Indian Premier League: Malinga fires Mumbai Indians to victory

11 Apr, 2011

Lasith Malinga grabbed five wickets in a superb exhibition of fast bowling to set up Mumbai Indians' eight-wicket win over Delhi Daredevils in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Sunday.
-- Pune Warriors defeat Kings XI Punjab
In another match, Yuvraj Singh's Pune Warriors made an impressive IPL debut when they posted an emphatic seven-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab with more than six overs to spare in Mumbai.
Sri Lankan Malinga, known for bowling accurate yorkers, finished with 5-13 off 3.4 overs as Sachin Tendulkar's Mumbai Indians dismissed Virender Sehwag's Delhi Daredevils for 95 in the Twenty20 tournament.
Naman Ojha (29) and Venugopal Rao (26) were the main contributors for Delhi, who could not even bat their full quota of 20 overs. Five batsmen failed to open their accounts in a dismal batting performance.
Mumbai did not face any difficulty in achieving a modest target, winning their opening match with more than three overs to spare at the Ferozeshah Kotla ground in New Delhi. Tendulkar (46 not out), who added 68 for the unfinished third-wicket stand with Rohit Sharma (27 not), ended the match when he drove seamer Irfan Pathan through the covers for a four.
Malinga jolted Delhi with two wickets in three balls when he bowled Australian David Warner and local boy Unmukt Chand in his opening over.
Delhi suffered a big setback when Sehwag was run out for 19 following Tendulkar's direct-hit at the striker's end.
Malinga then returned for his second spell to get two more wickets in one over, again in the space of three deliveries, when he bowled Rao and South African Morne Morkel. He ended the innings when he removed Ashok Dinda.
Pune comfortably achieved a 113-run target against Punjab, with Mithun Manhas (35) and New Zealander Jesse Ryder (31) being the main scorers.
The pair put on 60 for the second wicket after the first-ball dismissal of South African Graeme Smith. South African Ryan McLaren top-scored for Punjab with an unbeaten 51.
Brief scores
Delhi Daredevils 95 in 17.4 overs (N. Ojha 29, V. Rao 26; L. Malinga 5-13, H. Singh 2-14) lost to Mumbai Indians 99-2 in 16.5 overs (S. Tendulkar 46 not out, R. Sharma 27 not out) by eight wickets.
Kings XI Punjab 112-8 in 20 overs (R. McLaren 51 not out; S. Wagh 3-16, A. Thomas 2-27) lost to Pune Warriors 113-3 in 13.1 overs (M. Manhas 35, J. Ryder 31, R. Uthappa 22 not out, Yuvraj Singh 21 not out) by seven wickets.

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