Mumbai Indians' road to the final

Oct 06, 2013

Mumbai Indians, the IPL 2013 champions, started their fourth Champions League on a wobbly note, losing to Rajasthan Royals. Batting first, Mumbai's top order struggled before Rohit Sharma led the recovery with a 37-ball 44•BCCI

Their prospects of making the semi-finals looked uncertain after the game against Otago was abandoned due to heavy rain in Ahmedabad•BCCI

Otago's loss to Royals in their last league game meant Mumbai needed to beat Perth Scorchers by a specific margin to qualify for the semi-final. Scorchers had a solid start but Ojha struck with two wickets in his first over. Scorchers failed to consolidate and Nathan Coulter-Nile's three-wicket haul restricted them to 149•BCCI

Mumbai were given a blazing start by Dwayne Smith and Sachin Tendulkar, who added 90 in 11 overs. They stuttered briefly once Tendulkar fell but Rohit and Dinesh Karthik made sure Mumbai comfortably entered their second Champions League final in three years•BCCI

Kieron Pollard also showed signs of form, striking 42 off 36 balls to help Mumbai reach 142. However, their bowlers couldn't defend the target and Mumbai needed to win at least two of their remaining three group games•BCCI

Mumbai, however, bounced back with a comprehensive win over Lions. Their bowlers, led by Pragyan Ojha, restricted Lions to 140•BCCI

Mumbai needed to score 150 in 14.2 overs to qualify ahead of Otago on net run rate. Sachin Tendulkar and Glenn Maxwell fell cheaply, but Smith, Rohit Sharma and Pollard ensured Mumbai achieved their target in 13.2 overs. Rohit scored an unbeaten 51 off 24 balls, which included three fours and four sixes•BCCI

Dwayne Smith blasted an unbeaten 63 off 47 balls and, with support from Pollard, helped Mumbai secure an easy win. The victory, however, didn't ensure a semi-final spot and Mumbai were dependent on Royals beating Otago•BCCI

In the semi-final, Mumbai came up against Trinidad & Tobago, possibly the tournament's best bowling side. Having been put in to bat, T&T reached 36 for 1 in four overs. However, Mumbai's bowlers pulled it back during the middle overs and even a late surge - 47 off the last five overs - could only get T&T to 153•BCCI