Mumbai's home streak ended at 10

It's a tight Saturday prime-time IPL match involving the two highest profile franchises in the tournament. Guess who delivers when it's a big game? MS Dhoni is perhaps the best finisher in the limited-overs game, and when Chennai Super Kings needed a big hit in the final over, he duly obliged, as he has so many times in the past. It came down to 11 off the last over, and Dhoni responded by calmly whacking a six over deep midwicket before wrapping up the victory with three balls to spare.

The last time Mumbai Indians lost an IPL game at the Wankhede Stadium was back in 2012, so long ago that their openers were Sachin Tendulkar and Herschelle Gibbs. The 10-game winning streak at home was built on muscular batting and depth in the bowling, neither of which were in evidence today.

After the peerless Lasith Malinga had produced another superb Twenty20 burst to drag them back into the game, Mumbai had to turn to Kieron Pollard for the final over. #BreachTheFortress Super Kings had been tweeteing all day, and when the fortress had to be defended from Dhoni in the final over by amiable medium-pace, there was only going to be one winner.

Mumbai didn't help their cause by again keeping their biggest guns in the holster too long - Rohit Sharma came in towards the end of the 12th over, Kieron Pollard got a look-in only in the 18th, and Corey Anderson even later. When Rohit walked in, the run-rate was still hovering around six. The inclusion of Lendl Simmons worked better than the ill-fated experiment with Ben Dunk, but they will still expect quicker innings than a run-a-ball 38 from their specialist overseas batsman.

On a surface where Super Kings brought in an extra spinner in Samuel Badree, and on which R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja got plenty of assistance, Mumbai's spin department featured only Harbhajan Singh. Though chances of qualification for the play-offs are becoming remote, there were a couple of heartening things for Mumbai fans - Praveen Kumar showed he can be venomous with the new ball, and Ambati Rayudu shrugged off a run of lean scores with a half-century that anchored the innings.

Super Kings looked to be in control for much of the chase, helped along by a stop-start Dwayne Smith half-century, though they were rocked by a couple of woeful umpiring decisions. Brendon McCullum was sent on his way though the ball was clearly headed down the leg side, and the third umpire decided Suresh Raina was stumped though the replays suggested otherwise. They were also helped by the umpiring in the 17th over, just as the nerves were beginning to jangle: Jadeja was dead plumb to a full slower ball from Malinga, but the umpire somehow thought the ball would miss the stumps. He wasn't misled by Jadeja waving the bat as if to suggest he hit the ball, and the call of leg-byes only made the decision even more inexplicable.

Before the late drama, perhaps the highlight of the match was the astonishing range of boundary catches and drops - Mithun Manhas put down a sitter at long-on, Harbhajan Singh misjudged the line and could only get one hand on a midwicket six at a crucial juncture of the chase, Samuel Badree judged the ball perfectly at third man but could only push the ball over for six early on, Jadeja caught the ball at deep midwicket but failed to let the ball go before crossing the line, Simmons juggled three times before pocketing the ball at long-on, Raina took a couple of difficult tumbling efforts at midwicket, and the biggest wow-moment was Faf du Plessis flying across to catch a brutal hit at long-on before releasing the ball mid-air as he headed for the rope.

While the packed house roared on all that athleticism, they had come to see a Mumbai win. They got the second best thing - seeing the biggest name in Indian cricket do what he does best.

Siddarth Ravindran is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

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Sunrisers prevail in rain-hit game

Insecurity weighing Delhi down

Sunrisers Hyderabad 44 for 2 (Ojha 13*) beat Delhi Daredevils 143 for 7 (Karthik 39, Steyn 2-20) by eight wickets (D/L method)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

On a frustrating evening with four rain stoppages, sensational death bowling and a cameo from Naman Ojha set up an eight-wicket win (Duckworth-Lewis method) for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Delhi Daredevils at the Feroz Shah Kotla. This was the fourth consecutive loss for Daredevils on their home ground in this IPL.

Sunrisers gave away just 22 in the last five overs, restricting Daredevils to 143 for 7, before their own chase was shortened first to 117 off 15 overs, then 97 of 12 overs and finally 43 off five.

Daredevils nearly clawed back into the game, as Rahul Shukla dismissed Aaron Finch with Sunrisers still needing 18 off 10 but Naman Ojha and David Warner ensured there were no further hiccups. Warner put away a full toss and Ojha followed it up with a slog over deep midwicket that brought the equation to six off the last over. Ojha's six off Laxmi Shukla took Sunrisers home with four balls to spare.

Daredevils in many ways ended up paying the price for steadfastly pigeon-holing two of their best batsmen this season as finishers. They were a comfortable 87 for 2 in the ninth over when Mayank Agarwal was dismissed but Daredevils held Duminy back and sent Laxmi Shukla in at No. 5. The allrounder added 55 runs with Dinesh Karthik but the innings struggled for impetus, specially after the first, hour-long rain break. Both Karthik and Shukla fell in the 17th over, leaving Duminy and Kedar Jadhav 18 balls between them to give Daredevils some sort of a finish. Unsurprisingly, they floundered against intelligent bowling from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Irfan Pathan and Dale Steyn.

Their ending - 11 runs off the last three overs - was in stark contrast to the sprightly start, a result of Kevin Pietersen's cameo in his first IPL appearance as an opener. Pietersen was hesitant early on and in danger of a being run-out a few times, but looked to be getting his groove back when he punched a square drive off Bhuvneshwar Kumar for his first boundary.

After Quinton de Kock fell to Steyn, Pietersen took charge, smacking a six and four each off Karn Sharma and Moises Henriques in successive overs to guide Daredevils to their best Powerplay period of the tournament. Against Mishra, though, he mistimed a drive straight to cover, giving the bowler his 100th IPL wicket.

Mayank Agarwal squandered a start leaving the rebuilding to Dinesh Karthik, who scored 39 off 30. Karthik kept the strike turning early on and made the most of a reprieve at fine leg to scoop Steyn for a six over the same region. He swatted Karan Sharma for a six and a four after the resumption of play but fell to a well-judged catch by Steyn at the long-off boundary.

Rachna Shetty is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

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Darren Sammy retires from Test cricket

Darren Sammy has announced his retirement from Test cricket after losing the captaincy. His decision on Friday evening came just hours after the WICB announced that wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin was replacing Sammy as captain of the Test side for the upcoming three-Test series

against New Zealand beginning on June 8 in Jamaica. Sammy will remain T20 captain for the West Indies and has informed the board that he will continue to make himself available for selection in ODIs.

Sammy was the first player from St Lucia to represent the West Indies Test side, making his debut as a 23-year-old in 2007 against England at Old Trafford. He took 7 for 66 in the second innings of a 60-run loss to the home side, the best bowling figures at Old Trafford since Malcolm Marshall claimed 7 for 22 in 1988. They were also the best for any West Indian on debut since Alf Valentine claimed 8 for 102 against England at the same venue in 1950 and would remain Sammy's best haul over his 38 Tests.

After having played only eight Tests, he was made captain of the Test side taking over from Chris Gayle in October 2010 after Gayle turned down a WICB central contract. It was a curious move at the time since Sammy was not an automatic selection due to his modest record with both bat and ball, claiming 27 wickets at 27.74 while maintaining a batting average of 19.40 with high score of 48 in 15 innings.

Sammy fought off plenty of criticism throughout his reign during which West Indies won eight, lost 12 and drew 10 of the Tests he captained. During a seven-month stretch beginning in November 2011, West Indies lost three consecutive three-match series - in India, at home to Australia and then away again in England - all by a final margin of 2-0.

The WICB continued to show faith in Sammy's leadership though and they were rewarded when he led them to six straight Test victories - two each at home against New Zealand, away in Bangladesh and back home against Zimbabwe - before a poor showing by the West Indies in India during Sachin Tendulkar's farewell series last November provided more fodder for Sammy's detractors. His final series in charge was in New Zealand last December where Darren Bravo's double-century saved the first Test in Dunedin before West Indies lost heavily in the final two matches of the series.

He leaves Test cricket at a time when his Twenty20 career is near its peak. After leading West Indies to the World T20 title in 2012, he led them to the semifinals in 2014 on the back of some impressive finishing displays, none more than against Australia when he scored 34 not out off 13 balls in a final-over six-wicket win.

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Ramdin focuses on mental challenge

Denesh Ramdin, West Indies new Test captain, is convinced there is the talent available in the Caribbean to revive their form over five days but they must overcome the mental frailties which have happened there attempts to climb the Test rankings.

He wants his team to play "smarter cricket" and is eager to impart his style of leadership and thinking, which he believes are the qualities the selectors have seen, on his team-mates beginning with the visit of New Zealand.

"For the last six to seven years, West Indies have gone off the boil in Tests because our opponents have out-thought us more. We need to think harder as a team," Ramdin told ESPNcricinfo. "The talent is there. The cricketing skill is always there but it's more mental with us. Since my West Indies U-19 experiences and Trinidad stints as captain, I've always focused and prided myself on proper analysis of the game and we need to improve on this to move up."

Ramdin is confident that he will be able to deal with the pressure, expectation and responsibility the captaincy brings having been vice-captain for five years but knows it will be an increasing challenge to ensure he continues to focus enough time on his own game, which is already to the dual role of being a keeper-batsman.

"Darren [Sammy] did well with the resources he had and many thanks to him but I'm relishing the challenge," he said, before the news of Sammy's retirement. "There will be ups and downs but I'm ready to balance it all. Over the past 12-15 months I've worked on my personal form and it remains the same - I want to help anchor the team and get the lower order to contribute more runs."

Ramdin was quick to pick out West Indies' batting as the area that needed immediate attention. "We need to bat better in both innings in a Test and not just one. We must have consistency because we've been faltering with the bat too much."

Ramdin mapped out his vision for the team on the pitch and said he felt the wicketkeeper's role was one that will benefit him in the captaincy. "I see a lot from behind the wicket - how the opposition bats to my bowlers - and this helps me in strategizing as it's the best view in the house.

"So now I have a more hands-on approach and more input to control things and to form tactics my way to get guys out based on what I see. This perspective would help in containing opponents and also, I get the best chance to assess the pitches constantly out there in the middle."

He sees the upcoming visit of New Zealand as a good litmus test as the teams are so close to each other in the Test rankings and because the teams have dominated each other in their respective home conditions over the past few years. Ramdin wants to overturn the losses suffered on tour of New Zealand, but despite beating them in the Caribbean on their previous visit has warned that they should not underestimate even though conditions are expected to favour West Indies' spinners far more.

With the captain involved more in team selection as per the recent mandates laid down by the WICB in accordance with the Pybus report, Ramdin said the door was open even to those who have been out of the Test side for a considerable time if they can show the required form.

This is particularly pertinent for Dwayne Bravo, who last played a Test in 2010 (or even first-class cricket since last year) but was termed "one of the best allrounders in the game and a matchwinner," who Ramdin "would love to have in the team as they have a great working relationship." Last month Bravo spoke of his frustration at having been overlooked for so long.

Ramdin also picked out Sunil Narine has having a key role to play in all formats, not just Twenty20, and said the likes of Bravo and Kieron Pollard can stake a claim for Test cricket although that will be difficult for the pair in the short term with Bravo currently nursing a shoulder injury and Pollard playing the IPL.

For now, Ramdin is starting to look forward to the Test series against New Zealand - the second match of which is in front of his home crowd in Trinidad. "The first Test in Jamaica is Chris [Gayle's] 100th so hopefully we can do well there and carry over the momentum to Trinidad. I am eager and happy to run out at home in front our fans."

Renaldo Matadeen is a sportswriter and social media manager for ESPN Caribbean. @RenaldoMatadeen

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PCB defends Waqar appointment

The PCB has defended its decision to name Waqar Younis as the national team's head coach, a day after Mohsin Khan blasted the appointment process. Mohsin, one of the contenders for the coach's job, had called the process a 'total farce', questioning why he had not been interviewed.

Zaheer Abbas, the former Pakistan captain who is now principal advisor to the PCB chairman,

explained why Mohsin had not been interviewed. "The procedure is that we usually interview candidates about whom we have no or little information," Abbas said. "But Mohsin's case was different; he is quite familiar to us and we are aware of his strengths and weaknesses."

Mohsin had previously been Pakistan's coach in 2012, when he guided them to a famous 3-0 Test series sweep against then No. 1 England. Mohsin and Waqar were in the race for the top role and on Tuesday, the PCB appointed Waqar, who returned for a second term after his previous stint between March 2010 and August 2011.

Another former Pakistan captain, Intikhab Alam, who is now PCB's director of domestic cricket, also defended Waqar's appointment. "For the position of head coach we took a lot of other factors into account," Alam said. "We looked at an applicant's ability to be inclusive and take players along with him. After reviewing all seven applications on merit, we recommended Waqar Younis."

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Tahir banks on subcontinent experience

South Africa legspinner Imran Tahir is confident the experience of playing on subcontinent tracks during the World T20 will hold him in good stead as he prepares for his first IPL stint with Delhi Daredevils. Tahir, who was the leading wicket-taker in the World T20 in Bangladesh, was brought in as a replacement for the injured pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile.

"The wickets are looking the same. Even in Bangladesh there were no spin-friendly wickets. I have that experience and it would help," Tahir said. "Spinners have a main role whether in the IPL or world cricket. But it's hard to be a legspinner, you have to be accurate. The Kotla wicket suits spinners, I will try to do something special."

His addition is important for Daredevils who are currently struggling at the bottom of the table with six losses in eight games and need to win most of their remaining games for a shot at the play-offs. Slow-bowling is one of Daredevils' glaring weaknesses with frontline spinner Shahbaz Nadeem struggling for wickets. JP Duminy, a part-timer, has had to chip in to balance a bowling attack that has relied largely on pacers.

Tahir comes into the squad with 12 wickets in five games at the World T20 at an average of 10.91. He has 99 T20 wickets from 91 games with a strike rate of 19.5 and an economy rate of 6.42. Moreover, he also has the experience of having played in T20 leagues in Pakistan, South Africa and England. He also said that while he did not have a lot of experience of bowling in the Powerplay overs, he would be willing to do so for Daredevils.

"I know the team is not doing well. I want to do something for the team," Tahir said. "They are working hard, [it's] just things are not going their way. But you can't do much about it. Destiny, too, has a role to play in it. Even if we can win four out of six games, we will be able to justify.

"I have not bowled in Powerplay but if the captain asks me then it has to be considered in the interest of the team. I would like to put myself in that situation. If not, then I would like to bowl after six overs."

The presence of his South Africa team-mates, Duminy, Quinton de Kock and Wayne Parnell has made the transition smoother for Tahir.

"It is an advantage. They know how I play and they also know what they can to do help me as I am new in the side," he said. "I have also played against some of the Indians in England."

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Brijesh Patel set to be NCA director

Brijesh Patel, the former India opener, is set to occupy the position of the National Cricket Academy director, which has been vacant for more than a year and half. This will be Patel's second stint as NCA director, after serving between 2001 to 2004, during the early years of the academy.

The decision was taken during the NCA Board meeting that was held in Bangalore on Friday. Patel, who heads Royal Challengers Bangalore's cricket operations, will take charge soon after the conclusion of the IPL.

The NCA director's post has been vacant since Sandeep Patil was appointed as the chairman of the national selection panel in October 2012. It is understood that the BCCI hierarchy were trying to convince Rahul Dravid to take over from Patil. Once the talks with Dravid didn't materialise, Patel's name came up next as the NCA Board preferred a candidate based in Bangalore. Patel, who took over the Karnataka State Cricket Association administration last year thus realigning himself with the BCCI bosses, was thus a "natural choice", according to an NCA Board member.

The NCA, which has primarily been converted into a rehab centre for centrally-contracted players of the BCCI, has been in a transition phase for almost a year. NCA chairman TC Mathew has been wanting to implement the plan set in motion by his predecessor Ranjib Biswal to set up five zonal academies and streamline coaching methods to avoid junior cricketers being confused by various coaches. It remains to be seen if Patel pushes the proposals that were passed more than a year ago but haven't been implemented so far.

Amol Karhadkar is a correspondent at ESPNcricinfo

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