Mumbai vs Chennai
Murali Vijay - 41 from 29 balls
The usually prolific Vijay has struggled so far this year, only recently regaining his spot at the top of the order for Chennai, today he showed signs that the that elusive form may be returning. This became evident from ball one as Vijay stroked it for 4 through the covers which will have given him a boost, not the last time he found the middle of that bat. He rode his luck at times but the 5th over was proof of just how good a player he is in this format, hitting the experienced Munaf for 22 runs in 4 balls, 3 big sixes over wide long-on to give his side the edge in the powerplay, unfortunately falling soon after. CSK's success has often come through Vijay and Raina's (36 from 21 balls) strokeplay at the top and need both firing now if they're to make the top 4, promising results in that department.
RP Singh - 4-0-28-3
The focus from Mumbai's bowling efforts will probably be on Malinga, whose 3-25 reclaimed the purple cap, but the often maligned RP Singh also produced a good performance. Having had the dangerous Vijay in trouble for 3 balls he got his man with the 4th, a beauty that swung and seamed back in through the gate, and it was greatly deserved. He then came back late on to send back two dangerous hitters in Dhoni and Morkel to top off a successful performance. There have been signs in the past couple of matches that he's rediscovering that lost pace, approaching the 140kphs, and this suggests that its all starting to click again for the left-armer.
Mumbai's inconsistency this season has been as a result of their top order's struggles, their bowlers have done terrifically well to get them as many wins as they have, and the partnership between Tendulkar and Sharma (60 from 46 balls) will have filled the MI camp with plenty of hope. Sachin's innings was an absolute masterclass in timing and placement, often forgotten parts to 20/20 batting. It was full of those signature wristy flicks through the leg side and powerful strikes back down the ground, clearly enjoying the pace on offer from Morkel as he hit 33 off the 17 balls he faced to the South African. He was unlucky to miss out on the MoM award, I think he should have just about got it, but it was another incredible, but altogether different innings, that got Mumbai over the line as Tendulkar fell in the 16th over having set a brilliant platform. If he can click from here on in Mumbai's title aspirations will gain a massive boost.
Dwayne Smith - 24* from 9 balls & MoM
A late signing for Mumbai, replacement for the injured Johnson, the West Indian power hitter made the dream debut for his team as he served up a spectacular display of finishing to get them over the line. Smith came in in the 18th over with MI still needing 26 from 15 balls, a tough but not impossible equation. It soon became a whole lot more difficult as he got little strike with wickets falling around him and with 14 runs still required from 3 balls it looked game, set and match Chennai but Smith had other ideas. Twice Hilfenhaus missed his yorkers as full tosses were smashed back down the ground for 6 and 4, only to hit a length ball whizzing past the bowler again to seal the match, prompting wild celebrations from the MI dug-out as the Wankhede stadium erupted. 3 boundaries in the last 3 balls to win a match, there can't have been many better 20/20 finishes and Smith was rightly delighted with the win, a brilliant start for him and lets hope he can live up to the now sky high expectations!
Shikhar Dhawan - 73* from 52
Deccan are another side that have lacked a strong opening partnership on which to build on, but today's between Dhawan and debutant Harris (47 from 41 balls) gave them a platform to launch on later on, with Dhawan managing to carry his bat throughout. He is a great batsman to watch, full of style and elegance particularly when flashing through the offside and clipping straight balls through the leg side. He was happy to play second fiddle, firstly to Harris and later to White (45 from 24) whilst still rotating the strike nicely and hitting boundaries when necessary to keep up a healthy S/R of 140. A top innings from Dhawan that allowed his side to build upon around him, one of few bright spots this year for an otherwise struggling DC.
Muttiah Muralitharan - 4-0-18-0
With Deccan notching up a score of 181/2 its only natural that the majority of the RCB bowlers' figures suffered as a result, but not Murali (in today for Vettori who let Kohli lead in his absence). Murali has performed whenever given the chance so far and even then its proved a struggle to fit him in, Bangalore have lacked a partnership breaker and he is certainly that, extremely unlucky not to pick up a wicket today. He was all over Harris in particular who was beaten by doosras and off spinners whilst struggling to time big hits. A tough decision for Vettori to leave himself out, but you'd have to say it gives the RCB attack a totally different dimension and an option to go to whenever wickets are needed.
Tillakaratne Dilshan - 71 from 54 balls
Bangalore's opening partnership has chopped and changed all tournament but I think on today's evidence, as well as the overall side balance, they'll be sticking with this one for as long as they can. Dilshan is a highly destructive 20/20 player when on form and, whilst not at his very best here, there was plenty of evidence of his fearsome reputation. He swept the spinners nicely and was as fluent as ever when flashing through the off side whenever presented with width. His timing seemed to elude him more and more as the innings went on, trying to over-hit the ball as the required rate climbed, but it was still a great effort and played a massive part in what turned out to be an improbable win, a welcome return to form for the Sri Lankan.
AB de Villiers - 47* from 17 balls & MoM
He is fast becoming the most complete 20/20 batsman in the game, although his team-mate Gayle may have something to say about this, and his knock here was nothing short of phenomenal. His entrance was held back until the 14th over, at the time questionable tactics from the RCB dug-out, but his late arrival was more than justified. Then needing over 70 runs at 12 an over, it wasn't until the 17th (needing 52 runs at 13) that his assault began, along with an impressive 18 from 6 balls by Agarwal, a cameo that cannot be forgotten. AB launched into his campatriot Steyn like no one else in the world can, single handedly smashing the 18th for 23 runs, including 2 fours and 2 sixes, all of which cricket shots straight out of the coaching manual in a classy display under immense pressure. Such was the ferocity of AB de Villier's hitting that RCB got home with 7 balls to spare, easy! We've seen it all from AB this year, reverse sweeps, dinks over the keeper, exquisite drives through and over cover as well as some pummeled hook shots into the stands from Steyn today. Whatever shot he decides upon, he backs himself completely to go through with it and pulls it off more often than not, today's innings was just on another level, a S/R of 276!
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