IPL 6: Rajasthan Royals go down fighting to Mumbai Indians in a thriller

Mumbai Indians made their way into the finals by defeating a spirited Rajasthan Royals side here on the lush Eden Gardens of Kolkata on Friday. They, thus, have set themselves up for a cracker of a match against arguably the deserving champions of this edition of the IPL, the Chennai super kings.

Chasing a stiff target of 166, Mumbai’s start was resolute with Tare and the in-form Smith adding 70 in just 9 overs, aided and abetted by some of the most horrific fielding by RR. Their bowlers tried to pull back things a bit, and wickets kept falling in regular intervals, but a boundary or two, besides regular changing of strike, was just about enough for Mumbai to stay on course. 8 of the last over was made to look difficult by some intelligent bowling on the part of Watson, but even he couldn’t avert what was in store for the valiant Royals.

The highlight, what some would say, of Royals’ innings, was Rahul Dravid’s gutsy 43 (37), characterized by his trademark flicks and cuts. The others would cite Yagnik’s [31(17)] act of going berserk. Still others would quote Malinga’s super wides which were so far off down the leg side that they made the umpire blush. This day, frankly, could have been Royals’ but they chose otherwise, by fielding way below genuine village standards.

In the post match presentation, the veteran Dravid wore a tired but satisfied look. He knew his rookie side, plagued by the most heinous of ailments, had punched way above their weights this season. To be honest, before the tourney began, he would have taken being defeated one step before the final with a big smile on his face. Also, to be fair, Dravid not only managed to re-establish how good a player he might be, but also the fact that he’s a quality leader, a point which would not have mustered much strength owing to his forgettable India stint.

Meanwhile, the final, to be played between CSK and MI on Sunday, has all the ingredients of being a brilliant one. One can expect the pitch to be not so much batsmen friendly but  batsmen amorous. Even though IPL is increasingly becoming a tournament wherein 8 teams play round robin with a couple of friendlies each, to meet CSK in the finals. If there was the concept of derby matches in IPL, this one would definitely make the cut. On Sunday, MI and CSK would have met 4 times – once each in every metro. It couldn’t have been bigger or better. So sit back, relax and enjoy the treat that is the IPL .