IPL 2014 Eliminator: Raina, Mohit lead CSK past Mumbai yet again

Result: Chennai Super Kings beat Mumbai Indians by seven wickets.

Toss: CSK won the toss and chose to bowl first.

MI 173-8 in 20 overs: Opener Lendl Simmons smashed a 44-ball 67 as he and Michael Hussey piled on quick 76 runs in 58 balls  to post a challenging total.

The pair attacked Mohit Sharma in the sixth over, milking him for 19 runs, with the West Indian Simmons scoring the bulk – a four on extra cover, a six at mid-wicket and a four over point in consecutive balls.

The veteran Australian also looked in good touch and struck four fours and a six in his 33-ball 39 before Ravindra Jadeja shattered his stumps to get the important breakthrough.

New Zealand all rounder Corey Anderson, who came one-down, couldn’t do much damage but his cameo of 20 runs off just eight deliveries consisted of a four and two sixes.

Simmons, who has been in good form throughout the tournament hit the bowlers all around the park and his 71 minutes stay at the crease yielded five fours and four sixes.

The Trinidadian, the only player to have scored a century this season, looked set for another big score but perished in the 17th over while trying to hit a big shot and was caught at long on by Suresh Raina off Jadeja.

Simmons added 44 runs with skipper Rohit Sharma for the third wicket but the latter too returned to the pavilion after scoring 20 off 16 deliveries (4x4).

Kieron Pollard chanced his arm to hit a four and a six in his 14 but his departure triggered a batting order collapse as Mumbai started losing wickets in a clutch while trying to pace their innings.

Mumbai lost Pollard, Aditya Tare (0), Ambati Rayudu (2), Praveen Kumar (1) in quick succession to find themselves reduced to 166 for eight after the Simmons’ departure at 163.

Mohit Sharma was expensive as he gave away 42 runs in his four overs but the Haryana pacer picked up three wickets, after conceding 25 runs in his first two overs. Ashish Nehra and Jadeja picked up two wickets a piece.

CSK 176-3 in 18.4 overs: They may not have scored as many runs as Mumbai’s opening pair, but Dwayne Smith and Faf du Plessis gave a fine start to CSK, stitching up a 60-run partnership in just 38 balls to lay the foundation for brilliant run-chase.

A baffling decision from umpire Bruce Oxenford meant that Smith (24 off 20 balls, 4x4) stayed on despite what seemed like a plumb LBW in Praveen Kumar’s over — Smith was on just six runs at that point and the wicket could have immediately put pressure on CSK.

Smith was the first to fall though, when Pollard caught him out at long-on in the 7th over which was bowled by Harbhajan Singh. Three balls later and in the same over, Du Plessis (35 off 20 balls, 5x4, 1x6) also bit the dust as he sent one straight to Dunk at long-off.

Brendon McCullum, sent lower down the order again, didn’t last for long — managing only 14 from 11 balls with two huge sixes before being stumped in the 10th over.

At that moment, CSK needed 87 runs from 9.3 overs and had two new batsmen at the crease in the form of Suresh Raina and David Hussey. Raina showed his intent from early on with a fine four — but Mumbai started tightening the screws with Harbhajan and Ojha bowling in tandem.

Ojha may have picked up McCullum’s wicket and was looking good, but everything changed in the 16th over when both batsmen decided to attack him. Hussey first pulled him for six before repeating the feat over long-on — Raina adding another maximum in the same region in the over’s last ball as the icing on the cake. Even Corey Anderson got no respect from the two, the Kiwi going for 35 runs in three overs.

Three fours in three overs (17th, 18th, 19th) were enough from then onward — and CSK cruised into the with relative ease.

Raina finished the match not out at 50 off 31 balls (4x4, 2x6) and Hussey 40 off 29 balls (2x4, 3x6).

Turning point: The 16th over of the CSK innings where Raina and Hussey added 20 runs. Before that over from Ojha, CSK needed 42 runs from 30 balls and after that — 22 off 24 balls.

Man of the match: Raina for his match-winning half-century.

(MI innings report with input from PTI)