RAIPUR, India, CMC – Both Kieron Pollard and Lendl Simmons failed as Mumbai Indians crashed to a shock six-wicket defeat to Lahore Lions in their opening qualifying match of the Champions League Twenty20 here yesterday.
Sent in, Mumbai struggled to 135 for seven off their 20 overs and Lahore cruised to their target in the penultimate over, to easily post victory at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium.
For Mumbai, wicketkeeper Aditya Tare top-scored with 37 off 36 balls and opener Mike Hussey got 28 off 26 balls while Praveen Kumar got an unbeaten 20 late in the innings.
Experienced seamer Aizaz Cheema picked up two for 22 while left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz claimed two for 31.
Simmons, opening the batting, made just seven before holing out to mid-off in the fourth over off Aizaz and captain Pollard, batting at number six, spent 14 balls over six runs before being yorked by seamer Imran Ali in the 16th over.
Mumbai were struggling at 23 for three in the fourth over before Hussey and Tare came together to add 44 and halt the decline.
In reply, Ahmad Shezad stroked 34 from 33 balls with five fours and a six in adding 51 for the first wicket with Nasir Jamshed, as Lahore started positively.
They lost four wickets to stumble to 110 for four in the 16th but Umar Akmal blasted an unbeaten 38 from 18 balls with four fours and two sixes, inspiring an unbroken 39-run, sixth wicket stand with Asaif Raza, 14 not out, to seal victory.
