Munaf Patel restricts Pune Warriors to shaky total – Mumbai Indians vs. Pune Warriors - Analysis
The Pune Warriors could not handle the disciplined aggression of Munaf Patel and the Mumbai Indian bowlers, in a match which was a crucial tie for both sides. Level on four points each before the start of the game, the victor would leapfrog the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Rajasthan-c837
Royals and take up second place in the league.
The two captains made their way to the middle of the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai for the toss. Pune Warriors’ captain, Yuvraj Singh returned the happier of the two, as he elected to bat first after the toss went in his favour.
Early Collapse
If Yuvraj Singh had a plan, the events of the first few overs were surely not a part of it. The Pune Warriors lost their first wicket in the fourth over, as Jesse Ryder was dismissed for 12 runs.
Two deliveries later, Mithun Manhas was out on the first ball he faced. The situation was dire enough at 17 runs for the loss of two wickets and to worsen matters, Tim Paine and Yuvraj Singh were also dismissed in the fifth over without adding any runs to
the board.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Robin-Uthappa-c2356’s Knock
While wickets were falling regularly around him, the Pune Warriors batsman, Robin Uthappa stood strong and remained the one ray of hope for his side’s chances of putting together a respectable total.
His 45-run knock, was the highlight of the Pune Warriors innings and gave the fans something to cheer about, with the seven boundaries he hit, including one huge six.
Uthappa’s stay on the crease saw him partner Mohnish Mishra and Murali Karthik, in addition to the other batsmen who had already fallen before Yuvraj Singh’s wicket.
Mumbai Indians Superb Bowling
The Mumbai Indians put up a disciplined bowling display to tighten the screws on the Pune side.
Five different bowlers took wickets in the match, as they bowled out the opposing team in just over 18 overs. It was a fine team effort by the bowlers lead by Munaf Patel, who took three wickets on the day.
The strike bowler was supported well by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ali-Murtaza-c997, who chipped in with two wickets each. With the exception of Kieron Pollard and James Franklin who went for more than 10 runs per over, the remaining
bowlers had excellent economy rates.
The one thing that ought to bother the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820 Indians’ captain Sachin Tendulkar is the amount of extras his side gave away. The 118-run total scored by the Pune Warriors could have been much less, had the bowling side not given away a criminal 12 extras.
Verdict
The Pune Warriors were extremely disappointing in their batting and the side’s main players did not step-up on the occasion. The Captain, who ought to lead from the front, faltered himself and it is something Singh, will look to avoid in his future innings.
The Mumbai Indians, on the other hand, were on fire and produced a fine team performance with the ball. They attacked the batsmen and reaped the rewards for it. The Indians had the momentum going in to bat in the second innings, as they looked to get another
two points on the board.
Second Innings Analysis to follow
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