MUMBAI, India, CMC – West Indies batsmen Lendl Simmons and Kieron Pollard played cameos to help Mumbai Indians beat Rajasthan Royals by eight runs here yesterday and continue their climb off the bottom rung of the Indian Premier League.
Sent in at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai tallied 187 for five off their 20 overs, with Simmons hitting 38 from 31 deliveries and Pollard getting 24 from 14 balls.
Ambati Rayudu top scored with an unbeaten 53 off 27 balls with four fours and three sixes.
Sanju Samson then hammered 76 off 46 balls with seven fours and three sixes but Royals came up short, after needing 20 runs from the final over.
The victory was only Mumbai’s third of the season after starting poorly.
Earlier, Simmons struck four fours and a six as he anchored two important stands at the top of the order. He shared 43 for the first wicket with Parthiv Patel who made 23 before adding a further 30 for the second wicket with Unmukt Chand who scored 13.
Simmons was eventually lbw in the tenth over to left-arm spinner Ankit Sharma, with television replays showing he edged the ball on to his pads.
Pollard, batting at number six, struck a few lusty blows in gathering two fours and a six before top-edging medium pacer Rusty Theron behind.
