Dhoni’s knock was the turning point of the match: Harbhajan – Cricket News Update
Mumbai Indians skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MS-Dhoni-c2028’s 51 off 20 deliveries took the game away from his side as they suffered a 38-run defeat against the Chennai Super Kings during the Indian Premier League elimination final at the M Chinnaswamy
Stadium in Bangalore on May 23.
“Dhoni's knock was the turning point of the match and if we had got him out earlier, the match could have gone in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820 Indians' favour,” Harbhajan said.
“The crucial 50-odd runs from Dhoni's bat took the game away from us.”
The Super Kings owed their 187 total largely to a blistering 51 off 20 by skipper MS Dhoni, who was joined at the crease by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DJ-Bravo-c1379 for a 6th wicket partnership which yielded 73 runs.
The elimination final between the two teams culminated in the Super Kings qualifying for the second qualifier, which they are due to play against the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Delhi-c780 Daredevils at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai on May 25.
Initially, the Mumbai Indians appeared to have the match going in their favour as they made two early dents in the opposition’s batting line-up – http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SK-Raina-c2539 in the second over of the match.
“In first two overs we picked up two early wickets and were in the game till the ninth over,” Harbhajan observed.
The Super Kings had only managed to amass 47 runs after the first nine over, but the game spiraled out of the Mumbai Indians’ control after that, as Dhoni’s side went on to accumulate 140 off the last 11 overs, eventually setting their opponents a daunting
188-run chase.
However, the loss of four crucial wickets put the Mumbai Indians in a tight spot, and by the 12th over, Mumbai were precariously placed at 96 for 5.
“We lost http://www.senore.com/Cricket/KD-Karthik-c1780. They are core of our batting lineup and losing them in quick succession had put the team under pressure,” the skipper pointed out.
The remainder of the batting line-up were unable to step up to the challenge, and the Mumbai Indians found themselves cut off at 149 by the end of 20 overs, and consequently out of the running for a place in the IPL final.
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