AGENCY
MUMBAI: In-form Australian opener Aaron Finch battled a hamstring injury to single-handedly take Gujarat Lions to a three-wicket last ball victory over defending champions Mumbai Indians in a thrilling IPL match here today.
T20 expert Finch (67 not out) played the sheet-anchor’s role as he batted through the innings to hit his third half century on the trot as tournament debutants Gujarat Lions notched up their third straight victory to remain on top of the table at the Wankhede Stadium here.
Chasing 144 for a win, the Lions lost an early wicket before Finch’s 67 off 54 balls, studded with a six and seven fours, kept one end up and guide his side home to a well-deserved victory.
The visitors reached 147 for 7 in the last ball after facing some anxious moments when they lost two wickets in the penultimate over from Mitchell Mclenaghan, MI’s best bowler with 4 for 21.
Gujarat Lions needed 11 runs from the last over and the 29-year-old Finch, who developed a hamstring problem in the 18th over, and Dhawal Kulkarni (6 not out) got the required runs with the Australian fittingly hitting a pulled four off the final ball bowled by Jasprit Bumrah after the scores were tied.
The visiting team, sans key all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja who opted out of the game due to his marriage tomorrow, played clinically efficient cricket to dump MI to their second defeat in as many home games this season. Opting to field first, the Lions did not allow MI to fly off to a good start, reducing the hosts and two-time winners to 19 for 2 initially and then 77 for five, and the home team never fully recovered from this early wobble.
Only a late stand of 42 in the last three overs between Krunal Pandya (18 not out) and Tim Southee (25 in 11 balls) helped MI recover to some extent and post a score in excess of 140. MI now travel to Hyderabad to take on Sunrisers on April 18 while the Lions head home to Rajkot to clash with the Hyderabad franchise on April 21. (PTI)
score board
Mumbai Indians innings
RG Sharma* c Jakati b Kulkarni 07
PA Patel† c Faulkner b Tambe 34
HH Pandya c Jakati b Kulkarni 02
JC Buttler st †Karthik b Jakati 16
KA Pollard c Bravo b Tambe 01
AT Rayudu b Faulkner 20
Harbhajan Singh c †Karthik b Bravo 08
KH Pandya not out 20
TG Southee run out (†Karthik/Bravo) 25
MJ McClenaghan not out 00
Extras 10
Total 143/8
Gujarat Lions innings
AJ Finch not out 63
BB McCullum c HH Pandya b Bumrah 06
SK Raina* c †Patel b McClenaghan 27
KD Karthik† c Harbhajan Singh b KH Pandya 09
DJ Bravo c †Patel b Bumrah 02
AD Nath c HH Pandya b McClenaghan 12
JP Faulkner c †Patel b McClenaghan 07
P Kumar c †Patel b McClenaghan 00
DS Kulkarni not out 06
Extras 11
Total 143/7
