Duminy stars as Mumbai set Kolkata 149 to win

JP Duminy smashed an unbeaten 52 off 37 balls to propel Mumbai Indians to 148 for six against Kolkata Knight Riders in their Indian Premier League match here today.     

Duminy charged up late in the innings, hitting four towering sixes and a four, to help Mumbai Indians set a competitive target as the side was struggling at 96-5 at a stage after skipper Sachin Tendulkar won the toss and elected to bat at Buffalo Park.     

The South African batsman, who also stitched a 35-run partnership with dubutant Ajinkya Rahane (10), came to his team's rescue after star openers Sanath Jayasuriya (6) and Sachin Tendulkar (34) were removed by Knight Riders inside eight overs.    

  Earlier, pace spearhead Ishant Sharma conceded nine runs in the opening over but Ashok Dinda gave Knight Riders a big breakthrough in the fourth over.     

Dinda made Jayasuriya pay for playing a loose shot as he had the Sri Lankan veteran caught by Dutch-born Morne van Wyk. Dinda, who also fielded well by saving a couple of boundaries early in the innings, effected dismissal of Harbhajan Singh (6), who came to bat at number three, by catching him out at deep mid-wicket off left-arm spinner Murali Kartik's delivery within a space of 15 balls to reduce the Mumbai Indians to 40 for 2 in 5.5 overs.

Tendulkar, however, continued with his big-hitting ways but the dangerous-looking Mumbai captains' end came soon at the hands of paceman Ajit Agarkar who sent him packing after being hit for a boundary and a towering six in the eighth over.     

Tendulkar's 30-ball 34 knock was adorned with two sixes and three fours. He was given a reprieve in the fifth over when he escaped a strong appeal off Laxmi Ratan Shukla.     

At halfway-through the innings, Mumbai Indians were struggling at 61 for 3 with both their star openers cooling heels in the dugout.      After Abhishek Nayar followed, contributing just 10 runs to the team total, Graham Napier shared the crease with Duminy.     

Napier, who was dropped by Brendon McCullum off England-bound star West Indian Chris Gayle in the 14th over, eventually returned to the pavilion as the Kolkata skipper made amends and caught him in 16th over to leave Mumbai reeling at 96 for 5.     

With next batsman Rahane and then Zaheer Khan at the other end, Duminy went on with his pyrotechniques to keep the team score swelling and then.