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Brad Hodge, perhaps, dropped the match for RR as he grounded a difficult chance off Ambati Rayudu in the 19th over when MI were still struggling to get to the winning target of 166 runs. MI opener Dwayne Smith's explosive knock of 62 off only 44 balls meant the team did not miss Sachin Tendulkar who was out with a wrist injury.
RR missed a specialist spinner on a slow Eden track as Smith and Aditya Tare gave the side a solid start after RR post a fighting 165 for six in their 20 overs. The match got underway an hour late because of a light drizzle that left the outfield damp. No overs were reduced, though.
Smith and Tare virtually took the match away from the Royals by building up a 70-run opening stand in nine overs. RR, however, made a comeback by removing Dinesh Karthik, Rohit Sharma and Smith within a span of 14 balls. But they failed to provide the knockout punch as MI romped home with one ball to spare as Harbhajan Singh swatted Shane Watson over point for a four.
Harbhajan, earlier, brought MI back into the game by picking up three wickets after Rahul Dravid had given Royals, who batted first after winning the toss, a good start. But a late flurry by Dishant Yagnik helped Royals post an impressive score on a slow Eden track.
Dravid showed glimpses of his vintage best at one of his favourite venues . Not for the first time, the former India skipper showed that authentic cricketing shots could be as effective in a T20 game as in the longer format. Dravid also didn't hesitate to give Mitchell Johnson a mouthful when the Mumbai Indians pacer tried to sledge him after being hit for classical back-to-back boundaries.
His opening partner Ajinkya Rahana, too, began on a confident note, finding the boundaries by piercing the five-man off-side field.
MI skipper Rohit Sharma had to turn to Harbhajan, and the offie did not disappoint. Introduced in the seventh over, the off-spinner bowled Rahane round his legs with his third delivery and then had dangerman Shane Watson caught by the skipper at square-leg in his second over.
The Turbanator, who bowled unchanged, picked up Dravid in his final over to finish with three for 23. It was a soft dismissal as Dravid (43 off 37 balls) was taken easily by Rohit at mid-wicket. Stuart Binny, at the other end, used the long handle to good effect, racing to 27 off just 17 balls. Kieron Pollard, though, put the breaks on RR by dismissing both Binny and Kevon Cooper in his only over to reduce the Royals to 108 for 6.
Yagnik's heroics (31 not out off 17 balls) helped Royals reach a decent score. Malinga's nine-ball final over, in which he gave away 18 runs including two huge, bizarre, wides, helped RR's cause. The Lankan pacer went for 43 runs in his four overs.
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