Mumbai: Kieron Pollard struck a blazing 64 before taking a four-wicket haul as Mumbai Indians notched up a 27-run win over Rajasthan Royals in high-scoring Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket match, here on Wednesday.
Pollard smashed four sixes and six fours and also put on a whirlwind partnership of 96 runs off just 52 balls with Ambati Rayudu (47) to power hosts to a season-high 197 for six in front of a packed Wankhede Stadium.
The West Indian then snapped up four wickets to add to his half-century and also took a catch which won him the man of the match award.
Chasing a daunting 198 to win, Rajasthan put up a spirited fight but lacked firepower to cross the finish line.
Owais Shah struck a brilliant 76 off just 42 balls with five fours and as many sixes and Ajinkya Rahane contributed 40 runs under pressure but that only helped Rajsthan muster 170 in 19.4 overs.
Shah and opener Rahane forged a stand of 82 runs in 57 balls to pull Royals from a sorry-reading seven for two to 89.
After Rahane’s exit, Shah got an able partner in Ashok Meneria (20) and the two kept the Royals firmly in the hunt with a quick-fire partnership of 45 in 18 balls before Malinga snapped up Shah and next man Johan Botha in four balls to arrest the visitors’ progress.
Despite the best efforts of Meneria and the rest, the Royals were fighting a losing battle.
Munaf Patel, who had taken the wickets of rival skipper Rahul Dravid and S Goswami off successive balls in his first spell, came back to pick up two more and ended up with fine figures of four for 28.
