Indian Premier League debutants Rising Pune Supergiants galloped to a nine-wicket victory as defending champions Mumbai Indians kicked off yet another edition with a loss at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday night.
<img title="Ajinkya Rahane" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2016/apr/10Ajinkya-Rahane.jpg" alt="Ajinkya Rahane" /> Rising Pune Supergiants&rsquo; Ajinkya Rahane slams one to the fence against Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. Rahane scored an unbeaten 66. Pics/Suresh Karkera
Mumbai Indians have lost four consecutive IPL openers.
Set to score 122 for victory, the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led Pune outfit waltzed their way to victory thanks to Mumbai lad Ajinkya Rahane&rsquo;s broad blade that fetched him an unbeaten 66 off 42 balls after a fruitful opening stand of 78 with South African Faf du Plessis. Kevin Pietersen stayed unbeaten on 21.
<img title="Harbhajan Singh goes for a big shot en route his 45 not out" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2016/apr/Harbhajan-Singh-and-MS-Dhon.jpg" alt="Harbhajan Singh goes for a big shot en route his 45 not out" /> Harbhajan Singh goes for a big shot en route his 45 not out
Pune&rsquo;s win was undoubtedly satisfying for Dhoni, who last week, on the last day of March bowed out of the ICC World T20 after a stunning batting effort from eventual champions West Indies at the same venue.
MI fail to thrive on toss Mumbai Indians could not capitalise Rohit Sharma&rsquo;s victory at the toss thanks to some disciplined bowling from Rising Pune Supergiants&rsquo; India pacer Ishant Sharma (2-36) and Australian pacer Mitchell Marsh (2-21). Tamil Nadu leg-spinner Murugan Ashwin and medium pacer Rajat Bhatia also bowled well, giving away only 16 and 10 runs respectively in their four-spells that fetched them a wicket apiece.
Rohit had faced only four balls before Pune pacer Ishant Sharma trapped him leg before wicket off his very first ball. Rohit&rsquo;s opening partner Lendl Simmons, who played a match- winning knock in the World T20 semi-final against India, started well by dancing down the track and hitting pacer RP Singh for a six. However, Ishant shattered Simmons&rsquo; stumps in the fourth over of the innings.
In the fifth over, Aussie Mitchell Marsh sent back Hardik Pandya (9) and IPL debutant Jos Buttler (0). And when big-hitter Kieron Pollard was trapped leg before by medium pacer Rajat Bhatia for one, the Mumbai Indians scoreboard had a disastrous look to it &ndash; 40 for five.
However, some fine batting by Harbhajan Singh and (45 not out off 30 balls) helped Mumbai Indians reach 121, a score which proved insufficient despite the greenish track. Harbhajan who didn&rsquo;t get a game in the recently-concluded World T20, proved that he still has the bottle to take on the best. Harbhajan hit two fours and a six in the final over of the Mumbai innings bowled by Ishant. Apart from his useful knock, he claimed the only wicket to fall for Pune &mdash; Faf du Plessis for 34.
Surprisingly, Pune skipper MS Dhoni gave senior off-spinner R Ashwin only a solitary over in which he claimed the wicket of Ambati Rayudu off his first ball.

IPL debutants Rising Pune Supergiants hand out crushing nine-wicket defeat to defending champions in the opener at Wankhede

IPL 9: Opening blues for Mumbai Indians yet again

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Home / Sports / Cricket / Article / IPL 9: Opening blues for Mumbai Indians yet again

IPL 9: Opening blues for Mumbai Indians yet again

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