Fiery Harbhajan tramples over Deccan

They say a Twenty20 match can be won in ten minutes of violent batting or inspired bowling. Harbhajan Singh needed only 18 balls when he batted, and just one delivery when he bowled, to win the game for Mumbai Indians. After Mumbai suffered to a periodic loss of wickets, Harbhajan played a wickedly-entertaining cameo to charge his team to 172. He wasn't done yet and opened the bowling to remove Adam Gilchrist with his second delivery, dealing the most crippling blow to the Deccan Chargers chase.

The game changed in a Mumbai minute at the DY Patil Stadium. When Harbhajan entered in the 17th over Mumbai had lost the plot after a good start, but he led a stunning turnaround with an 18-ball 49. He hit a six and a four off Andrew Symonds in the 18th over but it was in the next, bowled by Kemar Roach, who until then had looked impressive, that he went berserk. Harbhajan started with a slapped four over extra cover before swinging merrily to the on side, including a shovelled six over square-leg, to plunder 19 runs. In the final over bowled by two bowlers - Jaskaran Singh was no-balled out of the innings after hurling two beamers and Rohit Sharma finished the over- Harbhajan crashed four boundaries, this time concentrating on the straight boundary.

After claiming Gilchrist, Mumbai had Deccan constantly behind the eight ball. When a partnership was starting to develop between T Suman and Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan put an end it. Suman lobbed a full toss back to him and he promptly gave the batsman a send-off. He later claimed Jaskaran after the chase had fallen apart. Harbhajan was the unanimous choice for the Man of the Match - his second in the IPL - and he thanked Tendulkar for lending his bat.