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Untitled Document
 Kings XI Punjab pull off a thrilling one-run victory
21st May 2008 23:00 IST
Agencies
Kings XI Punjab halted Mumbai Indians' winning streak with a thrilling one-run victory off the last ball in the Indian Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai today.
In a thrill-a-minute frenzied final phase of the match, the home team - chasing the visitors' 189/4 - were dismissed for 188 after losing their last six wickets in three overs and one ball in a dramatic change of fortunes.
Seemingly cruising to a comfortable victory with captain Sachin Tendulkar (64) on song, Mumbai Indians suddenly lost the plot and a clutch of wickets - mostly to run-outs and the list included their skipper - to end up on the losing side.
From 159/3 in 16.5 overs, the home team slumped to 188 all out when last man Vikrant Yeligati was run out at the non-striker's end by a superb piece of fielding by Punjab XI skipper Yuvraj Singh when two runs were needed off the final ball.
Five batsmen were run out in the innings and among those the most crucial dismissal was Tendulkar's who got mixed up with Robin Uthappa's yes-no call and was stranded out of the crease at the non-striker's end.
Mumbai Indians lost Shaun Pollock and Uthappa quickly and the loss of three wickets in just seven balls unnerved the rest of the batsmen who took enormous risks and failed.
Taking the centre stage after the fall of the swashbuckling opening partner Sanath Jayasuriya (20) in the third over, Tendulkar played the anchor role to hit 12 fours in 46 balls before being run out off the last ball of the 17th over.
Mumbai Indians lost their poise at his dismissal and that of Pollock's, out first ball top-edging Yuvraj to third man, and a frenzied last two overs - when needing 27 runs - ended in a heart-stopping loss that put an end to their winning six-match streak.
The victory, third in the row, put Punjab XI virtually in the semi-finals while leaving Mumbai Indians, on 12 points from 11 ties, with the difficult task of winning at least two out of their last three away ties to enter the last four.
Tendulkar, playing in only his fourth IPL tie after missing the first seven matches, cleverly batted around power-hitters Dwayne Smith (20) and Abhishek Nayar (27) but the clutch of wickets in the end undid his good work.
Incidentally, Mumbai Indians had lost their previous tie to the visitors at Mohali on April 25.
The Mumbai run chase started as a flier with Jayasuriya taking full advantage of a wayward Irfan Pathan and smashing him for two sixes and a four in his opening over which yielded 24 runs.
S Sreesanth was prone to bowling wide balls at the other end and 36 was raised in only 20 balls when the Kerala-born pacer trapped Jayasuriya with a slower ball.
Tendulkar, looking sedate when Jayasuriya was at the crease, and one-down Smith, playing his first game after joining the team two days ago, added 45 runs with the West Indian all-rounder starting off the block in style with two fours and a pulled six off Sreesanth.
Tendulkar, content to play the anchoring role, also opened out but lost his partner Smith who was run out backing up too far to an attempted single.
Nayar, promoted ahead of Uthappa, did his bit as he struck two sixes and a four in his 18-ball 27 before holing out to Tanmay Srivastava when slog-sweeping leg-break bowler Piyush Chawla.
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