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Karthik, Sharma power Mumbai to 209
Dinesh Karthik smashed a 48-ball 86 while Rohit Sharma struck an unbeaten half-century as Mumbai Indians beat Delhi Daredevils by 44 runs in their Indian Premier League match in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Riding on superb batting by the duo, the home side posted an imposing 209 for five. In reply, Delhi could only muster 165 for 9 in their 20 overs.
- Images from the Bangalore v Hyderabad match
David Warner (61) and Manprit Juneja (49) were Delhi's top scorers while Pragyan Ojha 2-34, Mitchell Johnson 2-49 and Kieron Pollard 2-35 were Mumbai's main wicket-takers.
The victory took Mumbai Indians to the top of the table, while Delhi suffered their third straight defeat.
Sharma smashes 74
Rohit Sharma's chanceless knock of 74 from 50 balls was laced with four fours and five towering sixes, which included three off the last over bowled by pacer Ashish Nehra, as Mumbai shred the Delhi bowling attack to pieces to the delight of a packed gathering at the Wankhede stadium.
Mumbai's batsmen hammered 71 runs in the last five overs, while losing just one wicket in the process to take control of the match.
Ponting falls for a duck
Mumbai Indians got off to a bad start, losing both their openers cheaply.
Irfan Pathan struck the first blow when he got rid of Mumbai captain Ricky Ponting, caught at mid-off for a duck in the first over.
Ponting came down the track and tried to loft the pacer over mid-off, but struck it straight to Delhi skipper Mahela Jayawardene.
Tendulkar out for one
In the next over, Sachin Tendulkar was run-out for one after a misunderstanding with partner Dinesh Karthik, as Mumbai were reduced to 1 for 2 in the second over.
Karthik pushed one to mid-off and Tendulkar took off for a quick single but was sent back midway. Jayawardene got a direct hit from mid-off, with Tendulkar nowhere in the picture.
Karthik continues good run with the bat
Karthik continued his rich vein of form, hitting 14 fours and two sixes in his aggressive knock of 86 from a mere 48 balls.
The right-hander smashed pacer Umesh Yadav for three fours in his second over to bring up his fifty in just 30 balls with the help of nine fours and one six.
Karthik went about his business in style and forged a 132-run stand with Sharma as the duo sent the bowlers on a leather hunt.
Mumbai hit first 200 in IPL 6
Kieron Pollard did not last long; the big-hitting West Indian departed for 13, caught by Shahbaz Nadeem at extra cover off Ashish Nehra.
Ambati Rayudu too played a little cameo, hitting an eight-ball 24 laced with two fours and an equal number of sixes as Mumbai registered the first 200-plus total in this year's IPL.
Ponting's unbelievable catch
After their super showing with the bat, Mumbai got off to a dream start with the ball.
Ponting rolled back the years as he came up with one of the best catches of the tournament to send back Unmukt Chand off the first delivery of the innings.
Chand got a leading edge off Harbhajan Singh that went on the off-side, where Ponting dived full length to his right to come up with an unbelievable catch.
Harbhajan celebrates with Ponting
Harbhajan Singh ran over to captain Ponting and hugged him after he took that spectacular catch.
These two players were involved in a bust up in 2008 during the Sydney Test, when Andrew Symonds accused Harbhajan of racially abusing him during the game. Now, all that seems history.
Symonds played for Mumbai Indians in 2011 while Ponting has taken over the captaincy this season. The former Australia skipper declared before the tournament the past is forgotten and all the players are friends.
Jayawardene perishes cheaply
Delhi captain Mahela Jayawardene tried to attack the bowlers. He stepped out to Mitchell Johnson but ended up getting an edge and was caught behind for three.
Only David Warner provided some resistance with the bat, hammering 61 from 37 balls, while Manpreet Juneja hit 49 from 39 balls. The rest of the Delhi batsmen perished cheaply in search of quick runs.