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Raipur: Mumbai Indian made up for Saturday's batting failure against Lahore Lions big time, chasing down 162 on a gallop against Southern Express in the Champions League T20 qualifers to keep their tournament proper hopes alive at Raipur on Saturday.
In a must-win match for the defending champions, Lendl Simmons and Michael Hussey rose to the occasion and after early nerves showed such dominance that the Sri Lankan team had no chance and bowed out with two defeats in as many matches. Simmons and Hussey added 139 for the opening stand to help their team reach the target in 16.2 overs with nine wickets in hand.
The Sri Lankans had a big chance to break the stand in the eighth over but wicketkeeper Kusal Perera failed to hit the stumps at the non-striker's end despite having a good view after Hussey, who was on 20 at that time, pushed a Dilruwan Perera delivery and ran off for a single straight away. The Aussie went on to score 60 off 40 balls.
Simmons remained unbeaten on 76 off 51 balls with the help 11 fours and one six as Kieron Pollard finished the match in style with back-to-back sixes off left-arm spinner Sachith Pathirana. In a must-win game for both teams, SE posted 161 for 6.
The sixth-wicket 58-run stand between Angelo Perera and Farveez Maharoof, vastly helped by poor fielding from MI, was largely responsible for the solid total.
MI, who lost their opening game to Pakistan's Lahore Lions on Saturday, won the toss and put the opposition in to bat and their bowlers justified captain Pollard's decision by taking early wickets. Medium pacer Jasprit Bumrah induced a top edge off the dangerous Kusal Perera for 8.
Pollard also got in on the act with a slower delivery and had Yashodha Lanka caught for 9. Opener Danushka Gunathilaka had looked in control during his innings of 30 before falling in a soft manner to innocuous-looking offspinner Jalaj Saxena.
Captain Jehan Mubarak was the next to go when in an attempt to slog-sweep Pragyan Ojha he lost his offstump for 16. Sekkuge Prasanna (15) hit two big sixes to wake up the crowd but his unfortunate run-out as a result of a misunderstanding with Perera ended his innings.
Perera and Maharoof's stand brought the Lankans back into the match before Lasith Malinga, who captained SE to the domestic title in Sri Lanka, cleaned up Perera for 28 in the last over. Maharoof (41* off 22 balls) got a six and four off the last two balls to finish the innings on a high.
MI made one change to their team that lost to the Lions, bringing in legspinner Shreyas Gopal in place of the injured Praveen Kumar. In the first game of the day at Raipur, New Zealand's Knights secured a thumping 72-run against the Lions to put one foot in the tournament proper.
Earlier, Mumbai Indians have won the toss and have opted to field.
For MI seamer Praveen Kumar goes out and Shriyas Gopal comes in while Southern Express are unchanged from yesterday.
Teams
Mumbai Indians: Lendl Simmons, Aditya Tare (wk), Ambati Rayudu, Michael Hussey, Kieron Pollard (Capt.), Jalaj Saxena, Harbhajan Singh, Shriyas Gopal, Lasith Malinga, Pragyan Ojha, Jasprit Bumrah
Southern Express: Kusal Perera (wk), Danushka Gunathilaka, Jehan Mubarak (Capt.), Charith Jayampathi, Ishan Jayaratne, Yashodha Lanka, Farveez Maharoof, Sachith Pathirana, Dilruwan Perera, Angelo Perera, Seekkuge Prasanna
Brief scores
Southern Express - 161/6 (Maharoof 41*, Gunathilaka 30)
Mumbai Indians - 165/1 (Simmons 76*, Hussey 60)
Result - Mumbai Indians won by 9 wickets
Points - Mumbai Indians 4, Southern Express 0
