Ojha, Harbhajan Singh and debutant Shreyas Gopal - shared six wickets between themselves and never gave Royals a chance to break the shackles.
Pollard's catch of Kevon Cooper in the eighth over of the innings, when he completed an air-borne catch inches from the long on ropes only to lose control and throwing the ball back up in the air and running several feet to finish a superb acrobatic stunt, was the most exciting part of second innings.
The fact that six of RR's top seven batsmen failed to get to double figures says the whole story of a pathetic batting on display. Karun Nair (48), Brad Hodge (40), James Faulkner (31) were the only ones to put up a decent show with the bat.
Earlier in the day, Mumbai Indians batsmen made merry of Rajasthan bowling with both openers Simmons and Hussey reaching their 50s. Their partnership of 120 runs was broken by left-arm orthodox Ankit Sharma who got rid of Simmons (62 runs, 51b, 6x4, 2x6) when Cooper held on to a skier right in front of the sight screen.
STORY OF THE MATCH
Turning Point
The opening stand of Mumbai Indians was giving them sleepless nights all through the IPL. However, on Monday the openers Mike Hussey and Lendl Simmons added 120 in 14.3 overs. On a dry pitch, it was an ideal platform for the carnage that Kieron Pollard and Rohit Sharma were to inflict in the final five overs.
210.52
Rohit's Strike-Rate: The Mumbai Indians skipper has not been at his destructive best barring the game against RCB. However, against the Royals, the strong opening stand gave him the license to attack and he did just that.
3.25
Harbhajan's eco-rate: The dry Motera surface was an invitation to the experienced offie to show off his wares. He got generous turn and bounce and even bowled the doosra to deceive the batsmen.
TALKING POINT
What was the point of dropping Rahane, Tambe and Smith when you have not yet made the playoffs? The Royals, who have always defied the norm, took the art of experimentation one step too far. It smacked of over smartness and complacency.