Rayudu, Pollard inspire Mumbai

Kieron Pollard: Finished unbeaten on 52 from 31 balls

Ambati Rayudu: Top-scored with a brutal 81 not out off only 54 balls

Ambati Rayudu and Kieron Pollard teamed up to devastating effect as Mumbai Indians took a giant step towards securing their place in the Indian Premier League semi-finals with victory over Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Chasing 172 for victory at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Mumbai appeared destined for defeat when a flurry of early wickets reduced them to 51-5 inside nine overs.

However, wicketkeeper Rayudu (81 not out off 54 balls) and powerful all-rounder Pollard (52no from 31) launched a sensational counter-attack to silence the home crowd and claim a five-wicket victory for their side with two balls to spare.

Pollard finished the job, taking his former West Indies captain Chris Gayle for six, four, four with 14 required from the final over.

Major boost

The win puts Mumbai level on 18 points with Delhi Daredevils atop the IPL standings, while Bangalore sit back in fifth place on 15 with just two fixtures remaining.

Bangalore's bid to rise above the Indians and into the top four of the standings had received a major boost thanks to Mayank Agarwal's swashbuckling 64 not out in their competitive 171-6.

The talented right-hander's cameo, which came off just 30 deliveries and included six fours and four sixes, proved all the more important after the in-form Chris Gayle endured a rare failure in falling for eight and Virat Kohli was run out for just three.

Mumbai slumped to 19-3 in reply as star trio Sachin Tendulkar, Herschelle Gibbs and Rohit Sharma all departed inside the opening four overs.

When Muttiah Muralitharan removed Dinesk Karthik for 16 and Harshal Patel snared Dwayne Smith the game looked up for the Indians, however Rayudu and Pollard had other ideas.

The pair launched the bewildered Bangalore attack to all parts of the packed-out venue - taking the partnership to an unbroken 122 to seal a remarkable win.

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