Sharma, Tiwary help Mumbai clinch top spot

Rohit Sharma and Saurabh Tiwary got Mumbai off to a strong start by adding 57 runs for the second wicket, which helped their side beat Kolkata by nine runs, to end the group stages of the Indian Twenty20 competition, with a table-topping 20 points, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday.

The visitors tested their bench strength and made six changes to their side. Tiwary, was one such change, and alongside captain Sharma helped Mumbai recover after losing opener Lendl Simmons in just the third over. Tiwary had hit Colin de Grandhomme for two fours in the second over, before Simmons' departure, and he continued in similar vein thereafter by regularly finding the fence. The Sharma-Tiwary combine scored at a brisk 9.50 runs an over and laid a platform for a late onslaught.

Sharma fell in the ninth over for a 21-ball 27, while Tiwary - who went on to add a 61-run stand with Ambati Rayadu - finally departed in the 16th over for a 43-ball 52, which included nine fours. On a sluggish surface, Mumbai managed a respectable 173, which proved out of Kolkata's reach.