Mumbai lose it again

Sangakkara stars for Kings XI Punjab as visitors crash to third straight defeat.

Finally, Preity Zinta could afford a smile and break into a jig. Within moments, the entire stadium erupted with joy, and even as Daler Mehndi played in the background, it was time for the 10,000-odd spectators to do what the Punjabis love the most: bhangra.

Kings XI Punjab needed to win this one to get off the mark in the Indian Premier League. There was pressure on the players, there was tension on the faces of co-owners Zinta and Ness Wadia, and with each ball bowled, even those sitting in the aisles had become desperate for a win. In the end, the 66-run win didn8217;t seem to do justice to all that was riding on it.

Riding on Kumar Sangakkara8217;s brilliant-yet-calculated assault, Kings XI Punjab managed 182 in their 20 overs; by no means a winning total in this format and on a flat track at the PCA Stadium. But the total allowed their team hope.

In the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, the Mumbai Indians depended on one of their more expensive and famous imports, the Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya. If he had got off to an explosive start, the 183-run target would have been a walk in the park for the Mumbai Indians. After a fiery first over to Jayasuriya, where Brett Lee clocked upwards of 150 km an hour, he pushed Jayasuriya to drive off the back foot and in a moment that will remain etched in the minds of those who saw it, Lee scooped down to pluck an unbelievable catch.

He wasn8217;t finished yet. Off the very next delivery, Lee ran in on his follow through, picked up the ball from near short cover and got a direct hit to run out Luke Ronchi. Lee was on fire and Team Mohali got the momentum they so badly needed.

Mumbai Indians were in a shambles. Robin Uthappa and Dwayne Bravo couldn8217;t keep pace and as Mumbai kept losing wickets, it became obvious that they were going to finish second in today8217;s race.

And when the in-form Pollock was caught brilliantly by skipper Yuvraj with an imacculately timed jump, there was very little left to watch in the match.

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Earlier, Sangakkara was all timing and elegance as he missed out on a century by a mere six runs. Pinch-hitting opener Irfan Pathan flopped, but the Lankan controlled the Kings XI innings from thereon. There were some cameos around the big knock 8212; Yuvraj, Mahela Jayawardene and Lee all chipping in 8212; but the fact that after Sangakkara8217;s 94 the next highest score was just 18 paints the true picture of the Lankan batsman8217;s dominance.

The defeat will be bitter for Mumbai. Their stand-in captain Harbhajan Singh fought like a tiger, mixing his off-spinners and doosras to keep a check on the Mohali batsmen. But in the end, even he couldn8217;t change his team8217;s destiny. Probably, Tendulkar will, if and when he is fit to play.