Simmons ton pushes Mumbai to fifth

MOHALI: Mumbai Indians' target was a relatively unchallenging 157 but Lendl Simmons responded with the first century of the season, lifting Mumbai to as high as fifth in the table.

Mumbai did waver from their course as the need to gain points on run-rate took a backseat to Simmons’ landmark. The chase was well under their control and victory could have been theirs well earlier but they waited for Simmons. Once the necessary single was taken calmly through square leg, Pollard immediately slammed the final ball of the 19th over into the crowd beyond long-on.

Mumbai have beaten the most dominant team twice and that confidence will be vital as they still need to win their two remaining games by a considerable margin to stay alive.

A combination of strength and timing allowed Simmons to ease into his innings. Spin did not trouble him either as he managed singles and interspersed them with boundaries borne from good footwork.

Virender Sehwag had been similarly adventurous when Kings XI were asked to bat. His see-ball-hit-ball-forget-about-feet method fetched 23 runs after two overs, but a freak run-out left Sehwag ruing another start not capitalised on.

A slow pitch and a sudden dearth of big-hitters pushed Kings XI into a prolonged state of caution. Noticeable acceleration took as late as the 18th over and George Bailey strove towards a score that might offer some justice to their start. The eventual 156 did not, nor was it good enough.