Match Analysis

Mumbai's finishers swing the game

With bat and ball, Mumbai Indians found players to raise their games in the final stretch of both innings, giving the crowd of around 32,000 an enjoyable start to the long weekend

South Mumbai, the business hub that's buzzing through the week, is usually peaceful over the weekends and public holidays. With Mumbai Indians playing a night game, however, May 1 was an exception.
The local trains, considered the lifeline of the city, were fairly empty because of the long weekend beginning with the Foundation Day of the state of Maharashtra. But with the Wankhede Stadium so close to Churchgate station, one of two major train stations in south Mumbai, there was hectic activity on its sidelines.
Three of the seven spectator entry points into the stadium are through bridges that cross railway tracks. Those entering the North Stand and Divecha Pavilion recreated the morning rush for trains by thronging the security points, creating chaos. The seats at the Wankhede - with inadequate arm and leg room - ensured their occupants might have felt like being in a crowded train too.
After facing such trials to reach a seat, the last thing the home crowd - one of the few in the IPL with a strong connect with their team, besides Chennai and Kolkata - wanted was to see Mumbai Indians lose one more time. They were not disappointed. Mumbai delivered in crunch moments to stay in the race for a top-four spot and prolong Rajasthan Royals' winless run.
Apart from the last five overs with the bat and final three overs with the ball, Royals had the better of it, but Mumbai rose when it mattered most to let their fans return home with a smile. Had it not been for Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard's power-hitting followed by Mitchell McClenaghan and Lasith Malinga's accurate death-over bowling, Mumbai might have been all but knocked out of the tournament.
At 120 for 4, despite the captain Rohit Sharma having fallen, the stage was set for Rayudu and Pollard to finish on a high. The made the most of every loose delivery - and there were plenty from Tim Southee and Rusty Theron - to help Mumbai score 67 runs in the last five overs. It converted a moderate total into a formidable one.
The Royals chase was well on course, though, with Sanju Samson leading the charge. The wicketkeeper-batsman was in such scintillating touch that he had taken 10 runs off Malinga's last two balls of the 17th over to reduce the equation to 34 off 18. With seven wickets in hand and Samson batting on 70, Royals were close to their first victory in five games.
But for the second time in five days McClenaghan, who has outperformed even Malinga since replacing the injured Corey Anderson in Mumbai's XI, changed the course of the finish with one over. His dismissals of Samson and Karun Nair with successive balls meant two new men at the crease had to see Royals home.
As capable as Stuart Binny and Deepak Hooda are, attacking Malinga from the start was too much of an ask. The challenge intensified by about 32,000 people roaring unprompted "Ma-lin-ga, Ma-lin-ga".
Malinga's boundary-less over, which included Hooda's wicket, meant Vinay Kumar had the cushion of 20 runs to defend in the last over, which he did despite bowling a high full-toss that was called a no-ball.
Hardly anyone had left until the final ball was delivered to seal an eight-run victory for Mumbai, and immediately there was a rush to exit the stadium. The over-rate had been poor and the times for the last trains of the day were drawing near. But for most of the spectators, Mumbai's third win in eight games had made their night.

Amol Karhadkar is a correspondent at ESPNcricinfo