Debutants Rising Pune Supergiants stunned defending champions Mumbai Indians by nine wickets in the opening match of the Indian Premier League 2016 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai today
IPL 9: Rising Pune Supergiants thrash Mumbai Indians by 9 wickets
Debutants Rising Pune Supergiants today made a splendid debut in the Indian Premier League by thrashing defending champions Mumbai Indians by nine wickets in the opening game of the season at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai today.
Rising Pune Supergiants batsman Ajinkya Rahane plays a shot during the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants at The Wankhede Cricket Stadium in Mumbai on April 9, 2016. Pics/AFP
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The visiting team took early control of the Maharashtra state Derby by reducing MI to 30 for four during power play and then 68 for seven before Harbhajan Singh led the fight-back with a breezy innings of 45 not out in 30 balls to help the hosts reach 121 for eight.
The Supergiants made a fantastic start in the run-chase with openers Ajinkya Rahane (66 not out) and Faf du Plessis (34) pushing the score to 78 in 10 overs.
Rising Pune Supergiants' Ishant Sharma (2nd L) celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Mumbai Indians captain and batsman Rohit Sharma during the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants at The Wankhede Cricket Stadium in Mumbai on April 9, 2016
There was no stopping the visitors' charge after this splendid start and the Supergiants surged to victory in 14.4 overs with Rahane remaining unconquered on a well-made, unbeaten half ton off 42 balls, embellished with three sixes and seven fours, along with Kevin Pietersen (21 not out).
Rahane finished off the game in style, by striking two sixes in 15th over from Hardik Pandya.
MI, thus, made another unpromising start to their campaign after having lost five and four games initially in the last two seasons respectively.
The hosts struggled to get going after opting to bat first and were left struggling at 61 for six at one stage before recovering somewhat.
Indian Test pace spearhead Ishant Sharma and Australia's Mitchell Marsh struck twice each to reduce MI to 30 for four inside the six-over power play.
MI could not recover from these early shocks and stuttered along and somehow avoided being shot out below their lowest score at this venue - 92 against Delhi Daredevils in 2012.
Rising Pune Supergiants' Ishant Sharma celebrates after taking the wicket of Mumbai Indians batsman Lendl Simmons during the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants at The Wankhede Cricket Stadium in Mumbai on April 9, 2016
Among the frontline batsmen only Ambati Rayudu (22 in 27 balls) reached double figures.
Later, Harbhajan Singh used the long handle to make an innings-high 45 not out in 30 balls, inclusive of one six and seven fours. He also added 28 runs, the highest of the innings, with R Vinay Kumar (12) for the eighth wicket and 25 for the unfinished ninth with Mitchell Mcclenaghan.
Mumbai Indians batsman Harbhajan Singh (L) plays a shot during the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants at The Wankhede Cricket Stadium in Mumbai on April 9, 2016
For the league debutants, Ishant (2/36) and Marsh (2/21) did the early damage.
Rajat Bhatia (1/10) and leggie Murugan Ashwin (1/16) also got among the wickets along with Ravichandran Ashwin (1/7), who came in to bowl his first and only over after 15 overs, and RP Singh (1/30).
Rising Pune Supergiants' Ishant Sharma (R) celebrates after taking the wicket of Mumbai Indians batsman Hardik Pandya during the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between Mumbai Indians and Rising Pune Supergiants at The Wankhede Cricket Stadium in Mumbai on April 9, 2016
MI got off to a lousy start by losing their top four batsmen including last season's top two run-getters Lendl Simmons and captain Rohit Sharma inside the first five overs with 30 on board.
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