Mumbai Indians held their nerves at crucial moments to eke out a narrow 10-run victory over Somerset in the second semi-final of the Champions League Twenty20, on Saturday, and set up a summit clash with Royal Challengers Bangalore on Sunday.
Lasith Malinga snapped four wickets and Aiden Blizzard cracked a 39-ball 54, but it was James Franklin's two-wicket burst in the 19th over that set up victory for Mumbai Indians in a nail-biting semi-final.
Needing 22 off that last 12 balls, Franklin claimed the wickets of Jos Butler (19) and Craig Kieswetter (62) to turn the game Mumbai's way. Malinga then completed the proceedings, taking two wickets in the last over.
Chasing 161 to win, Kieswetter cracked seven fours and a six and stitched a crucial 83-run partnership off 63 balls with James Hildreth (39) to keep Somerset in the run chase. However, Franklin's 19th over put paid to their hopes.
Defending 160, Mumbai Indians pacer Malinga rattled Somerset with his yorkers, as he first dismissed opener Peter Trego for naught and then cleaned up Roelef van der Merwe to straight away derail Somerset's run-chase.
However, Kieswetter and Hildreth joined hands and steadied the ship, scoring 67 in the first 10 overs. Hildreth then brought up the hundred of the innings in the 14th over with a boundary off Harbhajan.
But Harbhajan was quick to hit back as he cleaned up Hildreth with the next ball to end the partnership and keep Mumbai's hopes alive.
However, Kieswetter was unfazed and brought up his fifty with a single in the 16th over, before amassing 16 runs with the help of a six and a four off Abu Nechim in the 17th over.
Needing 29 off 18 balls, Somerset scored seven runs, including a four off Malinga, in the 18th over to bring the calculation down to 22 off 12 balls.
However, things completely changed after that as Franklin dismissed both the set batsmen -- Butler and Kieswetter -- to turn the game on its head.
Earlier, opener Blizzard cracked a half-century as Mumbai Indians posted 160 for five on the slow MA Chidambaram Stadium track.
Blizzard hit five fours and three sixes, and stitched 19, 43 and 24 runs respectively with Sarul Kanwar (2), Ambati Rayudu (19) and Franklin (6) to lay the foundation after Harbhajan elected to bat.
Blizzard, however, didn't get much support from the middle-order, and had it not been for the late charge by Suryakumar Yadav (23 not out) and Rajagopal Sathish (25 not out), Mumbai would have ended up with a lower score.
After a watchful start, Mumbai reached 76 for two in the first 10 overs. Blizzard then changed gears and brought up his fifty in style, blasting Murali Kartik for a six over mid-wicket in the 11th over.
However, van der Merwe trapped Franklin plumb in front of the wicket in the next over, while Murali cleaned up the 27-year-old Blizzard in the 13th over, and all of a sudden Mumbai were reduced to 92 for four.
Big-hitting West Indian all-rounder Kieron Pollard then joined hands with Yadav, who was drafted into the side in place of Andrew Symonds, and brought up Mumbai's hundred with a six over deep midwicket off van der Merwe.
Pollard repeated his feat against Peter Trego, dispatching him over deep midwicket in the 16th over before Alfonso Thomas destroyed his timbers to push Mumbai on the backfoot.
Yadav and Sathish, however, produced the much-needed late onslaught and amassed 43 runs off just 22 balls to take Mumbai across the 150-mark and post a challenging total.
For Somerset, skipper Thomas, Steve Kirby, Adam Dibble, Murali Kartik and van der Merwe -- all chipped in with a wicket each.
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