Kambli saves the day for Mumbai

A typically belligerent knock of 88 in as many balls from Vinod Kambli lifted Mumbai to a total of 247 on the first day of their Group A Super League clash against Delhi at the Ferozeshah Kotla today. Mumbai struck back to take three quick wickets as Delhi limped to 49/3 at stumps.

After Mumbai won the toss and batted, openers Amol Rane and Amit Pagnis added 47 in 18 overs before both perished in the space of three balls. Jatin Paranjpe fell cheaply to give Amit Bhandari his second wicket but Kambli and Amol Muzumdar launched a swift relief operation with a 99 run stand in just 19 overs. But with the score at 154, Ashish Nehra delivered a double blow. He first induced a tickle from Muzumdar(36) to give wicketkeeper Vijay Dahiya his third catch of the innings following which Mumbai captain Samir Dighe walked in and out for a three ball duck.

After Kambli and Sairaj Bahutule had put on 49 for the 6th wicket, Virender Shewag ended Kambli's fireworks by trapping him leg before. Kambli's innings was studded with 16 fours and took his Ranji aggregate this season to 424 runs at 70.67. The Mumbai tail was cleaned up before long with Bhandari's 3-69 being the best bowling figures for Delhi.

The Delhi reply began calamitously as Abey Kuruvilla and Santosh Saxena fired out three men with just 16 on the board. Saxena, who had taken just four wickets in his four previous matches this season, rattled the stumps of Devinder Sharma and Mithun Manhas (both for ducks) in the space of three balls. Ashu Dani and Virender Shewag carried the score to 49 without any further inroads.