Mumbai Indians gifted birthday boy and skipper Sachin Tendulkar a 37-run victory in an Indian Premier League match against Deccan Chargers on Sunday. Middle-order batsman Rohit Sharma and fast bowler Lasith Malinga were the stars of Mumbai’s fifth win in six matches of the Twenty20 tournament. Sharma smashed three sixes and five fours in his 34-ball 56 not out and Malinga took 3-9 in four tight overs as Mumbai restricted Deccan to 135-8 after scoring 172-4 in Hyderabad. Skipper Kumar Sangakkara top-scored with 34 for Deccan, who suffered their fourth defeat in six matches.
Brief scores: Mumbai Indians 172-4 in 20 overs (R. Sharma 56 not out, A. Symonds 44 not out, D. Jacobs 32, S. Tendulkar 28; A. Mishra 2-14) beat Deccan Chargers 135-8 in 20 overs (Kumar Sangakkara 34, A. Mishra 25 not out, S. Dhawan 25, D. Christian 21; L. Malinga 3-9) by 37 runs.
