Mumbai Indians continued their winning-run in the Champions League T20 cricket tournament with a nail-biting one-wicket win over spirited Trinidad and Tobago at the Chinnaswamy stadium on Monday. Electing to bat, Trinidad and Tobago found the going tough and were bowled out for a paltry 98 in just 16.2 overs, courtesy a three-wicket haul from Mumbai Indians skipper Harbhajan Singh.
However, Mumbai Indians floundered during their run chase and were into all sort of trouble with T&T’s Ravi Rampaul doing most of the damage, claiming three wickets that had left them tottering at 33 for five in just 8.3 overs at one stage.
Ambati Rayudu (36) then took the onus on himself and stitched 32 runs in 7.2 overs with R Sathish and then added 21 runs with Lasith Malinga to keep them in the hunt.
Needing 11 runs from the last over, Malinga smashed a flat six over long-off in the second delivery. But the Sri Lankan was dismissed in the fourth ball while trying to steal an extra run. Rayudu too was run out in the next delivery with the team needing two runs to win in the last delivery. Though tension mounted, last man Yuzvendra Chahal kept his cool and hit the winning runs as Mumbai Indians burst into celebration. Earlier electing to bat, Trinidad and Tobago looked set for a blazing start with opener Adrian Barath (11), who was in a punishing mood, blasting a couple of fours in the first over off Malinga.
However, the Sri Lankan pacer came back in his second over and uprooted his stumps with a beautiful yorker to deal the first blow. Lendl Simmons (21) too stared off well, cracking a couple of fours and a six, but he soon run himself out in a ridiculous manner in the fifth over. Bravo, who is touted to be the cog in the Trinidad and Tobago’s attacking wheel, blasted a couple of sixes to help them reach their first fifty. But Franklin removed Darren Ganga at the other end with Rajagopal Sathish taking a good catch as the visitors slipped to 57 for 3 in seven overs. Thereafter it was left for Harbhajan to continue the damage as he struck thrice in his next three overs to reduce the visitiors to 78 for six in 12 overs. Once the top and middle order collapsed, the Caribbean outfit never really recovered with wickets falling in quick succession and scored 98 runs.
Chasing 99 to win, Mumbai Indians, however, suffered from a similar batting collapse with Rampaul doing most of the damage with a three-wicket burst. Spinner Samuel Badree dealt the first blow to Mumbai Indians when he had opener Aiden Blizzard caught at short third man by Simmons in the third over. However, finally it was Chahal who brought smiles to the Mumbai camp, picking up two runs in the last ball of the innings. Mumbai Indians 99 for 9 (Rayudu 36, Rampaul 3-17) beat Trinidad & Tobago 98 (Harbhajan 3-22, Malinga 2-22) by one wicket.
