IPL: Rising Pune Supergiants beat Mumbai Indians

Indian Premier League debutants Rising Pune Supergiants announced themselves as a force to be reckoned with by thrashing defending champions Mumbai Indians by nine wickets in the first game of the tournament at Wankhede Stadium on Saturday.

Mumbai started the defence of their title by making only 121-8 in their own backyard, with late runs from Harbhajan Singh (45 not out off 30 balls) getting the two-time champions beyond three figures after they collapsed to 51-6.

Four Pune bowlers took a wicket with their first ball and former Indians opener Ajinkya Rahane top scored with an unbeaten 66 from only 42 deliveries as the new boys sealed an emphatic victory with 32 balls to spare.

Indians captain Rohit Sharma must have been questioning his decision to bat first after winning the toss as the champions made a dreadful start in front of a raucous crowd.

Ishant Sharma (2-36) trapped Rohit leg before with the first delivery of the second over and also got rid of Lendl Simmons before Mitchell Marsh (2-21) also started his spell by striking immediately to send Hardik Pandya on his way.

England wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler (0) lasted just two balls on his IPL debut and the Indians were in the mire on 51-6 when Kieron Pollard and Shreyas Gopal also fell cheaply.

Ravichandran Ashwin (1-7) also needed only one ball to make an impact as he accounted for Ambati Rayudu (22) and it was left to veteran spinner Harbhajan to give the crowd something to shout about, taking 10 off the last two deliveries in a final over from Ishant which went for 17.

Mumbai needed to make early inroads to have any chance of securing victory, but Rahane and South Africa captain Faf du Plessis (34) put on 78 for the first wicket and Kevin Pietersen was unbeaten on 21 in a one-sided encounter.

Du Plessis smashed three sixes before he was bowled by Harbhajan and the impressive Rahane, who was dropped by Gopal after reaching his half-century, put the Indians out of their misery by hitting Pandya for a second six in the 15th over.